One in five young motorists is breaking the law by driving without insurance – and many of them are on the roads of the West Midlands, research into the problem has found.

An estimated 250,000 people aged between 17 and 20 continue to drive despite not having any insurance cover in place, according to the Motor Insurers’ Bureau (MIB). The group, which pays compensation to people involved in accidents with uninsured drivers, said people in this age group were four times more likely to be involved in claims, highlighting the significant proportion of young people without insurance cover who were causing accidents.

Part of the problem was that one in ten young drivers claimed not to be aware that having motor insurance was a legal requirement. But the biggest issue is thought to be the high cost of insurance for young drivers, which puts off many people from taking it out.

Accidents involving all uninsured drivers cost motorists with cover about £500 million a year, adding about £30 to every car insurance policy taken out.

Uninsured drivers are five times more likely to be involved in a collision, fail to comply with other road traffic requirements or be involved in criminal activity than other motorists.

The MIB said uninsured and hit-and-run drivers injure three people every hour and kill three people every week.

The UK has one of the highest proportions of uninsured drivers in Europe, with about five per cent of motorists not having cover, compared with only 0.1 per cent in Sweden and 0.2 per cent in Germany. But the police are being more successful at tackling the problem, with about 230,000 people convicted for driving without insurance each year.

Ashton West, chief executive of the MIB, said: “Young people make up a significant number of uninsured drivers and with one in five newly-qualified drivers having an accident in the first year of driving, they need to make choices based on the consequences of driving without insurance and not just on price alone. While we recognise the financial pressures for drivers taking to the roads for the first time, it is a criminal offence to drive without proper insurance cover.”

People caught driving without insurance could have their vehicle seized, be fined and receive a minimum of six penalty points. The highest concentrations of uninsured drivers are thought to be in the West Midlands, West Yorkshire, Greater Manchester, London Metropolitan and Merseyside.

Simon Douglas, of AA Insurance, said: “I’m not surprised at these figures even though it is shocking to see this statistic confirmed. Uninsured driving is not a victimless crime. Young drivers are ten times more likely to be involved in a collision than more experienced drivers. If they have no insurance, any claim has to be met by the MIB which, in turn, is funded by honest insurers.”