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A total of one in five people has driven shortly after taking drugs, according to research by More Than Car Insurance.
As a result of its own research More Than Car Insurance is calling for roadside drug screening devices to be introduced.
Such devices are already in use in other European countries including Germany and Switzerland.
According to the survey, four per cent of drug drivers admitted to getting behind the wheel after taking drugs several times a week, while 38 per cent felt their driving is not affected.
Mike Holliday-Williams, director of More Than Insurance, said, "Drug driving presents a serious risk not only to those who choose to do it, but also to other motorists on the road. For this reason it is vitally important that highly effective measures are put in place as quickly as possible to crack down on offenders."
More Than Car Insurance's call for a clampdown on drug driving in the UK follows a government campaign on the issue launched with the slogan Drug driving. Not a safe trip.
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UK motorists will not be deterred from driving their cars even if petrol prices rise sharply, according to esure Car Insurance.
Prices would have to double before people would consider dumping the car in favour of public transport, a study by esure Car Insurance has discovered.
As many as one in three drivers said they do not pay attention to where the cheapest petrol prices are found in their area and would not travel any further to get it anyway.
In total, 37 per cent of motorists said they would not consider replacing their car for a more fuel efficient model in the next three years.
Mike Pickard, head of risk and underwriting at esure, said: "There are simple ways that motorists can prevent their cars from guzzling up their pennies, driving steadily and carefully, with no excessive braking or speeding."
The average price of unleaded petrol in the UK, is around 94.3 pence per litre according to what price.co.uk, but esure Car Insurance claims that drivers would not be priced out until that figure has at least doubled.
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DEPARTMENT of Transportation and Communications Secretary Leandro Mendoza has ordered a parallel investigation on the reported monopoly of two insurance firms on the compulsory third party liability (non-life) requirements of the Land Transportation Franchising and Regulatory Board and Land Transportation Office.
Mendoza issued the order to his Legal Affairs Office based on the complaints by taxi operators led by Atty. Bong Suntay, former Quezon City councilor turned taxi operator and current president of the Philippine National Taxi Operators Association (PNTOA).
He ordered his legal office to investigate the alleged 'monopoly' of two insurance firms -- the Philippine Accident Managers Inc. (PAMI) and Universal Transport Accident Solutions Inc. (UNITRANS) -- which are now at the helm of both the LTFRB's CTPL and Passenger Personal Accident Insurance Program (PPAIP).
Mendoza made the assurance when he met with taxi operators last week at the DOTC office in Mandaluyong City.
The alleged monopoly of the two insurance firms has forced operators to pay double than the amount they have previously been paying to avail the two non-life insurance requirements of the LTFRB.
'Isa pa talagang walang choice ang operators kundi dito lang sa dalawang insurance firms na ito,' taxi operators said.
Suntay said during an interview that the good secretary apparently was not aware of the current set-up of the insurance requirements of the LTFRB as he was surprised when the matter was raised by the taxi operators.
'Ha! meron bang ganyan?' Mendoza allegedly blurted-out upon hearing the accusation.
When asked by Mendoza, according to Suntay, Bautista washed her hands off the allegation and said the Insurance Commission which approved such setup, should be the one to make the explanation.
'Ang Insurance Commission ang itinuro niya (Bautista),' Suntay said.
Last year, the LTFRB was also accused of allegedly creating a monopoly with the PPAIP requirement when the Bautista-led board excluded the Special Alliance Management, Inc. (SAMI) from the PPAIP for violating certain rules of the agency, leaving only PAMI as sole distributor even if the law mandates that the PPAIP should be a two-group management system.
The PNTOA chief said he is very much willing to do a public debate or forum just to prove that PAMI and Unitrans indeed have a monopoly at LTFRB.
'Kahit saan nila gusto handa kaming harapin ang usaping ito,' Suntay said.
The Journal Group of Publications tried to contact Bautista to get her side in the issue but we failed to reach her for comments.
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Supermarket giant Tesco is launching a no-frills motor insurance policy aimed at people who want comprehensive cover but can afford only third party.
The group's Tesco Value Car Insurance aims to bridge the gap between the two types of cover by offering a simplified product that does not contain many of the extras offered by its comprehensive cover.
It aims to keep costs low by offering the policy only over the internet, restricting cover to the over-21s and limiting the garages where people can have claims work done.
The policies also have a higher excess of '475, compared to '300 for the group's comprehensive cover, and it has reduced the guarantee on car parts from three years to one year.
As a result the group, which is the UK's third largest motor insurer, said it was able to offer the policy from just '2 a month more than its third-party cover, and nearly '50 a year less than its comprehensive policy.
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The Value cover, which will be available from Wednesday, is aimed at the 2.5 million drivers who currently have only third-party insurance.
Research carried out by the group found that a quarter of people with third party cover said they couldn't afford a comprehensive policy, while just under half said the value of their car did not justify the additional cost.
But 87% of people said they would buy comprehensive cover if it was priced comparably with third-party cover, and drivers also said they would be prepared to pay a higher monthly excess if it kept their premiums down.
Tesco Car Insurance's Allan Burns said, 'Our new product will improve choice for motorists. It will help millions to gain the security of comprehensive cover and others to save money with cover that better suits their needs.
'This product is designed for a particular audience.
'We listened to these motorists who told us that they wanted low premiums combined with the basic security provided by comprehensive cover in the event of a major claim such as a write off, but are less worried about claiming for minor bumps and scrapes to their own vehicles.'
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Tesco Value Car Insurance has revealed their new range of insurance policies is aimed at the two and a half million drivers in the UK who rely on third party car insurance.
