Had an accident in driving instructors car - he said I have to pay for it

[Yupbabs]

A question for uk learner drivers

I had a driving lesson today and I had an accident, I took the wing mirror off when passing a parked car. Instructor said he’ll try to lower the price as much as possible but he’ll be in touch with how much I need to pay. Is this right? Do I need to pay? My previous driving instructor said if there was an accident then his insurance covers the damage

I feel like he’s trying to con me. This was the first lesson I ever had with the guy, I had about 50 lessons with my other instructor and he made sure I didn’t have any accidents by using the dual control. This guy today just tilted the steering wheel away from the parked car and it still hit it.

I’ve been driving for 50 years and so far very few incidents. Not so long ago I hit a car and damaged my mirror. I was driving down a narrow double parked urban road at about 5 mph. Accidents happen when you manoeuvre a big piece of metal. It’s partly why insurance is mandatory The idea that 50 lessons is indicative of driver to give up is ridiculous. It’s not a competitive sport!

@Yupbabs

Don't let the sanctimonious fuckers get you down. Take a while and get back behind the wheel.

As an aside, it might be good to visit a few car dealers (pretend you're looking to buy ) and sit in a few cars. You really need to be able to see the front corners of your car without straining as it's one more thing to cause stress, finding a model you're settled in that driving schools use will make things easier.

One good tip when in a queue is to stop when the front edge of your bonnet lookalike it's in line with the bottom of the rear tyre of the car in front. Generally means you have room to swing around if they have an issue. You wouldn't be able to gauge that.

Don't give up. Maybe try some lessons in an automatic and see if you get on ok. You can always try manuals again later once you feel more comfortable.

Good luck.

Ignore this poster OP. I have realised that the taller a car is the better view you have. People are scared of taller cars but they are easier to see outside. Even at your height, you wouldn't need to adjust the seat up AT ALL!

If your instructor turned the steering wheel & the car then hit another that is on them not you as they assumed control of the vehicle with that touch!
He could have, & should have, put the breaks on, as he had enough time to do so, & avoid the incident altogether!
He is insured for stuff like this but in all honesty I’d say his interfering with your driving instead of instructing you to slow or break before connecting with the other car make the incident his fault & says to me he wasn’t paying attention to the road ahead!
Was he on his phone in the run up to the incident or writing?

I don’t know if it helps OP, but my short arse step mum uses a booster cushion when she drives 🤣 she’s 4’11”!

OP I’m the same height as you and I couldn’t see properly to do the manoeuvres. My driving instructor was actually shorter than me and she said the same as one or two people on this thread - “I don’t believe you because I can see to do it, so you must be able to see as well”. I changed instructors to someone who believed me when I said I couldn’t see. From then on I sat on a cushion - just an ordinary scatter cushion like everyone has on their sofa. And once I could see properly, I passed. I had about 50 lessons and I passed on my 4th attempt. I did get there though and I’ve been driving for nearly 30 years now (with a licence - not a provisional for 30 years! 😄).

My ex-H was a DI and his insurance terms were the same as they are for your own car, namely, the person sitting behind the steering wheel pays the excess, according to any specific terms around age or type of licence.

Paying for the wing mirror is cheaper than claiming on the car insurance, as otherwise the insurance will go up. He is probably claiming on the car insurance, and still trying to get you to pay for it!

I would ask for the terms and conditions of the car lessons and if it says you have to pay, then pay. Otherwise don't!

He's probably not going through insurance. He's probably paying for it himself and was trying to pull a(nother) fast one.

To all of those who are telling the OP to stop driving as she’s hit a wing mirror after 50hrs of driving. 50hrs of driving is nothing. To put it in to perspective, 48hrs is the equivalent of driving for 2 days/nights. The OP is still a learner!

As an ADI I just want to say that the more hours of practice you have, the safer driver you will be. The DVSA recommend this if you look at their Ready to Pass campaign. They recommend 100+ hours to be a safer driver.

So to all of you “experienced” drivers who have been driving for years with 1000s of hours of driving under your belt, I guess none of you have EVER had any sort of collision. No one has scraped another car, hit a post they hadn’t seen, knocked a wing mirror, pulled out and been beeped at as you didn’t judge the speed of the oncoming car properly. You definitely have because it’s you idiots that pull out in front of my pupils ALL THE TIME! You look, wait, look again, see the L box on top of the car and then pull out because you think all learners go slowly when in fact they are driving to the speed limit and they have to brake because you are not driving safely. Most of you would never pass a driving test.

