According to insurance firm Swinton, the most dangerous time to drive your car is on the way to work. The news comes after Swinton carried out research into the most common times of the day that drivers were involved in accidents. It polled 1,200 drivers in total, and the drive to work turned out to be the most risky period.

A massive 60% of the respondents confirmed that they had been involved in minor accidents with another vehicle whilst on their way to work.

Although the drive to work was revealed as the most dangerous time, it wasn’t the only period of the day highlighted. In addition, 9% of drivers said that they had been involved in accidents with other vehicles whilst dropping the kids off at school.

Parking accidents were also highlighted, with 8% of respondents saying they had damaged their vehicles in multi-storey car parks, and 20% doing the same in supermarket parking areas.

The real purpose of all this research was to remind drivers of the need to take out insurance for when the worst comes to the worst. However, the insurance development manager at Swinton, Steve Chelton, also suggested that for minor accidents, claiming on your insurance may not always be the wisest course of action.

He suggested that because claims “can also have a big impact on no-claims bonuses”, it could be a better idea for drivers to pay for minor repairs out of their own pockets as this could allow them actually to save money in the future.

In yet another blow for motorists, Confused.com and EMB have just reported that car insurance premiums have gone up by 14% in the second quarter of the year.

Insurers have had to raise the premiums in order to return to profit. EMB quoted the FSA (Financial Services Authority) figures showing that the average insurer incurred costs of £122 for every £100 it received in premiums in 2009.

The increased costs faced by insurers are mainly due to increased payouts for personal injury claims and a rise in the level of insurance fraud. Insurers also paid £400 million to the MIB (Motor Insurance Bureau) in 2009 for accidents that involved uninsured drivers, which added an extra £30 to every premium.

Of the total premium rises, comprehensive insurance saw the biggest rise, increasing by 14.2% on average during the three months to the end of June. The average you can now expect to pay is £599, an increase of £74.

When this is compared to the comprehensive premium in July 2009, this means in one year there has been a rise of 31%, costing motorists £142 extra.

The product director at Confused.com, Simon Lamble, said that it is a “massive blow” for motorists, especially as they are already suffering from higher petrol prices and insurance premium tax increases.

The worst price hikes were seen for drivers aged between 41 and 55, especially if they paid extra to have their children added to their policies.

Manchester and Merseyside were the worst areas for drivers in terms of insurance increases, witnessing the biggest quarterly increase of 18.2%.

For a long time it has been common practice for drivers trying to reduce the cost of insuring their cars to opt for third-party cover rather than fully comprehensive. After all, the less cover provided, the cheaper the premium will be – or so they think.

Recent research carried out by Moneysupermarket.com has, however, produced some surprising results, revealing that in fact third-party insurance is, in many instances, by far the most expensive type of insurance you can buy.

Steve Sweeney, motor insurance expert from Moneysupermarket.com, has explained the reasons behind this apparently illogical finding. Because those seeking to insure their vehicles for third party damage tend to be the younger more inexperienced drivers or, in some cases, those with motoring convictions, insurance companies have reacted accordingly and bumped the prices up to take account of the high element of risk.

Moneysupermarket.com’s research looked at the cost of 1.4 million motor policies and found that the average price of a fully-comprehensive policy was £922, less than half the price of a third-party policy which came in at a whopping £1,927. The average price of a third-party fire-and-theft policy was found to be £1,348, almost 50% higher than the fully-comprehensive cover.

Drivers who are seeking to reduce the cost of insuring their vehicles might like to consider the following instead:

• Shop around, especially on the internet
• Reduce your annual mileage
• Choose a car with a small engine
• Invest in an alarm and immobiliser
• Take the Pass Plus test