Insurance claims against illegal drivers still covered

THE insurance industry will continue to pay for claims brought against unaccompanied learner drivers, even though they are breaking the law.

Third-party claims taken by injured parties against provisional licence-holders will be honoured, according to the Irish Insurance Federation (IIF), while claims by provisional drivers for damage to their own vehicles are also likely to be paid unless a policy denotes otherwise.

“You’re required to drive within the terms of your licence but the insurance position is that, if a provisional licence-holder is involved in a crash and injures someone, the claim will be paid,” said the IIF’s Michael Horan.