Car insurance costs across Northern Ireland and the wider UK surged in the last three months of 2009, with even the cheapest quotes going up by over 11 per cent. The car insurance analysts behind the latest AA British Insurance Premium Index say it's down to the growing frequency of personal injury claims and sharp rises in settlement costs, as well as increases in fraud.

According to AA Insurance's data, young drivers in Northern Ireland and the rest of the UK have been worst hit by the growing expense of car insurance premiums, though costs are also on the up for parents aged between 40 and 49 because they put children as named drivers on their policies.

Simon Douglas from AA Insurance reveals that the average quoted premium for comprehensive car insurance had accelerated by 18.7 per cent by the end of 2009.

Despite a drop in the number of accidents on the nation's roads, the cost of accident damage has also been rising steadily, he notes.

While Douglas doesn't rule out a continuing increase in the cost of car insurance over the coming months, it may be contained by legislation changes allowing for the issue of electronic insurance certificates.

Car insurance customers in Northern Ireland have extra reason to be vigilant on the roads during the winter since just two accidents can double the cost of their premiums, the latest research affirms.

According to data uncovered by Confused.com's motoring experts, there were increases of over 200 per cent among hundreds of motor insurance quotes they analysed before any accidents were recorded and again after two accidents had been reported.

"When you consider the average premium in 2009 was £400 that's a lot of money to lose and let's face it, there are far better things you could be spending it on," remarked the comparison site's Will Thomas. "In a year when we expect premiums to rise anyway, ensuring you shop around and don't just accept your renewal will absolutely help."

In addition to the latter recommendation, Northern Ireland car insurance customers are urged not to drive in bad weather unless they "absolutely have to", to avoid braking sharply on icy roads, approach corners at lower speeds and apply their brake gently and for longer when decelerating.

In flood conditions, the advice is to take puddles slowly and avoid them altogether if you're unsure of the depth.

Northern Ireland car insurance customers living in areas still affected by freezing weather conditions should make sure they don't leave their vehicle unattended with the engine running while they de-ice it. Otherwise, they're presenting an "open invitation to opportunist thieves" and risking becoming a victim of "frost-jacking".

That's according to researchers who have discovered that 42 per cent of motorists across Northern Ireland and the wider UK leave their vehicle unattended with the engine running while they return indoors to wait for the windscreen to clear.

Furthermore, uSwitch.com's experts say one in ten motorists are "blissfully unaware" that their car could be targeted by thieves while they de-ice it, while 41 per cent believe keeping an eye on their vehicle from the inside of their home is enough to prevent an opportunist thief from striking.

"It may be tempting to stay inside in the warm while leaving your car alone to de-ice, but insurers are likely to take a dim view on a claimant who has left themselves vulnerable to crime in this way," notes the site's Mark Monteiro. "If your insurer refuses to pay out you could be left footing the bill for a new car on your own."

Northern Ireland car insurance customers have been reminded of the costly effect that speeding convictions can have on the price of their premiums, though the region pales in comparison to other parts of the UK when it comes to housing boy racers.

In its analysis of almost three million motor insurance quotes over a year from people with driving convictions, comparison site Money Supermarket found that Scotland, Swindon and Sheffield are home to the most speeding convictions across the nation. Their research revealed that over half of speeding convictions in East Dunbartonshire, Scotland belong to male motorists aged between 17 and 21.

"It is telling there are no female drivers anywhere near the top of the table in our analysis of speeding convictions, and unfortunately this is reflected in the price of premiums for men when compared to women," said the site's Steve Sweeney, who warned that motorists in Northern Ireland and the wider UK convicted of speeding could see their car insurance costs almost double.

Furthermore, he noted, "serial speeders" will eventually find that fewer car insurance providers are willing to offer them cover at all, and if they do it will be at an increasingly high cost.

The attention of car insurance customers in Northern Ireland and the wider UK is being drawn to the tendency of some employers to put their staff at risk of driving uninsured by encouraging them to use their own vehicles for work, without warning them they need business use cover on their car insurance to do so.

Research reveals that 72 per cent of workers in Northern Ireland and the rest of the UK have used their own wheels for business purposes in the last year, but over a third don't have business use cover on their motor insurance policy.

Gocompare.com also uncovered that only 38 per cent of workers say their boss has discussed the need for business use cover on their car insurance when they take their own vehicle on company business such as travelling to a training course, going to the bank or driving to another office.

"Companies shouldn't assume that workers with private car insurance are covered for driving their vehicle while at work," says the site's Lee Griffin. "Employers have a legal responsibility to ensure that vehicles used on company business are safe to use – this includes being fully insured for business usage."

