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• Three in ten motorists over 50 ‘hate’‚ ‘dislike’ or ‘completely avoid’ motorway driving1
• Fear of breaking down is a key reason for avoiding M roads1
• Frustrating tailbacks are also a concern  

Older drivers are steering clear of motorways according to research carried out  on behalf of Age Concern Insurance Services1‚ despite government figures which show M roads are the safest place to drive.

A fear of breaking down is a key factor influencing older drivers’ decision to swap motorways for A and B roads‚ the survey reveals. 1

According to Age Concern – which surveyed 3‚042 drivers over the age of 50 – three out of five older motorists are concerned about being stuck in a long traffic jam and half worry about breaking down on the hard shoulder. Older women are almost six times more likely to completely avoid motorway driving than their male counterparts. 1

Yet figures from the Department of Transport show that motorways are not as dangerous as many people might think. Only eight in 100 of all road accidents occur on motorways‚ whereas rural A roads account for a massive one in three.2

Antony Osborne from Age Concern Insurance Services said: “Motorways are statistically safer places to drive than other roads‚ but it’s understandable that many older people are wary of breaking down and being stranded by the side of a motorway. Good breakdown cover should help allay some of these fears - if the worst was to happen‚ it is reassuring to know that prompt roadside rescue is just a phone call away”.

There is a wide range of breakdown insurance on the market‚ but prices and quality of cover vary immensely. Age Concern’s motor breakdown cover‚ which is available for people of all ages‚ costs an from £59 per year – approximately half the price of equivalent policies with the AA and RAC.3 Benefits such as restarting your car at home and emergency travel and overnight accommodation are included as standard in the policy from Age Concern Insurance Services.
 
For a free‚ no-obligation quotation or immediate cover for Age Concern Motor Breakdown Services call 0845 601 2235.

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For further information please contact Elly Kestenbaum or George Morrison Trimedia Harrison Cowley on 020 7025 7500 or elly.kestenbaum@trimediahc.com‚ george.morrison@trimediahc.com 

Notes to editors
1 Data collected from the 50plusview Panel in May 2007. 3‚042 drivers over the age of 50 were surveyed. For further information please contact ACRS on 020 8765 7886 or research@ace.org.uk
2 ONS‚ July 2007
3 Price comparison based on policies that include roadside service‚ recovery service‚ home service‚ emergency travel or accommodation‚ medical transfer service and driver rescue service .Quoted August 2007.
For further information‚ please contact George Morrison‚ Derya Filiz or Elly Kestenbaum on 0207 025 7500 / george.morrison@trimediahc.com / derya.filiz@trimediahc.com / elly.kestenbaum@trimediahc.com

About Age Concern Motor Breakdown

• Roadside assistance‚ recovery and home assistance at around half the cost of the main membership organisation
• No upper age limit
• Cover available for any eligible vehicle regardless of age
• Up to three additional vehicles can be added for approximately 50% of the cost per vehicle if kept at the same address
• Age Concern’s Motor Breakdown service is provided by Equity Red Star Motor Policies who currently protect 250‚000 vehicles through its network of 1‚200 approved garages
• Emergency vehicle repair at the roadside
• If your car cannot be repaired at the roadside‚ the vehicle and occupants will be transported to the home address or their chosen destination 
• If you are hospitalised more than 50 miles away from your home‚ the cost of medical transfer to a hospital nearer home will be paid
• Emergency travel or accommodation costs of up to £100 are available as an alternative to vehicle recovery
• Message relayed to family and friends to advise of unforeseen travel delays following a breakdown
• Optional European cover from £30

Age Concern Insurance Services

Age Concern Insurance Services was created in 1983 to offer better value insurance for older people. General insurance was an area in which over-50s had been ill served for a long time. Starting as a local service‚ it has grown to be one of the UK’s leading brands regarding general insurance for older people.

Today Age Concern Insurance Services plays a dual role. It endeavours to offer some of the best value policies available while ensuring that these products are designed to meet the specific needs of older customers.  All profits generated by Age Concern from selling products and services go directly to support Age Concern’s charitable activities.

Age Concern Insurance Services’ product range has developed through demand to include home‚ contents‚ travel‚ motor‚ and motor breakdown insurance.

Policies can be bought either direct by phone‚ or through any of the around 250 trading locations operated by participating Age Concerns. In an age which is becoming more technology driven‚ Age Concern is invaluable in offering older people a personal service at a local level with which many feel most comfortable.

Age Concern Insurance Services is a trading name of Age Concern Enterprises Limited (ACEnt) which is authorised and regulated by the Financial Services Authority for insurance mediation.  If you call the 0845 you will be dealing with Equity Red Star Services Limited‚ an Appointed Representative of Equity Syndicate Management Limited‚ which administers Age Concern Motor Breakdown Services.

Age Concern & why it trades:
At a local level‚ Age Concern offers a range of services for older people‚ such as day centres‚ luncheon clubs‚ and advice and information services.

At a national level‚ Age Concern campaigns with and for older people: developing policy; influencing Government; training care professionals; supporting local Age Concern bodies‚ financially and professionally.

To fund this work‚ Age Concern needs a constant flow of independent income. It seeks to achieve this through a balance of traditional fund raising and trading activities.

Age Concern’s trading activities enable it to meet the needs of older people‚ through products specifically designed to meet these needs; quality products such as General Insurance and Energy Services.

About Fortis:
Fortis (Insurance UK) is a leading provider of award-winning personal and commercial lines insurance solutions in the UK and was named 2007 General Insurer of the Year at the British Insurance Awards. Its customer-centric strategy has been to align its activities to how customers want to buy insurance‚ based on delivering high-quality products‚ manufactured at costs better than market norms.

Its unique multi-distribution capability enables Fortis to deliver products face-to-face‚ by phone (inbound and outbound)‚ over the Internet and via SMS technology. Aligning its business activities with its partners' general insurance strategies enables Fortis to offer end-to-end white label and branded capabilities in product development‚ marketing‚ campaign management‚ sales‚ fulfilment and award-winning claims management‚ providing a seamless integration with partner brands. 

Insuring in excess of 6.6 million customers and working with a range of partners‚ Fortis is recognised for delivering consistent and high-quality customer experiences. It employs 2748 people as of 31/03/07 with a head office based in Eastleigh and others in Gloucester‚ Bournemouth‚ Stoke-on-Trent and Haywards Heath. In 2006‚ its profit before tax was £77.5 million and its GWP was 688.3 million. More information is available on www.fortisinsurance.co.uk

Journalists contact:

Trimedia
Derya Filiz
Elly Kestenbaum
Imogen Davies

Telephone:
0207 025 7500