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Original poster

Mini accident in driving instructors car

168 replies

lharris1 · 23/07/2019 14:29

I’m a learner driver and accidentally hit the curb, puncturing one tyre. No other damage to instructors car
However when my driving instructor called their insurance, they were unable to send someone out to change tyre due to their MOT being expired Blush (god I feel terrible my instructor must hate me for getting them in this mess)

I had to take a taxi home, and my instructor has let me know it will cost £50 to replace their tyre. Obviously I know I need to pay but is it just me that thinks £50 seems quite a lot? That being said I have no idea how much this kind of thing would cost, and I’m on a very low income

I feel so ashamed for doing it, part of me wants to change instructors after paying due to the guilt

OP posts:
Apolloanddaphne · 23/07/2019 15:02

My DD did the same. She drove into a pot hole and blew the tyre on the instructors car. The instructor sorted it all through his insurance. We did not have to pay a penny. That is the reason they have insurance. Not your fault his MOT expired.

LoudBatPerson · 23/07/2019 15:03

Do not pay this!

The driving instructor is responsible for making sure they have their insurance in place and not is valid (which means having an up to date MOT for the car).

I cannot believe she is trying to pass these costs into you, the cheek.

Tyres are one of the parts of a learner car that is expected to take a lot of damage. I am surprised she didn't have a spare.

taylorowmu · 23/07/2019 15:03

Nobody claims on their insurance for a tyre. What nonsense.

WaxOnFeckOff · 23/07/2019 15:04

And apart from all the above, why can't an instructor change their own tyre? Not all cars come with a spare as standard anymore but she should have one added, plus, if its dual control then why didn't she stop the accident? This is what you are paying for.

DrinkFeckArseGirls · 23/07/2019 15:04

That’s a tyre on a cheaper side but no, it's not up to you to pay it. Can't believe a driving instructor would let his MoT expire - very irresponsible.

DrinkFeckArseGirls · 23/07/2019 15:05

Plus what’s already been said - no one goes through insurance for a tyre?! Was there any other damage that could be invisible from outside?

munemema · 23/07/2019 15:05

£50 for a new tyre is cheap?

A driving instructor not having an MOT is massive, if she had made that mistake, she'd be mad to tell anyone about it. She's been driving illegally and possibly a dangerous vehicle.

Sometimes recovery and insurance is all part of the same policy so it could be that she contacted the insurers and they told her that her policy had lapsed as she had no MOT.

Whatever, she has much bigger issues than a £50 bill and there's no way you should pay it.

Report her to the driving school for asking, if it's part of a large organisation.

Cloudyapples · 23/07/2019 15:06

I’d go to the driving school directly and let them know she’s not got mot and therefore no insurance - she shouldn’t be teaching!

MsAdventures · 23/07/2019 15:08

Is this an actual proper Driving Instructor who charges you for lessons? They should have a special adapted car that has a second set of pedals so that they can override what their student is doing and, for example, break in an emergency. Therefore the bust tyre is ultimately their responsibility as they are in control of the vehicle - in fact it is very much part of their job to ensure their students don’t have any accidents, however “minor”!
Also they most definitely should have MOT and probably special insurance. This sounds like some kind of cowboy outfit, don’t feel guilty, don’t pay, and report them, they don’t sound fit to be teaching.

If this wasn’t a professional instructor but a friend showing you how to drive I can see the situation would be slightly different. However they are still responsible for their MOT.

DobbinsVeil · 23/07/2019 15:09

No don't pay. I'd honestly expect them to be offering money back on the lesson in a car without a valid MOT.
I've lived in my street for 14 years and managed to kerb a tyre and need a new one as it was sidewall damage. I'd just had all mine looked and 3 replaced the week before!

Passthecherrycoke · 23/07/2019 15:09

Sorry but I also think it’s highly unlikely your instructor doesn’t have a valid MOT, did you misunderstand it?

