Drivers in the UK are increasingly fronting to save on car insurance premiums, according to recent research.
27% of drivers surveyed by comparison site MoneySupermarket.com admitted that they would ‘front’, the practice of naming children as a primary driver of a vehicle, in order to save on motoring costs.
14% have already committed the illegal offence for one child or more while 13% haven't yet but would do so. 15% admit they would be prepared to carry out fronting to save money. A further 15 per cent would consider fronting on a policy to save cash.
Commenting on the findings, Peter Harrison, car insurance expert at MoneySupermarket, said: "Ignorance may be bliss to motorists who think "fronting" is a legitimate way to reduce the cost of motoring for their family and stay on the right side of the law, but in reality it's quite the opposite. "Fronting" on a car insurance policy is illegal and it is worrying how many motorists are willing to take this risk.”
The research also highlighted that some British motorists are in the dark when it comes to the legality of fronting. 23% think it is legal, while 33% were unaware of the legal implications of the practice. Over 55s seemed to be more informed on the issue than the younger generation of drivers. While 20% of the former group think the practice is legal this figure rises to 24% for drivers aged between18-34.
Peter Harrison went to argue that drivers should be aware of the “serious repercussions” of making false claims on their policy, before offering the following warning to drivers:
“Think twice; if caught out, it would be classified as fraud by an insurer, and could invalidate the policy. It could also result in the younger driver ending up in court being charged with driving without any insurance. In the longer term anyone with a case of fraud against them could end up being refused cover by an insurer in the future. There are certainly much better ways to save on the cost of car insurance for younger drivers."
