Young drivers put attitudes and skills to test for premium discount

The Hibernian Ignition driving course could be renamed "How to be a better person" or "You're not as smart as you think you are". Speeding, late braking, tailgating, talking on a mobile phone while driving - most of the participants on the course confessed to a multitude of driving sins.

The group of eight drivers met in Citywest Hotel in west Dublin last week to put their driving skills and attitudes to the test. If successful, the young men on the course will benefit from a 20 per cent reduction in their annual premium. The results are in the post. The pass rate on the course so far is 80 per cent.

The morning of the one-day interactive course was spent in a small conference room with the obligatory flip charts, slides and videos. Two Advanced Institute of Motorists trainers embarked on an awareness-building programme with the slightly cynical group.

The driving experience was broken down into six elements: attitude, skill, risk, hazard, environment and responsibility. There was something new to be learned under each heading.

During the confession session we were reminded that inside everyone was a little road hog trying to get out, if not already on the loose. The list of bad driving traits that irritated the group the most was pretty close to the list of faults we admitted in our own driving.

This soul-searching was not appreciated by all and a frisson of resistance was detectable in the group over lunch.

The participants grumbled that the 20 per cent reduction would be dwarfed by the massive increases in premiums they were already facing this year.

Before we headed out on the road, each member of the group was asked to rate their driving ability on a scale of one to five, with one being excellent. A modest bunch, no-one gave themselves a mark below two.

Then came the practical driving part of the course - three hours in the car with the instructor. It was more Driving Miss Daisy than handbrake turns and practice skids, much to the disappointment of some of the trainees.

Nobody likes to be told they are a bad driver and some feathers were ruffled after the road test. Those who are happy to adopt the role of the eager and malleable pupil will impress the most at the wheel and are more likely to pass. The question is, will these drivers apply the new safer codes of driving after the course?

Mr Gary Owens, managing director of Hibernian General Insurance, said the company was making an assumption that the claims ratio would be lower among those who completed the course successfully. This assumption is based on results from Britain. "The pricing will reflect the reduction in the frequency and severity of accidents," he said.

Hibernian is investing £1 million (€1.27 million) in this pilot scheme for young drivers. The scheme also includes an optional curfew. Drivers who agree to keep their cars off the road between 11 p.m. and 6 a.m. get a further 10 per cent reduction in premium. To date, there has been very little interest in this offer. "We are trying to encourage people to leave their cars at home during the peak accident hours, but the discount is probably not enough to tempt them," Mr Owens said. Hibernian is reviewing this aspect of the scheme and is considering increasing the discount or scaling down the curfew hours.

One aspect of the practical training on the course was the commentary drive, with the instructor giving a running commentary on all the information he or she was taking in while driving. It was a good exercise in hazard awareness and had the effect of turning a seemingly innocent drive in the suburbs into a sinister chain of life-threatening events.

The trainees were up next, taking on the role of the defensive driver seeing potential carnage and prangs at every turn. You have to talk your way through every visible sign or feature on the road, commenting on cyclists, car doors opening, children at play, junctions and speed limits: a tiring experience that shows how much information a driver has to process at once.

Back at base, the instructors delivered the final assessment and the group all shook hands and headed for the door. Out in the car park, the course participants couldn't wait to get into their own cars and drive "normally" again. Will they be safer drivers from now on? Well, we don't know yet but it's got to be worth a try.