Motorists in Northern Ireland and beyond are increasingly aware that cutting carbon emissions will help trim the cost of their car insurance policy, but vehicle owners in Scotland have been given an innovative lesson in so-called eco-driving to help boost their green credentials.

Environmental organisation the Energy Saving Trust held its two-day event in Hamilton last week, letting motorists in the area try out its eco-driving simulator and learn how to reduce their fuel costs and cut their carbon emissions.

According to data from the Energy Saving Trust, motorists in Scotland could save between £200 and £250 per year on fuel costs by following the principles of eco-driving.

Michaela Wright from bank and car insurance provider first direct, whose staff were some of the individuals to try the simulator, affirmed that boosting awareness of the price of wasted energy was a key benefit of the event.

"The eco-driving simulator is a great opportunity for our staff to help them change their driving behaviour and reduce the impact on valuable resources," she added.

Research suggests that £370 million per year and 900,000 tonnes of carbon dioxide could be saved if all motorists in Scotland switched to greener driving.

Car insurance customers in Northern Ireland may want to avail of an offer of free cover from Direct Line as it's revealed households in the region have the highest weekly spend in the UK.

Figures from the Office for National Statistics highlight that from 2006-08 Northern Irish families spent more, on average per week, than their counterparts in other UK countries. They shelled out an average weekly sum of £479.70, compared to £465.20 per week in England, £432.80 in Scotland and £406.70 in Wales.

The most notable categories in which Northern Ireland households surpassed the rest of the UK were food and non-alcoholic drink and clothing and footwear.

From now until the end of March, motorists in Northern Ireland can benefit from 52 days of free car insurance cover from Direct Line – an offer aimed at helping cash-strapped drivers tackle their finances for 2010. As well as the free cover, drivers can benefit from up to 65 per cent off their car insurance policy as a no claims discount.

The offer applies to motorists in Northern Ireland and the wider UK taking out a new policy and quotes made during the offer period are valid for 90 days.

Car insurance customers in Northern Ireland and the wider UK who repeatedly break the law by speeding should have their vehicles "tagged" to monitor their behaviour behind the wheel. That's the claim being made by mobile resource management experts Trimble, who want the government to launch an Anti Speed Driving Order, or ASDO, to help save hundreds of lives every year.

The organisation's Andrew Yeoman says that 1,200 road deaths a year related to speeding are a clear signal that "it's time to take action", pointing to Driver DNA, Trimble's GPS tracking box which can tell when a driver breaks the speed limit, as one solution.

First-time offenders are given the option of a fine and taking an educational course instead of gaining three points on their driving licence, prompting Yeoman to claim that installing the box in vehicles would automatically record speeders' behaviour to ensure they don’t reoffend.

"While educating people is an important initiative, safety on our roads needs to be improved and enforcement is crucial," he observes. "Having the box fitted to cars following a speeding conviction will ensure people stay below the limit and help them get into a routine of driving more responsibly."

Car insurance staff at provider swiftcover.com have revealed they spent nights away from home and hired 4×4 vehicles to get to work as some of the measures aimed at ensuring they were in their Kent offices to deal with "unprecedented levels of calls" during the heavy snow across the country. They say claims for car insurance soared by nearly 75 per cent in the course of the weather-induced chaos.

According to swiftcover.com's figures, 90 per cent of its car insurance claims handlers made it to the office during the cold spell, though most had to leave their cars at home and walk some or all of the way to work.

Four-wheel drive vehicles were hired to collect other workers, while a handful of car insurance experts stayed several nights at a hotel to be near the office.

Robin Reames, swiftcover.com's director of motor insurance claims, commented: "Claims during the winter months are usually 21 per cent higher than the rest of the year, and the first working week of the New Year is traditionally a peak as an extra 14.5million cars hit the rush hour as schools and many people return to work for the first time after Christmas."

Many car insurance customers in Northern Ireland and the wider UK have been looking to invest in a "snow mobile" during the cold spell, it has emerged. Figures from Money Supermarket highlight a rise in motorists looking to buy car insurance for a 4×4 vehicle since the snow started falling.

According to the comparison site's analysis of over one million car insurance searches, the five days since 5 January have seen searches for 4×4 motor insurance increase by 42 per cent on the same period in December. By last Thursday (7 January) car insurance searches on 4×4 models had peaked, with over three per cent of all car insurance searches on 8 January being for such a vehicle.

Steve Sweeney, head of car insurance at the site, suggests it's down to many car insurance customers in Northern Ireland and elsewhere in the UK concluding their cars simply can't cope with such extreme weather conditions.

However, he concludes, the advice when severe snow and ice cause unpredictable driving conditions is generally to stay off the roads entirely: "Having a more able vehicle for driving in the snow is not a guarantee that your journey would be any safer or less eventful."