She wouldn’t phone her insurance company for a new tyre, she obviously knows no MOT= no insurance/ illegal to be on the road and I can’t see why she would be so transparent with you to tell you about illegally running a vehicle.

If it was true she would be in an enormous amount of trouble and if it’s AA driving school or similar it would likely be a lease car where all that’s taken care of by the lease company.

But of course either way you don’t pay. It’s just the way it goes when you’re teaching people to drive

sugarbum · 23/07/2019 15:11

No NO NO! echoing everything everyone else has said.
Driving instruction prices are high, because driving instructors costs are high, because they have to have insurance to cover incidents like the one you just had.
you HAVE to report this person. No MOT on a driving instructors car just beggars belief.

Nesssie · 23/07/2019 15:12

Just FYI about the dual controls, after the first few lessons, I learnt to drive in my families car so had lessons in it, which didn't have dual control.

Original poster
lharris1 · 23/07/2019 15:12

Apologies, I clearly was very wrong about her calling ‘insurance’ 😅 the company was called green something and as others have said it must have been roadside recovery. Sorry for the mistake and confusion. I’m very new to driving, this was my fifth lesson and I haven’t done my theory. Not an excuse for lacking such common sense, I know

I am certain it was regarding MOT though, as I clearly heard the person on the phone say it was expired

I had heard about MOT before but will confess I didn’t realise how serious it was to drive without it

OP posts:
SomeAfternoonDelight · 23/07/2019 15:13

Fuck that OP that’s part and parcel of being a driving instructor. Yeah it’s shit, and it’s not brilliant but it’s their car, your a leaner driver! The amount of times I scuffed an alloy smacked up against a curb etc etc and was never asked to pay and that was an independent Driving instructor.. try and settle it between you - you not paying, and if she starts being a dick contact the driving school.

DobbinsVeil · 23/07/2019 15:14

You can get specific tyre insurance, I have no idea whether recovery companies etc have a must hold valid MOT in their Ts&Cs.

Longdistance · 23/07/2019 15:14

What kind of driving instructor let’s their MOT run out? They sound useless. You shouldn’t pay, if his MOT was up to date he could have claimed. His problem.

I’d change instructor as that’s really poor if true.

DobbinsVeil · 23/07/2019 15:15

Green flag maybe?

taylorowmu · 23/07/2019 15:15

Green Flag - breakdown cover company.

Don't give her anything. Complain to the company she works through. Find someone else.

PrayingandHoping · 23/07/2019 15:16

Green flag is roadside recovery....

No mot would still have meant u were driving an illegal car and had no insurance.

LoudBatPerson · 23/07/2019 15:17

I imagine it was Green Flag, they are a recovery company.

You do need to have a valid MOT for their cover to be valid.

Finfintytint · 23/07/2019 15:17

Don't let this knock your confidence. Find a new instructor.

Passthecherrycoke · 23/07/2019 15:18

All green flag would do is change the tyre to the spare.

You can order a new tyre and pay for it through them but not many people do because a) they don’t hold much stock so the recovery vehicle quite unlikely to have your tyre and b) it tends to be quite expensive for them to do it, and £50 is really cheap for a tyre (I have 2 cars one a 16 year old golf i put budget tyres on -£70, and 1 i put mid range tyres on £90. They would be about 30% more through green flag. Part worn tyres are £20-30 round here)

For that reason most people just get the spare put on and drive to their garage of choice. God only knows why green flag check for an MOT too. They insure the driver, not the car. I’ve had about 5 different cars in my time with them and they’ve never known anything about them until I’ve called for help.

All really odd

LoudBatPerson · 23/07/2019 15:18

Also, you can't take the driving test in a car without an MOT, so she could have risked having her students test nacelles, if she had any on the same day.

Passthecherrycoke · 23/07/2019 15:20

Actually that’s a good point loud bat I guess if the car is not leased maybe the MOt has only expired in the last few days and she’s just forgot, rather than deliberately driving around in a car with no MOT. That is a bit more plausible

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