OP, find a new instructor, keep going with your driving. Doesn’t matter how many hours you have, as long as you are safe. One day your safe driving might save your life as you avoid one of these idiot, judgemental posters (not all of you I hasten to add, just the know it all ones)

The OP may not be the best driver in the world but her quips back to some of the nasty posts are top class. 😅

@Yupbabs I am super short too and have driven loads and loads of different sized cars and lorries and towed a trailer but there are cars that just don't fit me as well and it does make it harder to drive. For example I have super short thighs and German cars seem to have seats too long for them which makes it difficult to sit up straight and operate the pedals.

Funnily enough I find smaller/lower cars much harder to see the edges of than a big 4x4 or pickup truck. Cars where you sit up higher, sit up and beg types my MIL calls them, are actually easier than small cars for getting a good view.

I think I'm a competent and confident driver, I'm happy to drive anything, but even with that confidence I know some cars just don't suit my size. Finding out what works best for you is a revelation.

Also all cars are headed to be electric soon enough and they are all automatic so there's no massive need to learn manual any more. Also the EVs have loads of batteries which means you often sit up higher - double win!

Erm... you're talking about life experience?? The OP is 20.

My son had an accident when he was on his driving test. His driving instructor sorted it all out. The driving instructor claimed on his insurance.

What happens in these circumstances? Do they give a re-test?

My son obviously failed his driving test. The driving examiner claimed for whiplash which the instructor said was rubbish. The claim was settled out of court.

@Yupbabs Have you looked at finding a driving instructor with experience teaching autistic learners? I wonder if you find someone with that experience they'd be able to tailor your lessons better to work at the skills you find much harder, like spacial awareness/road positioning.

I've never heard of that. That's what their insurance is for. I feel like he's trying to pull your pants down.

I just quickly read through the thread. Completely baffles me the way people are bashing you! You're 20, might not be very confident (having 50 lessons is a lot but backs up that you might not be very confident and regardless of that it has zero relevance here) with no real driving experience and you are under instruction, course you're going to do what he tells you to do!

I don't like the sound of this instructor at all. He should be covered by insurance - I mean what if you wrote his car off, you're probably not in a financially situation just to pop down the garage and by him a new car! The fact that he didn't tell you the right thing to do, which is to stop. It's all abit dodgy. What about contacting another driving instructor for advise? Or find a driving instructor page or forum to ask the question? But as I say I'm 99% sure they should be covered by their insurance.

Contact the DVSA even? That's Driving instructors regulatory body.

May I ask, how have you deciphered that? I was told to drive on by my instructor, who is meant to be a professional driver, I was in shock and like most people would , I listened to him.

I wasn’t given a reference number. I didn’t even know that was a thing. They just took my details, my name and address and DOB. and the name of the instructor and who he works for.

im 20, I don’t have any life experience so I am not sure what I’m meant to do in certain situations so it’s understandable I’d listen to somebody in their 30s and beyond since they should know what they’re talking about. We all trust and listen to people in authority, I don’t understand why I’m being singled out here as not being responsible enough.

My DD did exactly this and there was no talk of her paying for it.

Such an ugly thing to have happened. Like everybody says. Don't pay and change instructor.

I am an ADI and have had 2 mirrors broken on lessons.
I would never dream of charging my pupil for the damage.
I didn't put it through the insurance as the excess on the policy is more than the cost of a new mirror.
It's my job to keep my pupils safe and look after my car. I always feel that I'm to blame if I allow such things to occur.

In my opinion, the instructor should sort it out.
The AVERAGE number of hours to pass a test is currently 67, which means that many people take a great deal longer.

Oh come on! If you’re driving instructor has told you to drive wrong way a one way street, would you have just obeyed without any independent thought.

There is no magic age for when you ‘know’ everything. You are probably more expert in the digital world than most over 80s. Part of growing up means taking responsibility for yourself without waiting to be told. You decided to take driving lessons, and have had a poor instructor. But regardless of his shortcomings you were still responsible for the vehicle and the safety of your passenger and other road users around you. Showing you understand that is one of the things that driving examiners look for.