Almost half of young drivers think it is acceptable to use the illegal practice of fronting to reduce premiums.

Almost half of young drivers are prepared to flout the law in a bid to reduce their insurance premiums, according to new research.

RAC Insurance conducted a survey of 500 drivers aged 17 to 24 and found that 47% were prepared to engage in the illegal practice of 'fronting' – falsely insuring a vehicle in someone else's name – if it meant cutting the cost of insurance.

Fronting is a well-known trick to reduce premiums for young drivers, who regularly have to stomach insurance costs far larger than the national average.

The ploy often involves naming an experienced driver – usually a parent – as the policy-holder, while the youngster who owns and drives the car is registered as a named driver.

Although large numbers of youngsters were prepared to use fronting as a way of reducing the amount they pay for insurance, many were aware of its illegality.

Of those questioned by RAC Insurance, 57% said they were aware fronting was illegal, although this knowledge was far more prevalent among males than females with 49% of women quizzed knowing the practice was against the law, compared with 65% of men.

RAC Insurance director Mark Godfrey said: 'It's worrying to see so many people – both young drivers and by association their parents – who are prepared knowingly to try to cheat the system to get cheaper insurance.

'It's important for anyone who has done this to realise that it could result in invalidating the policy for everyone covered by it, not just the young driver concerned. What's more, its illegal activities like this that increase the overall cost of insurance for all young drivers.'

Have you been caught out 'fronting' an insurance policy? Email motoring@archant.co.uk