The Tesco Value Car Insurance product hopes to bridge the gap between third party and comprehensive insurance cover, offering comprehensive cover at '2 a month more than third party cover.
Tesco recently conducted a survey attempting to establish what motorist would want from a value range and found that many felt while comprehensive cover was desirable they could not afford the premiums.
Allan Burns of Tesco Car Insurance said of the findings: "We listened to these motorists who wanted low premiums combined with the basic security provided by comprehensive cover in the event of a major claim such as a write off"
Other research released by Tesco Car Insurance last month found that another way to save money on car insurance is to move house, car insurance is considerably more expensive for those living in London or the north-west.
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Co-operative Insurance has warned football fans planning to drive to Germany to watch the World Cup they should first make sure they have adequate car insurance cover.
Hundreds of England fans are expected to drive to Germany and run the risk of having an accident driving on unfamiliar roads.
The insurance company advises fans to sort out all aspects of their motor insurance, including breakdown cover as the cost of arranging for a car to be brought back to the UK can run into thousands of pounds.
Most motorists have to apply for an extension to their cover when travelling in the EU, but Co-operative Insurance is offering full European cover at no extra cost.
David Newman, director of marketing at Co-operative Insurance, said: "By providing customers with policies offering greater freedom, they can travel whenever they wish - and worry about nothing but the performance of the players on the pitch."
Co-operative Insurance European cover may be of increasing interest as the tournament nears, without flights booked many fans might see travelling to the matches by car as good way to get there.
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Churchill Car Insurance has warned football fans planning on driving to Germany to watch the World Cup this summer not to neglect their car insurance.
Motorists are in danger of finding themselves with less cover than they thought they had.
In addition, the insurer states that if they were to be involved in an accident the costs could be more the holiday they went on.
The warning also explains that while drivers necessarily have third party cover abroad, many insurers do not cover damage or loss to the driver's own vehicle or possessions.
Frances Browning, spokesperson for Churchill Car Insurance, said: "Whilst many fans will have their mind on England's performance on the pitch, motorists should check their policy before leaving on their trip."
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BAKERSFIELD - Car insurance rates will likely increase in Kern County if the State's Insurance Commissioner John Garamendi gets his way.
A couple of months ago, the idea was first proposed to increase rates in the valley while rates in the big cities would be lowered.
Now there's a TV ad campaign opposing the rate hike idea in California's Central Valley and it's picking up momentum.
The ad began airing this week in Bakersfield and 19 counties around the state. It's trying to alert drivers in the Central Valley areas that their insurance rates are going to rise while those in the big cities will decrease.
The commercial is sponsored by a diverse group of elected officials, taxpayer groups, Farm Bureaus and Chambers of Commerce.
But, insurance experts say that statistically bigger cities have more accidents overall than rural areas.
'There's no question that accident rates are higher in metropolitan rural areas,' said David Doig with Kern Insurance Associates. 'You have only to drive on the Los Angeles freeways to scare yourself to death.'
'And there is also no question that there is a higher rate of un-insured or under-insured drivers in big metropolitan areas,' he add.
'So commissioner Garamendi's aim is to reduce the cost to those drivers,' Doig said. 'But, as the Farm Bureau points out, it's at the expense of the people in the rural areas, where accident rates are lower."
But Commissioner Garamendi is taking this opposition to his ability to change insurance rates personally calling those opposing his measure as blackmailers.
Meanwhile, many who oppose Garamendi's rate hike plan say he's doing it for political gain, appeasing the voters in the big urban areas of the state to help his run for governor.
Garamendi says he doesn't have to push for this.
Hanford Assemblywoman Nicole Parra has sponsored a measure to put the whole issue on hold.
AB2040 will require that before any rate hikes take place, a statewide study must be done to ensure the changes will result in rates that are fair and are based on the actual costs.
Director of insuresupermarket.com has said today of Tesco Value Car Insurance:
"This stripped down policy bridges that gap between third party fire and theft and fully comprehensive cover."
Tesco Value Car Insurance is an attempt to make more comprehensive car insurance increasingly affordable to those who don't feel fully comprehensive cover offers value for money.
Tesco Value Car Insurance is a way for motorists to keep their costs down but the offer is not available to drivers under the age of 21.
Richard Mason, director at price comparison website insuresupermarket.com said: "Offering motorists a decent level of protection when they need it, but not charging them a fortune for doing so. It's ideal for those who cannot afford fully comprehensive cover or are not too worried about claiming for every minor scratch."
Tesco Value Car Insurance offers certain aspects of coverage above standard fire and theft but also omits options its customers said they would be willing to give up for a cheaper premium.
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New research has found that half of UK motorists drive abroad without checking the limitations of their car insurance policies, even if they don't think they have full coverage abroad.
The survey from esure found that only one in ten people speak to their car insurance providers before travelling in the EU, while 27 per cent would rely on their car insurance documents to see if they were covered.
Mike Pickard, head of risk underwriting at esure, remarked: "It is crucial for motorists who intend to take their cars to Europe to call their insurer and tell them that they want to extend the level of cover they have for driving abroad."
"It is also vital that motorists understand the basic rules and regulations for driving on foreign roads and be fully prepared by planning their journeys, carrying the essential equipment and giving their car a maintenance check before setting off," he concluded.
The survey discovered that some 46 per cent of British motorists drive illegally in France, Belgium and Germany by not having a warning triangle, adjusting headlights and a GB sticker.
If car insurance policies do not provide for cover abroad, most car insurers can provide additional car insurance cover - not to be confused with travel insurance, which hardly ever covers motor vehicles, according to esure.
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