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New congestion charge means another expense for car insurance customers

19/02/07

Car insurance customers may be interested to know that the London congestion charge zone has now expanded to incorporate Western parts of the capital.
 
Changes to the scheme, which came into effect today, mean that drivers in large parts of Kensington, Chelsea and Westminster will now have to pay the £8 charge upon entry.
 
Meanwhile, the hours that the congestion charge is in effect have also been revised.
 
As of today, operational hours run from 07:00 to 18:00 GMT, instead of 07:00 to 18:30.
 
It means that car insurance customers in the capital will now face an additional expense if they need to drive into west London during working hours.
 
Under UK law, a driver must already pay for regular MOT tests, road tax and a minimum of third party car insurance cover before they can take to the roads.
 
Malcolm Murray-Clark, direction of congestion charging at Transport for London, commented on the latest expansion of the congestion fee.
 
"The scheme has been extended to one of the most congested areas in the UK in an effective and well-run process," he said.
 
"The reduction in traffic has led to a significant cut in CO2 emissions within the zone. Road safety has also improved with 70 fewer road accidents each year directly because of the congestion charge."
 
If the initiative was found to have a positive effect upon road safety in west London, it could potentially have implications for car insurance rates.
 
Many car insurance companies take into account local road safety records before calculating whether or not to offer motorists a cheap car insurance quote.
 
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