Insurance issue - PLEASE HELP!
Discussion
Hi, this topic *may* belong in the law forum but I have only just signed up and really need an answer to my quandry today if possible....
Basically I recently switched my insurer for my own car after putting my girlfriend onto my policy (and then found a cheaper insurer). The cover is fully comprehensive and on my OLD policy it covered me to drive any vehicle. As such when I switched to another fully comprehensive policy with a major insurer I assumed the cover would be the same.
I had to drive my bosses car last night home from a party last night as he had been drinking and I was sober. I was under the assumption that my insurance covered me for this and it would not be a problem. However I got pulled by the police (quite randomly, it was late at night and its a prestige car so I guess they thought it just looked suspicious). Upon checking my details through the radio and checking my insurance on my own vehicle, the police informed me that my policy does not allow me to drive any vehicle. At this stage I thought it could just be an oversight of some kind so the police officer gave me a producer & we had to leave the car and get a taxi.
Upon returning home I have thoroughly checked my insurance schedule to find that my policy doesnt include 'driving other vehicles' as I had previously assumed. I feel stupid as I never fully checked the documentation (its not blatantly obvious that it doesnt cover driving other vehicles unless you read the small print). However this now leaves me in a situation whereby I have been driving this vehicle seemingly without cover.
My main question is this: I am going to phone my insurer today to upgrade the cover to include 'driving other vehicles' as it is something which I will need. Would my insurer be able / be willing to give me a 'post-dated' cover note for last night which will enable me to produce??
Other than this, what options do I have? I need my driving licence for my job (area sales manager - mobile) and am worried that if I cannot produce any cover for last night that I will end up getting banned (I already have 6 points, 3 of which come off my licence at the end of May)
PLEASE HELP!
Basically I recently switched my insurer for my own car after putting my girlfriend onto my policy (and then found a cheaper insurer). The cover is fully comprehensive and on my OLD policy it covered me to drive any vehicle. As such when I switched to another fully comprehensive policy with a major insurer I assumed the cover would be the same.
I had to drive my bosses car last night home from a party last night as he had been drinking and I was sober. I was under the assumption that my insurance covered me for this and it would not be a problem. However I got pulled by the police (quite randomly, it was late at night and its a prestige car so I guess they thought it just looked suspicious). Upon checking my details through the radio and checking my insurance on my own vehicle, the police informed me that my policy does not allow me to drive any vehicle. At this stage I thought it could just be an oversight of some kind so the police officer gave me a producer & we had to leave the car and get a taxi.
Upon returning home I have thoroughly checked my insurance schedule to find that my policy doesnt include 'driving other vehicles' as I had previously assumed. I feel stupid as I never fully checked the documentation (its not blatantly obvious that it doesnt cover driving other vehicles unless you read the small print). However this now leaves me in a situation whereby I have been driving this vehicle seemingly without cover.
My main question is this: I am going to phone my insurer today to upgrade the cover to include 'driving other vehicles' as it is something which I will need. Would my insurer be able / be willing to give me a 'post-dated' cover note for last night which will enable me to produce??
Other than this, what options do I have? I need my driving licence for my job (area sales manager - mobile) and am worried that if I cannot produce any cover for last night that I will end up getting banned (I already have 6 points, 3 of which come off my licence at the end of May)
PLEASE HELP!
You cannot add DOC to your policy and expect that to cover you for last night.
Unfortunately, you're up s
t creek without a paddle. You were driving without insurance. You admit yourself that it's blatantly obvious having checked your policy that you aren't covered.
It sucks. A lot of us have done the same thing with insurance (I have let a friend drive my car when we both assumed he had been correctly added to my policy, when the insurer had made a mistake I hadn't spotted when I 'checked' my new documents). But at the end of the day, it is your responsibilty to check that you are covered.
Unfortunately, you're up s
t creek without a paddle. You were driving without insurance. You admit yourself that it's blatantly obvious having checked your policy that you aren't covered.It sucks. A lot of us have done the same thing with insurance (I have let a friend drive my car when we both assumed he had been correctly added to my policy, when the insurer had made a mistake I hadn't spotted when I 'checked' my new documents). But at the end of the day, it is your responsibilty to check that you are covered.
Simply the answer is no, you can't backdate cover.
Have you checked the person that owns the car that his insurance wouldn't have covered you ?
Other than that you have no other option other than to take the points/fine, you may be able to plead your case if a ban is on the cards, I know someone in a similarish position, already had 6 points then got caught speeding again, the second time he got 5 points and kept his licence and then drove like a nun.
Have you checked the person that owns the car that his insurance wouldn't have covered you ?
