Irish drivers with no current penalty points could save hundreds of euros on their insurance. That's according to online insurance broker MissQuote.ie. It means that women drivers are actually set to save considerably more than men, in fact...
Women statistically get fewer points
Statistically, women rack up penalty points at half the rate men do, hence the greater potential for savings. "Penalty points or driving convictions push up the cost of car insurance and make it harder to get a quote," said Deirdre McCarthy of MissQuote.ie. "Insurers can start to load your car insurance premium if you have three or more penalty points - this can vary from company to company."
Rack up more points, says McCarthy, and the more your insurance will go up. "Generally, your premium will increase by 10per cent if you have seven penalty points on your licence, 20per cent if you have eight or nine penalty points, and 30 per cent if you have ten or 11 penalty points. A 30per cent loading could add €200 or €300 more a year to the cost of car insurance of a driver who was originally quoted between €700 and €900 for cover."
Difficult to get insurance after a driving ban
Think that's expensive? It gets worse if you actually rack up a full house of 12 points and pick up a ban. "A driver who clocks up 12 penalty points within a three-year period will be automatically disqualified from driving. When you do get back on the road, you could then find that you will struggle to get an insurer to cover you," said Ms McCarthy
If you're a man, you're four times more likely to pick up some penalty points than your women counterparts, according to MissQuote's own research. For example, the number of penalty points awarded to adult men for failing to wear a seat belt while driving a passenger vehicle was four times the number awarded to women. Men were also three times as likely as women to get penalty points for using their phones while driving. This ties in with recent research, which found that men are more inclined than women to use their smartphones while driving and that most drivers arrested for using their mobile phones while driving are men. The penalty point figures tie in with consistent findings over the years that men pose a greater risk to themselves and other road users than is the case for female drivers.
Women safer drivers in all major metrics
In 2020, for example, 1,724 penalty point notices were issued to men for failing to wear their seat belts when driving a passenger vehicle compared to just 429 for women. 14,281 of the penalty point endorsement notices issued for using a mobile phone while driving were to men, compared to 4,984 for women. According to the numbers, men are three times more likely than women to get penalty points for breaking overtaking rules and twice as likely as women to get penalty points for speeding or driving an unroadworthy car. 2,269 of the penalty point notices issued for using a vehicle without a valid NCT were to men, compared to 1,097 for women.
McCarthy urged women to "hold onto their safe driving habits - because of the safety benefits first and foremost, and also due to the savings up for grabs by doing so."