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LONDON, England - The European Court of Justice has deemed gender based vehicle insurance as "unfair" and as of December 2012 insurers will be prohibited from using gender to determine premiums.
According to the Daily Mail, UK insurance experts predict that women will be most affected by the ruling as it could have a severe impact on premiums.
Female drivers, statistically, receive cheaper car insurance as assessors consider females to be "low risk".
PRICE HIKE FOR WOMAN
Figures from the Association of British Insurers predict that female drivers will now see a 25% price hike in their annual policy while men can expect a 10% cut
Insurance agent Gocompare.com's head of motor insurance, Scott Kelly, said: "Reckless racers should contribute more if they drive like idiots and put people at risk, but it's a policy that should apply across the board."
Men and women are involved in the same number of crashes in the UK, but cars crashed by men generally cost more for insurers to repair.
According to figures from Gocompare.com, a 41% discrepancy exists between the average annual premium for new male and female drivers.
For young men aged 17 and 18 the gap is reported to be 18%. In terms of annual premiums this equates to men paying an extra R24 672 for the same policy offered to women. For thousands of them who drive carefully and just happen to be 18, the change will mean a significant saving.
Kelly said: "From December 21, insurers will be prohibited from using gender in their pricing. There has been no equalisation of rates to date so the introduction of unisex pricing is likely to have a sudden, dramatic impact as insurers seem to be holding off until the last minute.”
Female drivers could expect an average increase in their premiums as insurers level the playing field.
Kelly said: "We expect that the implementation of unisex rates will see premiums equalised at the higher male rate, rather than at the lower rate for females.
"If that is the case, women drivers will see their premiums rise by just over R4000 on average, but for younger age groups the increase could be as much as R27000," he said.
Share your thoughts in our Reader's' Comments below.
According to the Daily Mail, UK insurance experts predict that women will be most affected by the ruling as it could have a severe impact on premiums.
Female drivers, statistically, receive cheaper car insurance as assessors consider females to be "low risk".
PRICE HIKE FOR WOMAN
Figures from the Association of British Insurers predict that female drivers will now see a 25% price hike in their annual policy while men can expect a 10% cut
Insurance agent Gocompare.com's head of motor insurance, Scott Kelly, said: "Reckless racers should contribute more if they drive like idiots and put people at risk, but it's a policy that should apply across the board."
Men and women are involved in the same number of crashes in the UK, but cars crashed by men generally cost more for insurers to repair.
According to figures from Gocompare.com, a 41% discrepancy exists between the average annual premium for new male and female drivers.
For young men aged 17 and 18 the gap is reported to be 18%. In terms of annual premiums this equates to men paying an extra R24 672 for the same policy offered to women. For thousands of them who drive carefully and just happen to be 18, the change will mean a significant saving.
Kelly said: "From December 21, insurers will be prohibited from using gender in their pricing. There has been no equalisation of rates to date so the introduction of unisex pricing is likely to have a sudden, dramatic impact as insurers seem to be holding off until the last minute.”
Female drivers could expect an average increase in their premiums as insurers level the playing field.
Kelly said: "We expect that the implementation of unisex rates will see premiums equalised at the higher male rate, rather than at the lower rate for females.
"If that is the case, women drivers will see their premiums rise by just over R4000 on average, but for younger age groups the increase could be as much as R27000," he said.
Share your thoughts in our Reader's' Comments below.
