The tragic
death last weekend of Kenneth Bolger (21) and Pamela McAssey (19) in
Carlow was revealing for the fact the couple in the other car involved
(a new Audi TT) sustained relatively minor injuries despite both cars
being written off in the head on collision. "After you are finished
paying £4,000+ for insurance, all you can afford is a Toyota Starlet
and have little left to pay for the relative safety of an Audi TT" said
Mick Murphy the National Organiser of MIJAG, the Motor Insurance Justice
Action Group. A 24 year old man was killed as a passenger in a vehicle
involved in an accident at a notorious black spot in Saggart Co Dublin
last weekend. "When are the Government with their 'Road to Safety' strategy
going to deal with these blackspots. This is one of few dozen around
the country which are well know about for years and yet they are not
sorted out" said Mr Murphy.
"Young Drivers continue to be killed in cheap cars, even cheaper motorcycles
on dangerous roads, often in single vehicle, single driver situations
where there is no insurance claim, while the insurance industry are
laughing all the way to the bank" said Mr Murphy.
144 young people (16 to 25) were killed on our roads in 1998. In 2000
the figure was 154 and so far this year 56 (equal to 138 in a year).
These young people were killed in cars, Motorcycles and pedestrian accidents.
"These figures are far too high" said Mick Murphy. "However the media
hype surrounding the figures this year is providing a fig leaf for the
insurance companies to hide behind when they try to justify continued
increases in insurance premiums" Mr Murphy added. "It is a morbid fact
but a fact none the less that relative to the number of vehicles on
the road there is a slight improvement year on year, and the relative
claims cost which was twice the average for young drivers in 1997 has
come down if anything" said Mr Murphy. "This should mean average insurance
premiums of under £1,000 for young drivers instead of the actual average
which is £2,311".
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