Young people need to understand that motor insurance is there to protect them as well as other drivers - and recognise that driving around while uninsured can have "dreadful consequences", a leading industry body has said.

Susan Beck, communications head at the Motor Insurers' Bureau (MIB), says that figures of authority - such as driving instructors - need to "really engage with the drivers of tomorrow" in order to ensure that they have a "positive attitude towards driving, a better understanding of insurance and the right life and road skills to make them more responsible drivers".

"The profile of an uninsured driver can vary although we do see a large number of young people, particularly young males, aged between 18 and 21 who drive without insurance," Ms Beck explained.

"There is no denying that young people probably see insurance as a big expense when they first learn to drive," she continued, before adding that "more can be done to educate young people that insurance is not just there to protect them, but it is there to protect all of us".

"We have got to get into the psyche of young people and get them to understand that using the road can be a dangerous activity and that insurance is not an 'option'; it is a legal requirement and 'essential'," she concluded.