Other than that you have no other option other than to take the points/fine, you may be able to plead your case if a ban is on the cards, I know someone in a similarish position, already had 6 points then got caught speeding again, the second time he got 5 points and kept his licence and then drove like a nun.
raybentos said:
I am going to phone my insurer today to upgrade the cover to include 'driving other vehicles' as it is something which I will need.
I'm not aware of DOC (it's driving other cars, not vehicles - this is quite important too, as you can't normally drive a van using DOC cover) being added as an option. Insurance companies either include it or they don't.Are you under 25? Most companies exclude under 25's.
I'm concerned that you "need" DOC. It's intended for emergency use - ie you move your bosses car out the way to get yours out so you can drive him home. Or you're out somewhere and he is taken ill so you drive home. It is not intended for routine use and it's been dropped from some policies because people were misusing it. Presumeably you're aware it's 3rd party only anyway - what would have happened if you'd smashed up your bosses prestige car?
Insurance companies will never backdate cover, but your only hope would be to get either your, or your bosses insurers to agree (in writing) that they would be held liable and that *might* be enough to stop it going to court. Unlikely though.
Another case of a driver thought he was covered but wasn't.
What do insurers hope to achieve by removing what most people expect, other than to increase the number of uninsured drivers on the road?
Best hope is your boss's insurance, there's a get out clause for driving a company vehicle where you thought there was cover but not
What do insurers hope to achieve by removing what most people expect, other than to increase the number of uninsured drivers on the road?
Best hope is your boss's insurance, there's a get out clause for driving a company vehicle where you thought there was cover but not
saaby93 said:
Another case of a driver thought he was covered but wasn't.
What do insurers hope to achieve by removing what most people expect, other than to increase the number of uninsured drivers on the road?
Best hope is your boss's insurance, there's a get out clause for driving a company vehicle where you thought there was cover but not
Agreed, they really should make it clearer. I do read through my insurance docs, but they are usually either lacking in detail or page after page of legalese and jargon that leaves me none the wiser. I always ask them if DOC is included, but what comeback do you have if they say yes but subsequently it turns out it's not?What do insurers hope to achieve by removing what most people expect, other than to increase the number of uninsured drivers on the road?
Best hope is your boss's insurance, there's a get out clause for driving a company vehicle where you thought there was cover but not
I know this is my own **stupid** fault for not checking the policy documents thoroughly enough in the first place.
I am aware that the cover is only 3rd party, the reason I drove the car was it was either a £30+ taxi ride or I took his car (mine was at home, not with us otherwise I would have simply driven that)
Guess its going to cost MUCH MUCH more than the bloody taxi fare now....
It should be more obvious, I think someone misread my original post, the fact that I am not covered is only in tiny writing with all the T&Cs basically.....
I am aware that the cover is only 3rd party, the reason I drove the car was it was either a £30+ taxi ride or I took his car (mine was at home, not with us otherwise I would have simply driven that)
Guess its going to cost MUCH MUCH more than the bloody taxi fare now....
It should be more obvious, I think someone misread my original post, the fact that I am not covered is only in tiny writing with all the T&Cs basically.....
Just quoting your own post back to you
Anyway, rubbish situation, best of luck in resolving it.
op said:
The cover is fully comprehensive and on my OLD policy it covered me to drive any vehicle. As such when I switched to another fully comprehensive policy with a major insurer I assumed the cover would be the same
Reading that back, does it not strike you as quite a large assumption to have made? Anyway, rubbish situation, best of luck in resolving it.
raybentos said:
No, I can see where some of you are going with this one but its NOT a company car & it wasnt a work 'do'...
It was just me & my boss at a party with friends....
If your boss doesn't have any driver cover he could be in trouble for letting someone uninsured drive his car.It was just me & my boss at a party with friends....
What is so wrong with insurance allowing cover in these circumstances?
( as it used to)
Wouldnt it prevent a lot of uninsured driving?
raybentos said:
It should be more obvious, I think someone misread my original post, the fact that I am not covered is only in tiny writing with all the T&Cs basically.....
It only said that out of courtesy.You need to read these documents the other way around - they usually tell what you're covered for, not what you're NOT covered for.
It's what the Certificate of Insurance says that is most important.
raybentos said:
Would this be the case as far as we were BOTH aware I had cover in place??
It is also his responsibilty to ensure that anyone he allows to drive his car is properly insured. It depends how bloody minded the copper is that pulled you, although from your posts it sounds as though he may have got away with it.raybentos said:
saaby93 said:
If your boss doesn't have any driver cover he could be in trouble for letting someone uninsured drive his car.
Would this be the case as far as we were BOTH aware I had cover in place??I'm still a bit gobsmacked that you drove the car knowing (even if you had insurance) it was 3rd party only.
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