A recent study has found that nearly half of Britain’s young drivers are prepared to flout the law in order to reduce their car insurance premiums.
RAC insurance polled 500 drivers aged between 17 and 24. Among these, 47 per cent of the respondents said they were willing to engage in the illegal practice known as fronting if it meant cutting the cost of insurance.
Fronting refers to the act of falsely insuring a vehicle in someone else’s name. The main driver of the vehicle in reality will be classed as merely a named driver under the insurance cover. The designated ‘main driver’ will be an experienced driver (likely a parent) who will probably never use the vehicle.
Not only did many of the young drivers polled say they were willing to use fronting to save on insurance, many were also aware it is considered a fraudulent illegal act.
57 per cent of those surveyed confirmed they knew fronting was illegal, although this knowledge was far more prevalent among males than females. 65 per cent of the men polled said they knew it was illegal, compared to 49 per cent of the women.
If fronting is identified on a car insurance policy then it will become invalid and those involved in setting it up can end up facing a court case for insurance fraud, potentially leading to fines or a jail sentence.
RAC Insurance director Mark Godfrey said: “Its illegal activities like this that increase the overall cost of insurance for all young drivers.”
For more information about fronting, check out our guide about it