Monday, 14th August 2006

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GONE IN A FLASH: Roy Slater Hill's firm pays out to drivers who lose their licence
Picture: Kate Chandler

Outcry as motorists take cover from ban

JANE BRADLEY (jbradley@edinburghnews.com)

A LOTHIANS company is offering speeding drivers insurance against being
banned from the road.

Insurance broker Roy Slater Hill has set up a firm targeting drivers who risk losing their licence under totting up rules.

The policies, costing between around £5 and £20 a month, let drivers scoop more than £15,000 to cover their transport costs if they are banned for speeding.

Two of the country's leading motoring organisations have raised concerns about the practice. But Mr Slater Hill, 56, said he is meeting a demand in the market following the widespread introduction of speed cameras.

"People are getting points on their licence for a number of reasons. Drivers are caught out when they are going just a little bit over the speed limit with a speed camera or a radar," he said.

"People are really falling victim to this, especially now there are so many more speed cameras than there used to be. What we can do is protect people, especially if their jobs depend on being able to drive."

Mr Slater Hill set up his company, www.finanswers.co.uk, which specialises in insuring drivers against speeding bans, after taking out a similar policy from a specialist firm himself a few years ago. He runs the company from his Albyn Drive home in Livingston.

"I have had four speeding convictions in the last ten years, but I have not been a danger to anyone. Each time I was just a few miles per hour over the speed limit, but got caught and a lot of people are in a similar situation," he said.

"People insure their car, their house, themselves, so it makes sense to insure their ability to get around."

Drivers with up to six penalty points on their licence can take out a policy with the firm. If they lose their licence, they can claim up to £15,600 for the cost of ferrying themselves around for up to a year. The money can be spent on anything from bus tickets to a personal chauffeur.

A basic Flashguard insurance package costs from less than £5 a month. Bans for dangerous driving or drink driving are not covered under the policy.

The number of convictions in Scotland for speeding and minor driving offences, such as not wearing a seat belt, or poor car maintenance, more than doubled between 1994 and 2003, to 231,163.

The AA and RAC today raised concerns about the insurance for speeding drivers and one lobby group called for it to be banned.

Isobel Bridie, spokeswoman for the East Calder-based Scottish Campaign Against Irresponsible Drivers, said: "This insurance policy is not something we would support. It was banned in the past to insure against losing your licence through drink driving and the same should apply to this. A few miles an hour over the speed limit can be the difference between a child living or dying."

Neil Greig, head of policy for the AA Scotland, said: "This is not something the AA would offer. We do have concerns about this insurance giving out a bad impression. It makes people think that if you are rich enough, you can avoid the main penalty given for speeding offences."

Edmund King, spokesman for the RAC, added: "It is questionable as to how much of a good idea it is to insure against something like this. We would advise that the best insurance policy against losing your licence is to follow the rules of the road."

'It's a small price to pay for some reassurance'

ANDREW McLEMAN depends on his car to get around the many building sites and properties he needs to visit in the Lothians as part of his job as a quantity surveyor.

The 56-year-old, from Mid Calder, West Lothian, took out Driverguard insurance three months ago after reading about the policy online.

He said: "I don't have any points on my licence, but as a small business, it would be a disaster if I couldn't drive for any period of time, so it seemed ideal.

"I'm out and about a few times a week, so I need my car. As well as being insured against speeding points, Driverguard gives me medical driving cover too, so if I broke my leg and couldn't get about for a few weeks, I could hire someone to drive me."

But Mr McLeman, who runs his own business, McLeman QS Network, said having the policy did not make him a more complacent driver.

He said: "I'm always going to be conscious about speed cameras, so I don't think having insurance will change the way I drive.

"It is easy for anyone to get caught out, if they don't realise the speed limit on a road."

This article: http://edinburghnews.scotsman.com/index.cfm?id=1184152006

Last updated: 14-Aug-06 14:19 BST

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