The crucial issue of reducing motor insurance premiums for young drivers was examined in some detail in the Deloitte & Touche report, An Economic Evaluation of Insurance Costs in Ireland. It found that premium rates for them are high in all EU countries relative to the rates charged to more mature drivers, reflecting the significantly higher risk they represent to the insurance companies providing cover. The consultants found that the average cost of an insurance claim for a 17 to 24 year old driver was over twice that for the 36 to 40 year age group and that motorists in the 17 to 24 year age group were responsible for over three and a half times the average claim costs of motorists in the 36 to 40 age group.