NEW research from www.confused.com, the UK independent car insurance search site, has revealed that young and old drivers alike are most likely to be heavily penalised by insurers for speeding convictions.

While a 30-year-old with three speeding convictions can expect their insurance to increase by 32 per cent, compared to a driver with no convictions, an 18-year-old can typically expect their insurance to leap by 44 per cent. Drivers in their 70s can expect a whopping 53 per cent rise.

The latest findings will come as bad news for more than half a million drivers who, following this week's report on the remaining stages of the Road Safety Bill in the Commons, may yet be banned from using speed camera detectors to avoid speeding charges.

Many who have invested in these systems because of a history of speeding can expect big rises in their insurance should they become repeat speeders following a ban.

According to confused.com, while one conviction may only result in a five to seven per cent increase on premiums, drivers who speed regularly can expect dramatic insurance hikes.

Drivers with two convictions can typically expect a 21 per cent rise in their insurance, compared to a driver with no convictions, whereas drivers who are caught speeding for a third time can expect a rise of between 40 and 52 per cent.

Despite this news, confused.com's findings reveal that not all insurers penalise speeders equally, with prices varying by as much as £3,317 for an 18-year-old London driver of a 1.4 Renault Clio with one conviction, and £4,379 for an 18-year-old with three convictions.

This means that a comprehensive search for insurance, using services such as confused.com, can lead to large savings.

Commenting on the findings, Kate Armstrong, managing director of confused.com, said: "Many insurers see a direct link between speeding offences and an increased likelihood of accidents and claims.

"As a result they are starting to penalise speeders more severely. Of course, not all insurers will penalise drivers equally.

"Some companies will have drivers on their books who have speeding convictions but few claims - hence quotes for this type of driver will remain low. Whereas others will have drivers with speeding convictions and large claims, resulting in price hikes for this profile of driver.

"This makes it all the more important for drivers who are unlucky enough to be caught speeding to shop around for a better deal."

www.confused.com, a free service to the consumers, compares prices for 94 per cent of the insurance market in only five minutes and, on average, searches 170 insurance rates to find the best available deal. The service comes back with its search findings in under half an hour and says, on average, it is saving drivers more than £150 on their premiums.