Big drop in number of teens aiming to hit the road

And there was a slump of almost 20 per cent in the number of young people taking their driving test last year compared to 2005 – an annual drop of 200,000.

A recent government survey found that two thirds of young people, who cannot drive, are discouraged by the rising cost of insurance once they have passed their test.

“The insurance industry is faced with the dual challenge of making young driver insurance affordable but keeping young people safer behind the wheel,” said Nigel Lacy, co-founder of Young Marmalade, the young driver’s champion created to help young drivers afford newer, safer cars and insurance as a combined package.

The company has launched Intelligent Marmalade: a high-tech scheme that installs state-of-the-art, in-car technology which monitors acceleration, braking, cornering and speed to help build a profile of the driver which the company can reward with cheaper premiums.

“Every day I hear young drivers complaining that they are safe drivers and it is one or two bad apples that escalate the cost of insurance for everyone. Intelligent Marmalade gives them the opportunity to prove their driving skills and save money,” said Mr Lacy.

Purchasing a new car under the Intelligent Marmalade scheme can work out more than £5,000 cheaper than buying and insuring a five year old car for the same period for a five year period.

Young Marmalade receives significant discounts from car manufacturers through bulk purchasing and they pass on these discounts back to the young driver in reduced premiums.

“We are aiming to monitor an individual’s driving habits with the next generation of in-car technology and reward the safe majority with reductions in normal premiums by 40 or even 50 per cent,” said Mr Lacy.