# Named drivers on insurance policies



## Don_Madge (May 1, 2005)

Following a similar topic on another forum I did some research into named drivers on the insurance policies.

The bottom line is; is your wife/partner capable of driving your motorhome back to the UK if you the main driver is incapacitated while you are in Spain or some far flung part of Europe. 

My RAC breakdown/recovery clearly states.

We will pay for: 
The cost of a replacement driver to drive your vehicle and the parties to your destination or home if a registered doctor declares you medically unfit to drive and you are the only qualified driver. 
We will not pay the cost of a replacement driver if there is another qualified driver in the party who is fit to drive.

I spoke to Peter Cue of Comfort Insurance and we discussed the problem at great length and they would be very sympathetic in a case of bereavement. If you just had a broken arm or something along those lines it could be a different matter. 

The problem is one does not contact Comfort in an emergency but the RAC and who's to say what their reaction would be. I've come to the conclusion that unless the named driver is capable of bringing the vehicle back to the UK take them off the policy. This is just my opinion of course.

It would be very interesting to have other members views and see the wording on their breakdown/recovery policies.

Safe travelling

Don


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## JohnsCrossMotorHomes (Jul 21, 2007)

Only problem with that is they would not be able to drive the MH under any circumstances anywhere if they were removed from the policy.

Just a thought.

Regards


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## asprn (Feb 10, 2006)

Don Madge said:


> I've come to the conclusion that unless the named driver is capable of bringing the vehicle back to the UK take them off the policy


Don,

This is a very good topic, and I can see the issue. My wife is named as a driver, but she couldn't drive our RV if our lives depended on it (which I suppose they might)! So why do I have her name on the policy? Good question, especially if it prejudices recovery.

:?

Dougie.


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## tonyt (May 25, 2005)

Nice one Don.

My Lifesure policy states:

"...In the event of you being declared medically unfit to drive the insured vehicle... and there is no other insured person qualified and competent to drive, we will pay all the costs to return the insured vehicle...."

I guess in this case you could argue that while your partner may well be legally qualified they may at the same time not be competent to drive said vehicle - I would say that the partner alone has the right to claim such incompetence?

Interesting subject.


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## StAubyns (Jun 4, 2006)

my wife is a qualified driver and has held her license for 42ish years but for the last 5 years has only driven an automatic and would not be capable of driving the motorhome.

Hence she is not on the insurance as a driver.

BUT she is a qualified driver, so would the RAC expect that they could contact the insurance company, Comfort, in our case and expect them to put her on the insurance?

regards

Geoff


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## tonyt (May 25, 2005)

Geoff

I'm pretty sure the RAC would not be able to "force" your wife (or any other qualified driver travelling with you) onto the insurance policy.


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## whistlinggypsy (May 1, 2005)

I contacted Safeguard Ins. about the same thing, my wife is a driver of 40yrs with a clean licence but has never ever driven anywhere else but the UK and so when i asked there opinion about recovery/repatriation to the UK from distant shores their immediate response was, if you have a legal driver on the policy then they will have to drive it.

So i explained the driving expertise of my wife driving for the first time in her life and to her the wrong side of the road, with different laws and with strange road signs would they indemnify her from all risks, NO certainly not, but we will remove her ins. status from driving anywhere in mainland Europe, and would instigate repatriation on that basis. (I have that in writing as well as on my policy file)

Bob


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## sallytrafic (Jan 17, 2006)

Perhaps we should form a pressure group for the change of this restrictive clause.

My wife is well capable of driving our motorhome, she is a very valued codriver indeed she does often drive with me and she also uses our motorhome (our only vehicle) on her own, but she has a bad back and if she drives for more than about 2 hours in a day she won't be able to drive at all the next day. 

She also needs to close her eyes when encountering bends on anything more than a 1 in 4  and doesn't like driving in tunnels over 1km in length.

So the same applies to us, and I wouldn't like to think of her being 'forced' to drive all the way home. I'm sure a risk assessment would show the insurance companies the error of their ways.


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## whistlinggypsy (May 1, 2005)

Frank, that was my argument with Safeguard, the fact that they were willing to increase the ins.risk so high that it would be in their interest to amend the policy to suit the actual risks involved, "so they did what they did" and it suits both parties perfectly. 

Bob


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## 97587 (Feb 6, 2006)

*ins*

I took this up with the CC last week when I renewed my Red Pennant ins.

I stated that my wife is on the insurance (also through CC) for short emergency trips only.

Thier response was that they would not expect my wife to drive all the way back frome a European country, and acknowledge that a lot of co drivers are on the ins just for emergency use.

I just hope that should I ever need there help they stick to what they have said.

Pete


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## tonyt (May 25, 2005)

*Re: ins*



PeteS said:


> I took this up with the CC last week when I renewed my Red Pennant ins.
> 
> I stated that my wife is on the insurance (also through CC) for short emergency trips only.
> 
> ...


I don't think I'd be prepared to rely on hope.

If your wife is only ever likely to drive in an emergency I'd be inclined to take her off the policy. If you hit a real emergency and need her covered I'm sure a quick phone call would do the trick.


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## Rapide561 (Oct 1, 2005)

*Insurance*

Hi

I have a named driver on my policy purely as the lad in question in a good friend and there might be an occasion when we trip off together etc. Also, Safeguard allow one extra driver without charge.

For my car, I have the same friend as a named driver as this actually lowered the premium.

90% of the time I travel alone so the AA or who ever who have to do the honours.

Russell


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## Biznoz (Nov 6, 2005)

Hi

I've just checked mine out with Safeguard & they said that the European breakdown cover that comes with the policy is simply that so they would organize the repatriation of my self, wife and van if needed but not if it was a medical problem with me this would have to come from a medical insurance policy.

My wife would not drive the MH so I have taken her off and put my sons name down instead.

Phil


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