Breakdown cover for driver illness

J_Milou

Thanks to all for your info - first-time forum user - I am investigating RAC and GEM. Personal breakdown cover doesn't always cover driver illness and injury, as I found out to my cost.

caprikid1

J_Milou wrote: »

Does anyone have any experience of arranging breakdown cover for driver illness or injury within the UK? I am the sole driver and recently had to extend a family stay away from home due to illness. My current insurance policy couldn't help and current breakdown cover focussed on vehicle breakdown only, even though I have personal cover. Any ideas, folks? Thanks.

As stated quite a few polices contain this type of cover, you need to be check the wording carefully. I believe my policy provides for a relief driver in such eventualities. I had a situation where I was away with my kids which was close to this but in the end I recovered sufficiently to drive the car.

Dr_Crypto

elsien wrote: »

Found another, GEM, that do it as well. All of them say medical certificate needed, which begs the question of how easy it would be to see an out of area GP in the timescale needed when you're not registered with them, and it's not something obvious like a broken limb that you would go to hospital for.

You can register as a temporary patient. Whether the receptionist understands this is another matter but the doctor will know about it.

Another option would be to ask your own GP to do it even without seeing you. Depending on how well you get on with them they may or may not oblige.

A final option would be a private GP appointment wherever you are. May not be an option outside of the main cities.

In reality I’d suggest that most causes of driver incapacitation would be injuries or something else requiring hospital, but I’m sure there are plenty of exceptions.

iwb100

Dr_Crypto wrote: »

You can register as a temporary patient. Whether the receptionist understands this is another matter but the doctor will know about it.

Another option would be to ask your own GP to do it even without seeing you. Depending on how well you get on with them they may or may not oblige.

A final option would be a private GP appointment wherever you are. May not be an option outside of the main cities.

In reality I’d suggest that most causes of driver incapacitation would be injuries or something else requiring hospital, but I’m sure there are plenty of exceptions.

The most common would be someone with epilepsy who suffers from a seizure - meaning they are by law unable to drive for a period of 6 or 12 months depending on circumstances.

This happened to a colleague who had epilepsy but was medicated and had been seizure free for a long time. They delivered some documents by car for work to the office down South. They stayed overnight. In the morning they went for breakfast and next thing they knew the hotel manager was asking if they were ok. Had a seizure - first for 6 years. Boom - couldn't drive back. Had to arrange for their wife to travel down and drive him back.

AdrianC

The key clause in the Ts & Cs would be that there not be anybody with you who could drive the vehicle.

A friend recently badly injured his leg while on holiday several hundred miles away. They were in their large LHD camper van. His wife has a licence to enable her to drive it, but had never driven it before and didn't want to drive it. The recovery company would not cover them - because it wasn't needed, bar a personal choice.

Fortunately, the campsite were happy to store the van until he could arrange a friend to travel there and drive it back.