Women drivers - even younger ones - usually pay less for their annual motor insurance than their male counterparts do because they have fewer, less expensive, accidents.

Norwich Union General Insurance has decided to target these women drivers with a new policy - Lady Motoring - which offers average discounts of about 15 per cent on similar policies.

Other service features are also included, such as a 24-hour emergency breakdown service, 24-hour claims notification line, free windscreen etching and free EU cover for 31 days in the year. (These are becoming standard features with many insurers, it must be said.)

To qualify for the new policy, a woman driver needs to be over 25, have a full or provisional licence and be the registered owner of the car. Attractive as a policy like this is, insurance agents say it may not last. According to Mr Sean Cunningham of The Insurance Shop in Dublin: "It's ironic that Norwich are launching this policy at a time when other insurers are reassessing their lady driver premiums." The growing belief in the market, says Mr Cunningham, is that "there are more and more younger, professional women buying more powerful cars, driving more aggressively and having more accidents".