British car insurance

[Enigma]

I'm looking at a Brit show about traffic police.

Apparently lots of people drive un insured...but how does that work?

-Do you insure the car itself

-Or do you have insurance on your name which permits driving any car?

 

And how about me as a Dutchman in your car? (I have a Dutch driverslicense).

Say I drive your Jeep because you're drunk, injured, sleepy etc.

Am I allowed to drive your car in the UK?

[Degsy]

I'm looking at a Brit show about traffic police.

Apparently lots of people drive un insured...but how does that work?

-Do you insure the car itself

-Or do you have insurance on your name which permits driving any car?

 

And how about me as a Dutchman in your car? (I have a Dutch driverslicense).

Say I drive your Jeep because you're drunk, injured, sleepy etc.

Am I allowed to drive your car in the UK?

 

Uninsured drivers don't buy insurance , it's that simple but if caught the car will be taken off them and may be crushed.

The insurance for a private person will list the vehicle number covered but depending on the type of insurance you may be able to drive other vehicles but will only be covered for third party risks.

As a Dutchman holding an EU licence you would be able to drive a UK vehicle provided the insurance covers any driver or alternatively you are listed on the insurance document as a named driver.

 

That's as I understand the situation Olaf but no doubt I will be jumped on if I am in any way mistaken.

[ashley]

Enigma,

you pay to insure the vehicle for road use, you must have an MOT (test) certificate (if applicable) and as you may already know you also need a road fund license Tax disc (displayed )to drive on the public highway.

 

As Degsy says you can have named drivers for a particular vehicle but generally if a person needs, say my car for a week i can pay a nominal fee to have them added for a specific time.

 

If you have fully comprehensive insurance you can drive other peoples cars (with their permission) but only be covered for third party damages

 

Hope this is clearer than mud it is how i understand it .

 

Ashley

[Sean N]

It's a legal requirement that drivers have third party insurance; that is, insurance that covers other people you injure or property you damage if you have an accident. That's why it's often featured on these police reality shows; because it's an offence not to have insurance.

 

Normally you are covered to drive a particular car, the registration number of which will be shown on the insurance certificate. You might also be covered under this insurance to drive any other car with the owner's permission, or you might have 'named drivers' on your insurance; for example, you might have your wife or girlfriend insured to drive your car and they would be named on the insurance certificate. More rarely, a policy might cover any person driving that car with the owner's permission.

 

A 'driver policy', naming you but not a particular car and allowing you to drive any vehicle, is much less common and typically held by people in the motor trade.

 

As Degsy says, your Dutch licence would be valid in the UK, but you'd only be insured if you held valid insurance, if you were a named driver on the policy that covered that car, or if the policy covered any person driving with the permission of the policy holder.

[Enigma]

Thanks for the replys, think I understand it somewhat.

[Tony B]

Briitish car insurance, and I belive its an EEC requirment, will cover you to drive your vehicle abroad for up to ninety days. Though some companys insist you tell them if you are going abroad.

[andym]

Apparently lots of people drive un insured...but how does that work?

 

There's a growing problem in the UK with uninsured drivers due to the cost of car insurance, especially for males under 25. The cost of insurance usually exceeds the value of the vehicle so many just don't bother. Of course, when they're involved in an accident there's only one place the money can come from - the driver who is insured, so insurance premiums keep rising and generate a vicous circle. The other problem is cloning, where someone takes an uninsured and untaxed vehicle but copies the number plates from a legal vehicle. They're unlikely to be detected unless someone has reason to examine the VIN or tax disc properly. It also means that the owner of the legal vehicle gets clobbered for any speeding or parking fines! Years ago it was possible to get any number plates you wanted made up by a supplier, but these days you have to have official paperwork to do so.

 

Andy

[Tony B]

Insurance for young males is phenonamly expensive.The starting quotes are well over a thousand pounds!!

[steveo578]

Tony B

Insurance for young males is phenonamly expensive.

 

not just for young males -I've recently seen a quote for a teenage girl to drive a 406 diesel at over £3000 TP only:shocked:

[Tony B]

You could add one third at least for a male. Why I don't know. Females can be just as stupid behind the whel as males.

[jchinuk]

Insurance for young males is phenonamly expensive.The starting quotes are well over a thousand pounds!!

 

That is usually for the element of personal cover within the insurance, the insurers calculate that once one of a group of friends gain a license they will be the "driver". There is a statistical link between groups of youngsters in cars and risk taking. Even a relatively minor accident can result in three or four claims for injuries, in a major accident the insurers are looking a covering three or four deaths and punitive damages against the driver. One way of reducing insurance costs is a curfew or fitting a 'spy in the cab' gizmo.

 

jch

[Lewis Garner]

I've only just passed my test and looking around the cheapest quote I can find for a 1988 Micra is 3300 odd quid. That's about 16 times the value of the car. I checked to see what it'd be on my Landy for a laugh and every single company wanted £4500 and upwards. It's a truly ridiculous situation, hardly surprising that so many people chance it.