older people are a "greater liability"

This is outrageous. Obviously as people get older (as in proper;y older) there is more risk - which is precisely why people have to reapply for their licences after the age of 70 www.gov.uk/renew-driving-licence-at-70

But 50+ is LUDICROUS. 50 is barely middle-aged these days

I think that aged 50 to 70 probably has the best drivers around, safety wise.

I wonder if there are any accident statistics which justify this?

Because this:
But figures from the Department of Transport show that despite the population of older people in Great Britain increasing faster than younger age groups, the number being killed or sustaining serious injuries as a result of a road traffic accident has declined over the past ten years.

and this:

Ian Hughes, chief executive of Consumer Intelligence said: "People living longer and driving for longer is driving up the cost of claims.

"There are more incidents amongst older drivers and the costs of those incidents are higher.

then, whoooa; this, from the same statement:

"Older drivers do benefit from lower rates as insurers continue to compete for this group which is still less likely to claim overall than other age groups.

Which is it to be, we claim less or we have more incidents?

50 is a really insulting cut off point

I am in my fifties and have been informed by government that I will have work till I reach 66/67
Therefore I need a car to get work as does the rest of the 50+ & 60+yr olds
That obviously means more drivers of this age group
I think the insurance companies have spotted a little money earner.
Surely the more drivers on the roads the more money for the insurance companies.
Its our age group that has paid for the reckless younger drivers

Perhaps they will give 'granny' the tracker box that they give to new drivers.
No oldies to drive after dark or over 50 mph

A short while ago I read a report which said that not only were older drivers more careful and experienced but generally needed to drive less - not doing a daily commute etc. Maybe if fitting a box showing how the car is driven became the norm on every car and not just for young drivers we would get more accurate data.
Do they take into account the size/ power/ speed of the cars causing the accidents does anyone know?
This is a case of how figures are interpreted and a 'reason' to increase premiums - probably think older people can afford to pay more!
When we get self drive cars who are they going to blame then?

Love the idea of 'granny trackers'

The Institute of British Insurers publish the following statitistics on age, insurance costs and average cost of claims together with a commentary on the statistics. It seems as we get older we claim less but our claims are more expensive.

www.abi.org.uk/News/News-releases/2015/07/New-ABI-data-shows-why-age-is-a-factor-in-the-price-of-car-insurance

It's just all about money then

Statistics can be made to prove anything!

www.bbc.co.uk/news/magazine-24204489

No they can't. It is those that mis-interprete them for their own purposes who use them to prove anything.

The ABI is the professional organisation of insurance companies. They collect the data from the insurance companies who give summaries of the numbers of claims in each age group and the average cost of all the claims in each age group. Why would they want to fiddle the figures?

It is those that mis-interprete them for their own purposes who use them to prove anything.
that's what I meant

MaizieD Tue 24-Jan-17 11:17:15
and what MaizieD has posted shows the contradictions and different interpretations put on the information.
Most people would read reports in the press and not go back to check the statistics for themselves.

Younger drivers between 18-20 years pay the highest average premium of £972, because their claims are likely to be expensive, an average of £3,667, and more frequent than other age bands. The group with the cheapest average car insurance premiums are 66-70 year olds who pay £241, since the cost of their average claim is relatively low at £2,225.

From the ABI article. It's only when you get to be 81 that the premiums are higher than any below 50. Drivers under 30 appear to be worse than those between 50 and 75 as far as costs are concerned.

I believe its people in their thirties and forties lowest risk, but there is a small but vicious campaign going on by media journalists who are keen to talk about stopping people or almost as nasty, retesting people at seventy! The pressure of being retested when you know you could lose your license would be horrendous! And would you be allowed to resit, as everyone else is?

The issue is there have been a very few horrible cases of very elderly people probably with dementia involved in particularly nasty accidents, but this does ignore the fact that occasionally young people have horrific driving accidents too, there having been a number of fatal accidents caused by foreign drivers on the wrong side of the road for example, as well as drunk drivers, boy racers etc.

And many very elderly only use their car to drive to the shops and back, in the day when its quiet. To prevent them driving would often ruin their lives, and the very little they do makes them extremely low risk.

Whataboutery!

Why am I not surprised you've highlighted the number of accidents caused by foreign drivers? (They seem to cause just about everything else in your world!)

Do you have any statistics to back up your claims?

The statistics I quoted to not conflict with what MaizieD quoted. The ABI figures deal only with premiums and claims and show that when older people have accidents they are more expensive.

While statistics inform insurers when setting insurance rates, they do not set them. A whole host of other factors come in to play. Analysis of an individual's claim history, the type of car they drive, where they live, annual mileage and marketing decisions to do with gaining market share, wanting a spread of risks across all age groups - or not.

The market is competitive, shop around.

When my daughter was going to add me to her car insurance they wanted to charge far more for me than for my older husband who at the time had points on his licence. I have never had points or an accident! Outrageous. . especially as his points had put up my premium. Makes no sense

That puts paid to my swapping present car for something sporty then ....Damn

I'm really sorry that Nandea felt she needed to stop driving. If any Gransnetters are starting to feel the same can I suggest taking the Advanced Driving course run by ROSPA? I did it a couple of years ago because I thought my driving would benefit from a refresh and I feel so much more confident now. Its free and many insurance companies give a discount for Advanced Motorists.

In my early seventies I was no longer feeling confident about driving so I have been taking a series of assessed drives with the Institute of Advanced Motorists, these lead to a test, which I didn't want to take, but have been happy to get my driving skills scores up from fair to test standard. The sessions have updated my knowledge and made me feel more confident. The Royal Society for the Prevention of Accidents ROSPA, have published a very good article on tips for older drivers, including the inadvisability of driving on poorly lit roads at night. I have never enjoyed night driving, finding on coming lights a distraction and find as a passenger that some older cars rear lights are so poor they appear as ghosts, especially on a fairly busy motorway. My mantra about driving is God give me the wisdom to know when to stop.

I didn't LEARN to drive till I was fifty!

I am 75 and bought a new car two years ago, I dont drive into Town these days its a busy City and they are always changing routes etc due to different works, so I drive locally, hate driving in the dark, oncoming trafic is a nightmare, so I avoid it if I can, the driving that is, I long for the longer lighter days, and love my car, the freedom and choice it gives me, I hope for many more safe years on the road,wish good luck to all lady drivers.

My Dad is 91 and only stopped driving last year, although for the last few years he never drove more than a few miles at off peak times. He had regular health checks and the optician said his eyes were 'perfect'. His confidence and optimism did seem to fall after he stopped, with the loss of independence and mobility. I think it's important to keep driving and doing 'normal' stuff when you are older, as long as it is safe to do so, although obviously not everyone will want to keep going as long as my Dad did.

I am 61. Not only do I have to drive TO work I have to do a lot of driving while at work, 2 - 3 hours a day on all types of road across my huge county. I also regularly visit my grandchildren who live 2 hours, 3.5 hours and 1 hour away. In summer I drove myself to Cornwall and back from North Yorkshire. I think I experienced drivers are a risk, also those who don't drive very often and who suddenly go onto unfamiliar roads. Those of us who drive thousands of miles a year on all types of roads are very safe usually. Don't even get me started on drivers who speed recklessly and overtake on blind bends !

My parents moved to live in Spain in their sixties and once they hit 70 they had to take regular tests to keep their driving licences.The tests were on a simulator and my DM hated it. TBH she hated driving anyway and once my DD passed away she stopped. She didn't need a car as, in anticipation, DD had moved them into town from a small rural urbanisation in the middle of nowhere!