Epilepsy diagnosed - car insurance help please!

mandrose

My 24 year old son had 2 seizures on Wednesday & has been diagnosed with Epilepsy. Naturally he is not able to drive for a year or so (DVLA will let us know how long) & we have to make a decision on what to do with his car.

It's his first car & he only bought it a couple of months ago. It's insured fully comp with me as a named driver. As its all been a bit of a shock, he doesn't want to make a decision to sell just at this moment and he has said his older brother can use it for a few weeks to give him time to decide. His brother is currently looking for a new car as his keeps breaking down & is costing a fortune! I don't think my oldest son will want to buy it from him as its not the make of car he was hoping for.

I spoke to the insurance company yesterday to inform them & ask the best way to get his brother insured. They said we had to cancel the original policy & will have a £47.50 cancellation fee then take out a new policy in his brothers name. My oldest son has been told he can add the additional car to his existing policy for £58 a month, so maybe this is the way to go?

Can anyone give some advise on the best thing for us to do please? Also, as its due to a medical condition my son not being able to drive, can the insurance company really charge a cancellation fee? It seems so cruel when he's already trying to come to terms with the changes he now has to make!

Thanks for any help!

Torry_Quine

This should help https://www.epilepsy.org.uk/info/driving

mandrose

Thanks Torry - I've looked there but it's more about driving licences than insurance!

*Scarlett

mandrose - I'm sure this has all been a shock to your son and the rest of the family.

If he is not going to be able to drive in the next 12 months then he might be better just cancelling the insurance and paying the fee. Make sure that he SORNs the car. But bear in mind there would be no cover if it was eg stolen whilst parked up.

Will the current insurer continue cover on the current policy for fire, theft, etc on the car if it is not being driven for another couple of weeks? Not sure if they would do this but hopefully they would be sympathetic as medical conditions can arise which may restrict cover but not void the insurance altogether. This would give him a bit more time to decide what to do.

Ultimately it sounds like he'll have to sell the car if his brother does not really want it.

If brother wants to drive the car & is able to do this on his current policy short term and can afford the extra premium then go ahead - make sure he is aware of any adjustment / cancellation fees for removing the car from his policy when the time comes to do this.

Best wishes to you and your son - I'm sure this has been a very distressing time.

mandrose

Thank you Scarlett, it's been a huge shock to all of us! I think made slightly worse by the amount of facial injuries he got but even the bruises seem better today

I think I'm concentrating on the car as it's a practical thing I feel I can deal with! Anyway, his brother came today & will sell his own car then take out insurance on Mikes. Until then we will keep Mikes insurance so it's safe in case of theft & I will give the car a run a couple of times a week.

I'm a bit angry that he will be penalised when we cancel his insurance but when I put my sensible head on, it's not the end of the world!

Thanks again

Torry_Quine

It seems somewhat quick that he's been diagnosed with epilepsy after two fits this week. Has he been referred to see a neurologist for tests such as EEG?

clivejohnson

Firstly, as a sufferer of myoclonic epilepsy for nearly forty years, my heart really does go out to your son. I have been there myself, believe me (it was a two-year wait back in the late '80s)!

I would point out to your insurance company that your doing so because the law states that you have to cancel, and not out of your own volition. I would also point out that if they waive the fee as a goodwill gesture, he will use them when your son gets his license back. if not, then he won't...

Very best wishes.

mandrose

It's very quick but he was kept in hospital , had emergency CT scan & saw a neurologist. He's been having mini seizures for a few months without realising what they were but doctor confirmed classic symptoms & diagnosis. It's the last thing he remembers happening before he woke up after he had the convulsion.

He is going to have an EEG & MRI too but neurologist said he's not expecting anything sinister like a brain tumour etc to show up!

Torry_Quine

mandrose wrote: »

It's very quick but he was kept in hospital , had emergency CT scan & saw a neurologist. He's been having mini seizures for a few months without realising what they were but doctor confirmed classic symptoms & diagnosis. It's the last thing he remembers happening before he woke up after he had the convulsion.

He is going to have an EEG & MRI too but neurologist said he's not expecting anything sinister like a brain tumour etc to show up!

Wow that was quick and sounds like it won't change the diagnosis. He's been very fortunate then if he's been having fits for a few months.

spacey2012

These are two separate issues, until you can separate them back in to the right boxes you are going to struggle.
Issue 1
The person diagnosed with Epilepsy has no licence to drive, he must surrender his licence or as instructed and inform his insurance and cancel his policy and declare the vehicle SORN until it is sold.

SEPARATION HERE

Issue 2 :
If someone else (it matters not if related) wants to take over the car, they will need to register it in their name (makes insuring much easier) then obtain a new insurance policy via the normal routes of obtaining a quotation and taking a policy and drive happily ever after.

Now separate the issues and they will be very easy to deal with.

mandrose

Thank you spacey2012, very good advice for me to follow!

I think I'm just shell shocked so will start to do the separation & put things in order quickly! Mike has already printed the DVLA form to submit his licence so we're starting to get it together!