JowettTalk

An interesting discussion with an insurance broker who gave the excuse that no UK insurance company would insure a person with a US driving licence because they drove on the other side of the road. Even when I did point out that they would insure anybody with an EU member state driver licence and most of them drive on the wrong side, he still insisted that Scott would have to take a UK driving test. When I explained he would not drive in the UK but only on the wrong side of the road, he still insisted he could not insure him!

Has anybody else had this problem?

Scott, you are going to need to take an Irish driving test where they drive down the centre of the road.

Worth speaking to the club contact at Footman James on this - there must be a fairly straightforward solution, but no doubt this will form one of those things that requires a little bit of common sense, so I doubt you will get far with the insurance industry in the UK...

Isn't Poland an EU member state? Rumour has it you can buy a Polish driving licence for not a lot of money, you may not even need to visit Poland to get it I certainly had HGV drivers come and work for us whose EU member state papers checked out, but they had no idea how to even hook up a trailer, let alone drive with it attached.

This was discussed with Footman James at a club AGM just before Wakefield when Martin Raybold, our contact at FJ addressed the meeting.
It has nothing to do with driving on the other side of the road as they will not insure Aus or NZ members driving in the UK. It is to do with access to that person if they have an accident. They can achieve this within the EU but find it difficult outside this area due to different laws. ( That was his official position )

Drummond

I have discussed with Martin Raybold (Footman James) yesterday and also at the Wakefield rally where we were trying to get Scott and Jim insured on TTD. The 'excuse' does seem to change and fluctuate; but the answer is 'no they will not accept a US driving licence from an Irish citizen but they would accept an Irish driving licence from a US citizen'. So work that one out! Mind you they would probably back out of that one if the citizen was not resident in the EU. Who knows?

Interestingly, if the driver has cover to drive other cars on his own policy then they are covered and my car would be covered, even if someone else not named is driving. I would like to get that statement in writing and will see when my new policy comes through this week.

It does beg the question of how hire car companies manage. This restriction may only apply to the classic car policies. Lancaster, for instance, will not insure anyone under 30 on a multi-car policy, though they will on a single car, multi- driver policy.

The insurance company not beng able to contact the driver is a pretty weak excuse as any named driver could live or go outside the EU. Martyn did say they had insured an Australian. However, various agreements such as Schengen possibly make it easier for companies to track people down. VISA of course will find you wherever you are in the world.

Beware of using the clause permitting divers to drive other vehicles not owne by them i.e. your car on their insurance. Whilst I am not sure of the up to date system this clause used to only provide c 'traffic aact' cover for use in an emergency, i.e. it only covered injury to persons anad not damage to theeir vehicle, wallor whatever property thedriver may damage. The traffic act only clause was, I think, a way of providing the minimum legal cover as required by the ? 1934 road traffiac act. Thesedays it may provide 3rd party cover i.e 'traffic act' plus damage to other peoples cars, walls or whatever but not damaageto the vehicle being driven.

This info may now be out of date but unless you can varify the amount of cover provided it is probably best to assume that it is only for emegency driving eg if the regular driver is incapacitated , pistasa or whatever!

george

Well, I guess my ears should be burning!

When James and I had Stars & Stripes over for the Le Mans trip, Footman James covered us without any discussion. And that was a LHD car on UK roads.

When I have rented cars in Europe, my country of residence was never an issue. Perhaps because they had my credit card number? Renting a car in the UK also never has any issues about insurance or "driving on the wrong side of the road".

As for driving on the wrong side of the road, I might point out that would be you Brits, as the vast majority of the world's drivers are firmly in my lane!

Rather than adding me to a policy, perhaps I need to purchase coverage as with Stars & Stripes?

By the way, here in the States, it is the owner of the car on the liability hook should there be an accident, but the driver of the car is held responsible for any criminal issues. The company insuring the vehicle can then sue the driver's insurer for damages.

Cheers,
Scott

I suspect the problem is with the multicar policy and the underwriter that is covering it, not with any UK law or practice. Howerever, I had the same story from Lancaster. Perhaps a case has hardened their attitude. It wasn't the trail of damage you guys left on your trip to Le Mans was it? I wish I had known about F&G and S&S , that would have been a good reference sell! I will try again.

How would it be if Scott obtained a UK learner's permit?

Do you think that there's any 'mileage'(!!) in enlisting the help of our Press Officer, who could perhaps send a generic letter query to the various automobile mags he's in contact with? You'd have to specify the queries for him in the letter. Together they must have a wider knowledge of which insurance companies could help, rather than just us on JowettTalk.

Tony.