Car insurance for a deaf driver

Retired_I.F.A.

My son is about to take diving lessons and though it's some way off before he has his own car i'm just wondering if he will face a premium loading because he's deaf.

Spose the degree of deafness comes into it so.. He has a cochlear implant, with it his hearing is pretty good, say on a laymans scale from 1-10 a 9 but without it he could not hear a jumbo jet if he was sitting on top of the engine.

raskazz

Shouldn't matter at all. Most insurers will not load premiums as long as the DVLA have agreed to the issue of a licence with no restrictions.

Under the Disability Discrimination Act, insurers can only load premiums for medical conditions if they have reliable statistical data to confirm that the condition increases the proposed risk.

Retired_I.F.A.

Shouldn't matter but it does apparently. I asked, then looked at a message board for the deaf and found a thread about car hire companies refusing to rent cars to deaf drivers as the insurance would not cover them.
Funny thing is in the same thread someone said 'elephant' give a 15% discount to the deaf.

[Deleted User]

Hi retired I.F.A -

I've just spoken to a motor underwriter who has confirmed much the same as raskazz said, that under the Disability Discrimination act we would not be allowed to load a premium based on your son's deafness (this from an NU point of view) assuming he has been allowed to drive by the DVLA and/or doctor.

I was also thinking, that if insurance was a problem then the instructor might have mentioned it and/or refused to teach him.

I hope this all helps
Please wish your son good luck with the lessons (I'm going to start taking them this year!)

Becca

Retired_I.F.A.

Thanks Becca. I now doubt it'll be the problem I thought it might.

It seems although the risk is greater the extent of it is so small it's pretty much insignificant.

fgaughan

Retired_I.F.A. wrote: »

Thanks Becca. I now doubt it'll be the problem I thought it might.

It seems although the risk is greater the extent of it is so small it's pretty much insignificant.

Why would you need ears to drive?
What makes you think this could happen when 62% of uk population have a disabilities (ie contact lenses or glasses).

which is safer a short sighted person or a deaf one?

raskazz

fgaughan wrote: »

Why would you need ears to drive?

For large goods vehicles or passenger-carrying vehicles, the DVLA say for profound deafness:

"Of paramount importance is the proven
ability to be able to communicate in the
event of an emergency by speech or by
using a device e.g. a MINICOM. If
unable so to do the licence is likely to be
refused or revoked".

fgaughan

raskazz wrote: »

For large goods vehicles or passenger-carrying vehicles, the DVLA say for profound deafness:

"Of paramount importance is the proven
ability to be able to communicate in the
event of an emergency by speech or by
using a device e.g. a MINICOM. If
unable so to do the licence is likely to be
refused or revoked".

Well that's fine in my opinion :-) but you still don't need ears :-P

mattymoo

Out of interest, if you were turning out of a driveway or minor road with blind bends either side (within say 10-50 metres) and no vision at all, how many of you would wind down your windows and listen for approaching traffic ?

I do this a lot on some of the country roads round here but as far as I can tell, I seem to be the only one doing it.

fgaughan

mattymoo wrote: »

Out of interest, if you were turning out of a driveway or minor road with blind bends either side (within say 10-50 metres) and no vision at all, how many of you would wind down your windows and listen for approaching traffic ?

I do this a lot on some of the country roads round here but as far as I can tell, I seem to be the only one doing it.

its the risk we have to take ...also why do you see many houses and town have mirror hige up on fences/walls or post so you can see traffic.

Paul_Varjak

I agree with raskazz. I am disabled and whenever I have told insurers about my disability they just ask: "Have you notified the DVLA of your condition?" When I answer "YES" they then ask: "Did the DVLA apply any conditions to your licence". I answer "NO".

In every case, the insurance companies are prepared to give me insurance on that basis (and without any 'loading'). The same was not true when I got a car in 1980 (long before the Disability Discrimination Act).

So, as long as your sone has notified the DVLA and they have no imposed any conditions on the vehicle type on which he is looking for insurance, there should be no problem.

If your son should develop any other conditions then he should inform the DVLA again.