Young disabled driver help

daska

would the ABI be able to point you in the direction of an insurer? they claim they act "as an advocate for high standards of customer service in the insurance industry".

sheeps68

nickyt wrote: »

Hello,
My son who is 16 has just passed his test and I am looking to get him a car and his insurance. We can not get one on motability as his claim is due for renewal in the next month, so he only has 6 month remaining until it is reaccessed. You have to have a least a year remaining to get one from them. I am looking for any companies that do deals for young disabled drivers. He is going on to do his pass plus asap but does not have it at the moment.

Many thanks Nicky

Well done to him. Its tough enough these days at 17 and I'm sure its no easier at 16 when you have additional difficulties. wish I could offer more advice on insurance but had to say well done. How about institute of advanced motorists as a try to see if they have any bright ideas. I was driving on private land from a young age but had to wait until 17 to go on the roads.

Oldernotwiser

Not questioning the legality of it but I'm interested in the reasoning that allows someone with a disability to learn to drive younger than someone who hasn't. Just seems very strange to me.

Would this site be any help?

http://www.quoterack.co.uk/DisabledDriverCarInsurance.aspx

Oldernotwiser

There's also this list.

http://www.mobility-centre.com/pdfs/C25%20Contact%20Sheet%20Insurance%2016yrold.pdf

Should be something in there.

cajef

Ruby_Moon wrote: »

Although everything that I have read says that the disabled driver still needs to be 17 to take the test.

It is done this way because some disabled drivers may need much longer to learn to drive and so gives everyone the fair chance of passing their test at 17.

As an ADI I taught several disabled people to drive who all passed their test before their 17th birthday.

Learning to drive depends on ability and I can assure you that none of them needed any longer to learn to drive than any other pupil, in fact due to the fact they have a disability they can be far more receptive and responsive to instruction.

nickyt

Thank you so much cajef, I was going to say that I find that being around disabled children a lot and having one myself, that I find that they are very mature and seem to put more into everything they do. I'm not sure if this is just because they have been through so much in their lives, and have to cope with things a lot of others don't have to. Or that they are use to having to deal with a lot more adults, but what ever it is they all seem to be a lot more understanding, tolerant and grown up.

Ruby_Moon

poet123 wrote: »

http://www.direct.gov.uk/en/DisabledPeople/MotoringAndTransport/Yourvehicleandlicence/DG_4016279

I posted what I read and was hoping that someone might at least explain the reason why a disabled person can drive legally before a non disabled person.
Your link doesn't say anymore than what I have already read....that they may start to learn to drive at 16. It then gives advice about taking a test.

To the OP. I wasn't inferring that you were trying to break the law, I was curious as I said. I hadn't heard of this before even when I started driving at 16 on private land with a driving instructor and believe me, if I could ppass my test at 16, I would have because I needed independence being disabled myself.
On enquiring further, I still cannot find any information on taking the test at 16, but plenty saying that it is legal to start driving at 16.
No offence was/is intended.

cajef

Ruby_Moon wrote: »

when I started driving at 16 on private land with a driving instructor and believe me, if I could ppass my test at 16, I would have because I needed independence being disabled myself.

If you received the higher rate of the mobility component of Disability Living Allowance as stated in the link you could have applied for a provisional licence at age 16 and taken your test at any time when you were ready before you were 17.

If your driving instructor had received proper training when he was qualifying to be an ADI (Approved Driving Instructor) he should have known this and advised you accordingly, so either you did not qualify to start at 16 or you picked a poor instructor who was not aware of this and who did not give you the appropriate advice.

Invasion

Ruby_Moon wrote: »

I posted what I read and was hoping that someone might at least explain the reason why a disabled person can drive legally before a non disabled person.
Your link doesn't say anymore than what I have already read....that they may start to learn to drive at 16. It then gives advice about taking a test.

To the OP. I wasn't inferring that you were trying to break the law, I was curious as I said. I hadn't heard of this before even when I started driving at 16 on private land with a driving instructor and believe me, if I could ppass my test at 16, I would have because I needed independence being disabled myself.
On enquiring further, I still cannot find any information on taking the test at 16, but plenty saying that it is legal to start driving at 16.
No offence was/is intended.

You can learn to drive, and take your driving test at 16 of you're on HRM as obviously having and driving car when disabled v. useful, you can't walk places, and it gives that extra bit of independance a little earlier, as able-bodied 16's are able to be biking/walking to be more independent. I know of plenty of people who are insured, driving and taken and passed their test at 16. You often seem to have trouble giving relevant info on threads. If you can start to learn to drive. on the roads, at 16 then why would you not be able to take test?!

OP, I know some of the people who've learnt to drive before 17 have had some luck with Tesco for insurance, not sure on prices, but they were happy to insure under 17

Good luck and well done to him, I started to learn to drive (at 17, was still having trouble getting DLA @ 16, appealing etc.) but too poorly atm.

portlandboy

nickyt wrote: »

Hello,
My son who is 16 has just passed his test and I am looking to get him a car and his insurance. We can not get one on motability as his claim is due for renewal in the next month, so he only has 6 month remaining until it is reaccessed. You have to have a least a year remaining to get one from them. I am looking for any companies that do deals for young disabled drivers. He is going on to do his pass plus asap but does not have it at the moment.

Many thanks Nicky

I obviously don't know your full circumstanses regarding the immediate need for him to have his own car but I presume that you have not previously/currently had one on his behalf or this problem would not exist. I would think that financially it would almost certainly be better to wait until his DLA claim is renewed (I'm guessing it won't be refused any way) and then get onto the motability scheme which includes insurance as well. The undoubtably high cost of insuring him for his own vehicle (if you can get it at an acceptable rate) would not be required in a few months any way. The years of Motability use can be carried over as a "no-claims" bonus to a private insurer at a later date as well. If he has been without a vehicle for some time already, would the wait be too unacceptable?