Road rage may affect your insurance for young driver policy

There are many hindrances to getting a cheap insurance for young driver policy and statistics are quick to suggest that young drivers, those in the 17 to 24 years age bracket, are more likely to have serious accidents – therefore pushing up the price of car insurance for all young motorists.

However, in early 2011, car insurance research revealed that more than 33% of all road accident fatalities were attributable to "road rage" – equating to around 800 deaths a year as a result of dangerous driving caused by anger aimed at another driver or road-related situation.

What the statistics did not reveal, however, was an age breakdown of the road rage-related accidents to reveal whether it was older or younger motorists who were more likely to lose their self-control behind the wheel.

Combating road rage to keep cost of car insurance down
Typically, road rage may be as innocuous as someone sitting in their car and shouting at another driver who they perceive to have driven in a manner which has hindered them. But, on certain occasions, a frustrated driver may decide to further his progress on the road by executing a dangerous manoeuvre such as tailgating or undertaking, and these actions have the potential to cause serious road traffic accidents.

Staying calm and focused when driving is a fundamental aspect of good road behaviour and can be paramount in staying safe and driving well. If a driver's attention becomes distracted by someone who is driving too close behind them, or tailgating, then they may be less likely to see a hazard ahead and this could cause an accident.

Likewise, if a road rage driver is focusing on another driver's behaviour and road positioning, he will be less likely to see all potential accident hazards which may affect his vehicle.

While there is no magic wand to be waved to combat road rage, the publication of statistics which show how dangerous the actions of an angry driver can be will hopefully highlight the inherent risks. If one third of all road fatalities are caused as a result of road rage, it is likely that there will be a large number of non-fatal accidents also caused by angered drivers and the pecuniary cost to the general public, in the increased cost of a car insurance policy, is likely to be high.

insurethebox insurance for young drivers
The insurethebox telematics device records all sorts of road behaviour, but it won't tell us if you are swearing at another road user, thankfully. It will, however, show our technical team whether you brake or accelerate excessively and these may be the typical driving behaviours of a road rager.

Driving in such a manner will also use more fuel and create greater wear and tear on your car, so by curbing your acceleration and braking, you can save money on maintenance and running costs.

insurethebox will not penalise you directly for bad driving behaviours, but the more positively you drive, the more Bonus Miles you will earn and when it comes to renewal we will be able to offer you a new policy which is calculated to reflect our knowledge of your good driving. So, even as a young driver, we can see that you are less likely to have an accident, which could make your insurance for young driver cheaper.

Get an insurance for young driver quote today by clicking on our Get a Quote button and join insurethebox for a motor cover policy which rewards safe driving.