Just add fuel for 17year olds?

~Chameleon~

motorguy wrote: »

So dont do your test until you have a job, even though not being able to drive might prevent you from being able to get to your job?

My advice would be, get your test done as soon as possible, while you have the free time to do so - the longer you leave it, the harder it is to get back to.

Even *if* you dont own your own car, you may well end up on a parents insurance, but if not, its done and you always have it.

It's no cheaper to add to parents' insurance than it is to insure your own car. Not all kids have parents who can afford to pay out several thousands to insure them.

Is it ok for someone to pass their test then and perhaps not drive again for 3-4 years, yet be deemed competent enough to get behind the while without some form of refresher tuition?

My son passed his test 4 years ago. It's only this year that I've been able to afford to add him to my own insurance as in previous years it would have cost just as much as he was already paying to insure his own car.

Hintza

Fieldsofgold wrote: »

Absolute rubbish, as statistics for accidents involving young drivers shows!

For goodness sake!

Hintza

~Chameleon~ wrote: »

It's no cheaper to add to parents' insurance than it is to insure your own car. Not all kids have parents who can afford to pay out several thousands to insure them.

As has been said passing your test does not mean you need to get car or drive. It just means you have one other skill which will help you in the workplace.

Not having your test could severely impede you chances in the job market.

Also some of us don't live in towns and it is a PITA having to drive kids in their late teens and early 20's around all the time.

~Chameleon~

Hintza wrote: »

As has been said passing your test does not mean you need to get car or drive. It just means you have one other skill which will help you in the workplace.

Not having your test could severely impede you chances in the job market.

Also some of us don't live in towns and it is a PITA having to drive kids in their late teens and early 20's around all the time.

I don't live in a town either and driving our kids around is par for the course unless either you or they can afford to own a car and insurance it. My kids were fortunate in that I could help them with the costs of their insurance and they are now all insured to drive my car too if necessary.

I don't see how passing your test then not driving for a considerable length of time afterwards is useful. You don't learn to drive when taking lessons, you learn to pass your test. The learning to drive comes afterwards once you're out there on the road. I feel that is a hugely important aspect of becoming a safe driver.

No way would I get in a car with a driver who had just started to drive having passed their test a number of years beforehand yet had no actual driving experience. Not to mention, no employers would allow anyone under 21/25 to drive company vehicles so how would that be an impedance to gaining employment?

Fieldsofgold

motorguy wrote: »

*sigh*

You are more likely to have an accident in the first year after your test full stop, due to inexperience.

Not doing your test when you're 17 just moves the problem.

Be an ostrich if you like, the stats say different.

http://www.brake.org.uk/info-resources/info-research/road-safety-factsheets/15-facts-a-resources/facts/488-young-drivers-the-hard-facts

motorguy

~Chameleon~ wrote: »

It's no cheaper to add to parents' insurance than it is to insure your own car. Not all kids have parents who can afford to pay out several thousands to insure them.

You must be with the wrong insurers then. I was able to get my son onto my 1.8i VTEC Civic for £1200 for the full year (including myself and my wife on it too) - on his own it would have been several thousand more than that.

Also, we're not talking about a particular individuals financial constraints, but options that they may or may not have.

~Chameleon~ wrote: »

Is it ok for someone to pass their test then and perhaps not drive again for 3-4 years, yet be deemed competent enough to get behind the while without some form of refresher tuition?

That would be down to the individual and how they felt. Still better than not doing their test at all.

~Chameleon~ wrote: »

My son passed his test 4 years ago. It's only this year that I've been able to afford to add him to my own insurance as in previous years it would have cost just as much as he was already paying to insure his own car.

Not my experience - clearly varies dependant on insurance companies.

~Chameleon~

motorguy wrote: »

You must be with the wrong insurers then. I was able to get my son onto my 1.8i VTEC Civic for £1200 for the full year (including myself and my wife on it too) - on his own it would have been several thousand more than that.

Not my experience - clearly varies dependant on insurance companies.

My car is in a significantly higher insurance group (30) than yours. It cost me just £400 to add him this year (£600 for both of us FC) compared to almost £3000 when he originally passed his test.

Plus, due to the fact he needed a car of his own, adding him to my insurance for occasional use on top of insuring his own vehicle was prohibitively expensive until now.

You're very fortunate that the three of you can share a car within your family

That would be down to the individual and how they felt. Still better than not doing their test at all.

Or surely it's better to wait until they're in a position to afford to drive a vehicle once they've passed their test? It's not as if the cost of obtaining a licence increases the older you get (other than with inflation of course). I still don't think it's wise to take your test if you don't intend to carry on driving afterwards. Surely that's the whole point of obtaining your licence in the first place?

catmc

You can get a smartbox fitted this reduces insurance if he is wanting to build up no claims bonus aswell my nephew pays 1180 for the year on his own insurance with a 1.4 car hope that helps he just passed his test 2 weeks ago and is 19

sinbad182

What possible drawback would there be to someone taking their test at 17?

If they can afford to buy and run a car straight away, great. If not, they have the license ready for when they enter the workplace.

Or is this the usual MSE case of someone asking a perfectly reasonable question and being greeted with the token contrary !!!!!! trying to pick non existent holes in it?

motorguy

Fieldsofgold wrote: »

Be an ostrich if you like, the stats say different.

http://www.brake.org.uk/info-resources/info-research/road-safety-factsheets/15-facts-a-resources/facts/488-young-drivers-the-hard-facts

Right - you're quoting me out of context and thats not what i meant.

Firstly, the point i was trying to respond to was that "just wait until they leave university and get a job, and then they can learn to drive." All very well, but it could limit you in your job options if you havent got your licence in the first place, and thus cant travel to your job.

Secondly the point was that most accidents are cause by young people. I said, no, most accidents are caused by inexperienced people and you're simply moving the problem. This is bourne out because the report you point to focuses on young people only, not "inexperienced" people. I wonder how much variance there would be between a 22 year old out on their own for the first time, and an 18 year old? Not as much as you think perhaps.

Finally, is it really such a brilliant idea for someone in a new job and in perhaps a new town to be forced out on the roads with no experience at all?

My view on it is, get your test when are 17 / 18 while you little other distractions in terms of work or higher education. If possible, get experience driving a parents car, initially while supervised, but as experience grows on your own.

I did that with my son when he was 17. He has just turned 20 and has his own car now, insured in his own name and a part time job in a city close to is, into which he drives - with the benefit of several years experience BEFORE he needed to. He also drives his car down to University 3 days a week where he studies - again, into a city and on a motorway.

Because he has several years experience he was able to ensure a larger car than he would otherwise have done, meaning he isnt driving down the motorway in some 1.0 litre tin can.