Research has revealed that one in five young motorists drive without car insurance on UK roads.

According to the findings from the Motor Insurers' Bureau for the Government, 243,000 younger drivers do not have car cover when they get behind the wheel to drive.

Insurance provider, AA Insurance has spoken out about its concerns over the findings.

Simon Douglas, the director of AA Insurance said: "I'm not surprised at these figures even though it is shocking to see this statistic confirmed.

"The record speaks for itself - one out of every five young drivers suffers a crash within their first year of driving. But that doesn't mean that all young drivers a reckless or irresponsible behind the wheel.

Mr Douglas added: "The average number of uninsured drivers is one in 20, which costs the insurance industry £500 million every year - the equivalent of 30 on every car insurance policy bought by honest motorists.

"Uninsured driving is not a victimless crime. Young drivers are 10 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."