Hoked this out today on my surfing travels from the Newry Democrat:
Newry insurance policy uncovered
LIVING in Newry will cost you more in car insurance than almost anywhere else in the UK.
Insurance companies calculate how great a risk a customer is by their postcode, and the BT 35 postcode is rated in the ‘high risk’ list.
Ciaran Murphy, a 25-year-old shop assistant from Newry, was recently quoted a whooping £1,790 insurance for his Vauxhall Corsa, costing £149 a month.
Yet if he was a shop assistant in Newcastle, England, and driving the same car he could get insured for £880 – a saving of £910.
“I don’t think I’m getting a fair deal,” he said. “Maybe it’s because of the size of the town. If I were living in a different town, doing the same job, then I’d probably get insured at a lower price.
“Another problem is the lack of British insurers coming over to Northern Ireland and insuring the young people here. That’s why Northern Ireland insurers are putting their process so high,” he added.
Mr Murphy felt so ‘trapped’ that he went on television last week to air his grievance on the BBC’s consumer affairs programme, Fair Play.
“There’s absolutely nothing I can do about it. It’s either pay the insurance or sell the car and walk to work in the morning,” he said.
Catherine Corr from Newry is also dismayed at her car insurance costs.
The 27-year-old sales executive’s insurance currently stands at £950.
“I was appalled when I rang my broker to discover it was more expensive than the year before, especially as I had made no claims on it,” she said.
Sean Grant of Digney-Grant Insurances said the one reason some Newry people were paying so high an insurance price was their postcode.
“BT 35 is one of the most expensive postcodes in the country, simply because it has more claims per head than that of the other Newry postcode BT 34, or that of other towns such as Banbridge or Portadown. Insurers increase their premiums per accident,” he said.
Peter McEvoy of Autoline Direct Insurance Consultants in Newry said there were a number of reasons behind the sky-high insurance in Northern Ireland.
“I think the main reason that insurance is so high here is the very high preponderance of cars per households, which means 18 – 25 year olds have more access to vehicles than that in mainland UK.
“Also we don’t have a great range of insurance companies coming over from England as they’ve had their fingers burnt in the past with passenger liability claims. That, along with an increase of people driving high performance cars and number of 18 to 24-year-olds involved in expensive accidents have kept the insurance here so high,” he said.
Link: http://archives.tcm.ie/newrydemocrat/2001/11/20/story325.asp
Andy
Newry insurance policy uncovered
LIVING in Newry will cost you more in car insurance than almost anywhere else in the UK.
Insurance companies calculate how great a risk a customer is by their postcode, and the BT 35 postcode is rated in the ‘high risk’ list.
Ciaran Murphy, a 25-year-old shop assistant from Newry, was recently quoted a whooping £1,790 insurance for his Vauxhall Corsa, costing £149 a month.
Yet if he was a shop assistant in Newcastle, England, and driving the same car he could get insured for £880 – a saving of £910.
“I don’t think I’m getting a fair deal,” he said. “Maybe it’s because of the size of the town. If I were living in a different town, doing the same job, then I’d probably get insured at a lower price.
“Another problem is the lack of British insurers coming over to Northern Ireland and insuring the young people here. That’s why Northern Ireland insurers are putting their process so high,” he added.
Mr Murphy felt so ‘trapped’ that he went on television last week to air his grievance on the BBC’s consumer affairs programme, Fair Play.
“There’s absolutely nothing I can do about it. It’s either pay the insurance or sell the car and walk to work in the morning,” he said.
Catherine Corr from Newry is also dismayed at her car insurance costs.
The 27-year-old sales executive’s insurance currently stands at £950.
“I was appalled when I rang my broker to discover it was more expensive than the year before, especially as I had made no claims on it,” she said.
Sean Grant of Digney-Grant Insurances said the one reason some Newry people were paying so high an insurance price was their postcode.
“BT 35 is one of the most expensive postcodes in the country, simply because it has more claims per head than that of the other Newry postcode BT 34, or that of other towns such as Banbridge or Portadown. Insurers increase their premiums per accident,” he said.
Peter McEvoy of Autoline Direct Insurance Consultants in Newry said there were a number of reasons behind the sky-high insurance in Northern Ireland.
“I think the main reason that insurance is so high here is the very high preponderance of cars per households, which means 18 – 25 year olds have more access to vehicles than that in mainland UK.
“Also we don’t have a great range of insurance companies coming over from England as they’ve had their fingers burnt in the past with passenger liability claims. That, along with an increase of people driving high performance cars and number of 18 to 24-year-olds involved in expensive accidents have kept the insurance here so high,” he said.
Link: http://archives.tcm.ie/newrydemocrat/2001/11/20/story325.asp
Andy
