Car insurance news
Car insurance firm appeal for stricter drink driving laws
Car insurance providers Privilege has announced their support of the introduction of Alcohol Ignition Locks (also known as alcolocks) and is also asking the Government to impose stricter penalties on people convicted of drink driving.
The alcolock system is a breath-testing device fitted to the car's ignition that won't allow the engine to start if it senses that the driver has recently been drinking alcohol. It is currently being tested by the Department of Transport, and Privilege Car Insurance believe it could be used to deal with the fact that one-fifth of drivers banned because of drink driving are re-offenders.
The motor insurance firm's managing director, Ian Parker, said, "If the pilot schemes in Bristol and Birmingham are successful, we would like to see the fitting of an alcolock made compulsory for drink drive offenders.
"It should not be used as a fast-track route back onto the roads for disqualified drivers, but instead used as a tool to check the alarming rate of re-offending."
Mr Parker has also appealed to the Government to rethink the Court of Appeal's recent decision to reduce the rehabilitation period for drink drivers from eleven years to five. Under the new law, anyone convicted of drink driving doesn't have to inform their motor insurance provider after five years, meaning that they could once again get cheap car insurance despite their past.
He said, "Reducing the rehabilitation period appears to be completely at odds with the Government's agenda to actively deter drink driving."