Insurance companies penalise older drivers

PARLIAMENT has requested details from the police and insurance companies on road accidents caused by pensioners over the age of 70, to see whether companies are justified in charging the age group more than double the amount others have to pay.

The problem was discussed at yesterday’s House labour committee, where MPs were told pensioners over 70 years old were either charged over double the amount of other drivers to take out car insurance, or refused the service altogether.

Speaking after the meeting, committee chairman, AKEL’s Andreas Fakontis, blasted insurance companies for the “dire discrimination” shown toward the elderly whose physical and mental ability to drive is checked when they receive their driver’s licence, he said.

“Insurance companies either refuse to insure people of this age, or once the person has reached 70 years old, they request over double the amounts to insure their cars,” said Fakontis.

The committee, he added, sought explanations from the companies’ spokesmen, who denied refusing to insure the elderly, but added that they took all possible risks into account when handing out insurance. One such risk is old age, it was said.

But the companies’ practice was questioned when it emerged – through data submitted by the police – that the number of accidents caused by 70-year-olds was much lower than other age groups.

“There is unequal treatment towards these drivers,” said Fakontis. “We are not convinced that the insurance companies should impose these high fees,” he added.

The discussion will continue with the submission of more detailed facts and figures by the police and insurance companies.

The Cyprus Mail is the only English-language daily newspaper published in Cyprus. It was established in 1945 and today, with its popular and widely-read website, the Cyprus Mail is among the most trusted news sites in Cyprus. The newspaper is not affiliated with any political parties and has always striven to maintain its independence. Over the past 70-plus years, the Cyprus Mail, with a small dedicated team, has covered momentous events in Cyprus’ modern history, chronicling the last gasps of British colonial rule, Cyprus’ truncated independence, the coup and Turkish invasion, and the decades of negotiations to stitch the divided island back together, plus a myriad of scandals, murders, and human interests stories that capture the island and its -people. Observers describe it as politically conservative.