Insurance Information

Insurance in Northern Ireland: Historic Difficulties


No doubt most readers will have heard of the Northern Ireland "troubles" or possibly seen some of those ghastly images from the seventies, eighties and early nineties on your television screens. Thankfully the worst of those dark days seem to be over. Unless you are a Northern Ireland resident you probably won't be aware of the impact the "troubles" has had on insurance premiums in that part of the world, especially on motor vehicle insurance rates.

The lawless activities of those times saw a huge increase in vehicle theft for use in criminal activities or to build hastily erected roadblocks, usually resulting in cars, vans and buses being burnt out. So called "joyriding" was then and still is a big problem in parts of Belfast and Londonderry where youths steal cars of all makes and models to race each other on public roads, an unbelievably reckless pastime which has resulted in many deaths of both driver and innocent pedestrian. No wonder then that the major insurance underwriters who were prepared to do business in Northern Ireland charged hefty premiums compared to average premiums in England, Scotland and Wales.

With the advent of the "peace process" and the considerable period of normality that has come about since the mid nineties one would expect insurance premiums to have fallen significantly, however this has not been the case, leading to accusations from some quarters of profiteering on the part of the major insurers. An average automobile premium in England is around £200 ($360) while in Northern Ireland the average is closer to £600 ($1080) in my experience. Seventeen year old newly qualified drivers in Ulster can expect to pay a crippling £2000 ($3600) for their first motor insurance cover.

The underwriters and major insurance brokers retort that driving standards are poorer in Northern Ireland and our shameful road safety record does back this up to some degree. They also cite a higher claims rate and larger accident compensation payouts from the courts as another significant factor contributing to higher premiums in Northern Ireland and this is a valid point.

I personally believe that there has to be a middle ground. High insurance premiums affect us all and have a negative impact on our economy which is only just starting to recover from a long period of conflict. Perhaps more rigorous testing of our new drivers, advanced tests for experienced drivers, tougher sentences for car crime and road safety public awareness campaigns would allow major underwriters to charge less and bring benefit to us all.

George McGonigal
Northern Ireland Insurance Centre

George is webmaster of an online insurance resource for Northern Ireland motorists. We bring under one roof insurers who cover Northern Ireland that can offer online quotations to allow our visitors to compare rates in the comfort of their own homes.Car Insurance Northern Ireland: Competitive insurance quotes online.


MORE RESOURCES:

Ontario Now

The Massachusetts Way
New York Times, United States - 6 hours ago
The pioneering Massachusetts program to provide health insurance for all citizens looks more and more successful with each passing month. ...
CAMPAIGN TARGETS INSURANCE FOR THE UNINSURED Battle Creek Enquirer
Number of Kansans without insurance rises Salina Journal
Texas Tops All States In Residents Who Lack Insurance ChattahBox
eMaxHealth.com - eFluxMedia
all 341 news articles


StanCorp Financial Group, Inc. to Present at KBW's 2008 Insurance ...
MarketWatch - 14 hours ago
today announced it will present at KBW's 2008 Insurance Conference. Eric Parsons, chairman, president, and chief executive officer and Floyd Chadee, ...
Principal Financial Group, Inc. President and Chief Executive ... MarketWatch
all 20 news articles


Eastern Insurance Holdings, Inc. Announces Quarterly Dividend
MarketWatch - 15 hours ago
EIHI is the parent company of Eastern Life and Health Insurance Company ("Eastern Life and Health"), which converted from mutual to stock form on June 16, ...


Protecting Your Greatest Asset: Grange Insurance Provides Life ...
MarketWatch - 17 hours ago
COLUMBUS, Ohio, Aug 29, 2008 /PRNewswire via COMTEX/ -- The topic of life insurance can be a difficult one to discuss; however it is one of the most ...
ConsecoLifeOptions Launched by Conseco Insurance Company as New ... MarketWatch
all 13 news articles


AM Best Places Ratings of Business Alliance Insurance Company ...
MarketWatch - 15 hours ago
These rating actions follow the recent filing of a Form A Information Statement with the California Department of Insurance by PSM Holding Corporation ...
Best's Review: Examines Which States Spend the Most -and the Least ... MarketWatch
BestWeek: Bond Insurers See Tide Turning in Second Quarter MarketWatch
all 28 news articles


Protective Announces Webcast of Richard Bielen's Presentation at ...
MarketWatch - 12 hours ago
Protective Life Corporation provides financial services through the production, distribution and administration of insurance and investment products ...
The First American Corporation to Present at Keefe, Bruyette ... Trading Markets (press release)
all 9 news articles


NBC13.com

FDIC announces 10th bank failure of the year
CNNMoney.com - 12 hours ago
Integrity Bank, based in Alpharetta, Georgia, was closed by the Georgia Department of Banking and Finance, and the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation was ...
Integrity Bank Becomes 10th US Failure This Year (Update2) Bloomberg
Georgia Bank Closed, Regions Buys Assets TheStreet.com
Bank in Georgia is 10th to fail Los Angeles Times
Reuters - USA Today
all 234 news articles


SEC & FINRA to Address "Senior Protection" Insurance Issues at ...
MarketWatch - 13 hours ago
Florida Deputy Insurance Commissioner Mary Beth Senkewicz, Joel Laucher of the California Department of Insurance, and Erin Klug of the Arizona Department ...


Gustav Threatens Profits Of Insurance Companies
Wall Street Journal - Aug 28, 2008
... having "somewhere north of $500 billion," according to Moody's -- heavy damage from Gustav or other storms could hurt insurance-company investors. ...
Insurance companies "on-call," prepare for Gustav BusinessWeek
Farmers Insurance Prepared For Hurricane Gustav's Arrival PR Web (press release)
Farmers Insurance Offers Advice in Advance of Gustav PR Newswire (press release)
MarketWatch - Bloomberg
all 45 news articles


Dallas police, firefighters say city health insurance no good
Dallas Morning News, TX - 17 hours ago
A perennial gripe I hear from police officers and firefighters is that the city's health insurance is abysmal. Police association officials say Dallas pays ...

Insurance - Google News

home | site map
© 2006