Glad to see the back of those Sheilas

Mar 6 2011 by Ian Robson, Sunday Sun

FOR years the car insurance industry has got away with discriminating against men drivers.

Women pay less simply because they are women while men pay more because they are men. That’s why – and I know I’m going to get into trouble for this – it is a good idea to create a level playing field.

Come on, lads, let’s claim the roads back and demand equal rights in car insurance. And if it means women paying another £400, as it has been suggested, that so be it.

The European Commission wants to ban insurance companies from giving women an unfair advantage.

Hallelujah. At last, a bit of common sense from our friends on the continent. It’s not interference, as some claim, but action to stop a long-standing scandal.

We’ve all seen the Sheila’s Wheel’s adverts offering bonzer deals for women. Where were the Bruce’s Wheels adverts offering equally bonzer deals for men?

Up to now the insurance industry has claimed women are better drivers than men and that’s why they pay less for premiums.

That’s a gross generalisation and an excuse to make more money from easy targets. All young men are not boy racers just as all young women are not safe behind the wheel.

I know young male drivers who are considerate and thoughtful with no convictions or points on their licence.

Just as I know of young women drivers who should not be allowed on the roads. Yet one group has been penalised while the other has been courted with special deals and discounts.

I know how insurance is calculated on various risk assessments by the so-called experts.

Why not develop a system where each driver is assessed on his or her driving record and nothing else? It does not matter if they are male or female, young or old, everyone starts by paying the same.

Premiums then go up or down on renewal depending on each driver’s personal performance irrespective of gender or any other generalised criteria.

Best of all, the Sheilas and their pink Sheilamobile would be consigned to the history books as a relic of the bad old days when discrimination was rife. That’s got to be a step in the right direction.