New figures from The Co-operative Insurance reveal that 41% of parents are illegally fronting their children’s car insurance even though they know that it is against the law. Car insurance fronting is when a higher risk driver is added to someone else’s motor insurance policy as a named driver when they are actually the main driver or owner of the vehicle.

The study found that 61% would front again in the future and that 57% know that fronting is illegal. Many believe they can save more than £180 by fronting.

Added to this, 23% of young drivers questioned on a road safety awareness website set up by road safety charity Brake and The Co-operative Insurance’s admitted to driving without any insurance at all.

Tim Franklin, chief operating officer, at The Co-operative Financial Services, said: “The view that motor insurance fronting is harmless and doesn’t hurt anyone could not be further from the truth. Parents who believe they are helping their children to save money by fronting are not only risking prosecution, but harming their chances of obtaining insurance in the future.”

He added: “We recognise that the current economic situation may be acting as a catalyst for motor insurance fronting and we are continuing our work to ensure younger drivers have access to competitive and fairly priced motor insurance.

“Through our partnership with the Road Safety Charity, Brake, we continue to educate young drivers about the importance of responsible driving through our interactive 2Young2Die website and resource materials.

“We also provide flexible insurance for young drivers where their premiums can be calculated based upon where, when and how they drive, whilst we also continue to accept the Pass Plus driver training qualification as a means of providing further insurance discount.”