50cc Scooter for 16 year old

Curv

I'm considering buying a 50cc, restricted scooter in order that my son can use it for travelling too and from school with effect from September - he turns 16 in August.

I understand that he'll need to complete CBT and hold a provisional licence in order to ride the bike, but, for several reasons, I'm thinking of buying the bike in my name, but allowing him to be the main rider, for insurance purposes.

Does anyone know if there are any negative implications, cost or otherwise, to the main rider/driver being different to the registered keeper of a vehicle?

Many thanks, in advance.

Hintza

I was never allowed a a moped by my parents and that was 30 years ago. Probably a sensible decision in retospect!

System

My mother, as an A & E sister, was totally against them. After a lot of badgering by my father and myself she relented. I'd only had it 3 weeks before I came off and broke my collar bone. I never saw the bike after that and it was never mentioned again.

gaz_jones

I would never buy my child a scooter. They are very underpowered which can be very dangerous in certain circumstances.

Just wait a year and get him in a car.

Curv

Thank you for your kind replies. I fully understand the concerns regarding safety, which I why I am considering, rather than committed to buying the scooter. Rest assured that safety is high on my list of priorities.

If anyone has any information regarding the question raised in my first post, I would be most grateful to receive it.

Many thanks, once again.

gaz_jones

Why do you want it registered in your name as opposed to his out of interest?

pompeyrich

gaz_jones wrote: »

I would never buy my child a scooter. They are very underpowered which can be very dangerous in certain circumstances.

Just wait a year and get him in a car.

Hurtling along in a car at 70 MPH @ 17 might be considered dangerous, in certain circumstances, too !! Pro ped here but I guess I was lucky that my 2 boys were ok, they both fell off at slow speeds, in the wet but the NCB they earned from their scooter insurance helped reduce their car insurance and the extra observational skills learned while riding their peds helped too.

Sorry not answered the original question but trying to balance the negative comments re scooters.

Curv

gaz_jones wrote: »

Why do you want it registered in your name as opposed to his out of interest?

Good question.

I don't want to spend that much money on a single 'gift' for my son. I have other children and try hard to treat them all fairly. I would like the scooter (should we buy one) to be an asset of the household as opposed to my son's personal property. If he wants to own a vehicle outright, so to speak, then I'd expect him to get a job and stump up a good proportion of the cash for it himself.

I want my son to have some independence with regard to travelling, both to school and socially, but I don't want to hand it all to him on a plate. I would like the convenience of him being able to get around under his own steam (buses are not a convenient option here) but I don't want to give him the impression that he can just get 'stuff' without working for it, if you see what I mean?

gaz_jones

pompeyrich wrote: »

Hurtling along in a car at 70 MPH @ 17 might be considered dangerous, in certain circumstances, too !! Pro ped here but I guess I was lucky that my 2 boys were ok, they both fell off at slow speeds, in the wet but the NCB they earned from their scooter insurance helped reduce their car insurance and the extra observational skills learned while riding their peds helped too.

Sorry not answered the original question but trying to balance the negative comments re scooters.

Nice chioce of emotive words there to emphasise your point :rotfl:


But of course, you are right. A 17 year old in a car can be very dangerous. I do note that your 2 sons both fell off their scooters. I think if you say a 17 y/o in a car is more vulnerable than a 16 y/o on a ped then you are just kidding yourself.

My worry with mopeds is not that the rider will do a silly stunt and hurt themselves, it's that a driver will not see them and knock them off. That is why I said about the lack of acceleration. Sometimes it is neccesary to be able to accelerate away from trouble.

gaz_jones

Curv wrote: »

Good question.

I don't want to spend that much money on a single 'gift' for my son. I have other children and try hard to treat them all fairly. I would like the scooter (should we buy one) to be an asset of the household as opposed to my son's personal property. If he wants to own a vehicle outright, so to speak, then I'd expect him to get a job and stump up a good proportion of the cash for it himself.

I want my son to have some independence with regard to travelling, both to school and socially, but I don't want to hand it all to him on a plate. I would like the convenience of him being able to get around under his own steam (buses are not a convenient option here) but I don't want to give him the impression that he can just get 'stuff' without working for it, if you see what I mean?

OK I see your point.

I think the only problem normally with having a car/bike registered in one persons name, then insured in another is fronting. As insurance for your son would be far more expensive than insurance for you I don't think this would be a problem as insurers could see this isn't fronting.

gaz_jones

gaz_jones wrote: »

OK I see your point.

I think the only problem normally with having a car/bike registered in one persons name, then insured in another is fronting. As insurance for your son would be far more expensive than insurance for you I don't think this would be a problem as insurers could see this isn't fronting.

Officer_Dibble wrote: »

Re-read #1 again.

How is this fronting?

The OP clearly stated he would inform the insurance company who the main user is.

Re-read #10 again.

I didn't say it was fronting.

I clearly stated insurers would be able to see they weren't fronting. I was stating that this is normally the only problem with the OP's scenario (that I can think of). But in this scenario it isn't an issue. As I have said in the post you quoted of mine.