Interesting move for the Department of Transport today as reported in the Irish Indo, N plates for drivers for the first two years after they pass their test. I think this is definitely a worthwhile move, but it is only one step towards reducing road deaths.
Although it is not actually a new rule - Gardaí are supposed to be putting the N plates on vehicles for novice drivers, what this means is that the Department of Transport have issued an instruction to the insurers who are obliged to implement this (if their owner is driving without the plates displayed there are some very serious penalties and fines involved).
I am looking forward to the day when GPS insurance is commonplace in Ireland. It is picking up the pace all over Europe with Allianz Italy announcing a new program this week.
In my opinion, these kinds of schemes are ready to take off. The technology is definitely ready, the installation networks are there and there should be an appetite from most stakeholders
- Young drivers - pay less
- Parent, peace of mind
- Insurers, better data, reduced rates = more customers
- Road Safety Authority, better data, fewer deaths
Stakeholders that don’t want GPS insurance:
- Potentially insurance companies (I don’t know why, but roll out and interest is slow)
- Boy racers! - they like driving quickly and if all the responsible drivers (or drivers willing to be responsible for a better rate) move to GPS insurance, pricing for standard insurance schemes suitable for boy racers will go through the roof - This is good!
Anyway, as you will have seen from our previous blog posts, we are very interested in this area. Anyone interested in talking more about it should let me know.
Photo by @jcomp on Freepik
