Driving and insurance

[Radiatorvalves]

Dad (84) is still driving and last time I drove with him I thought he was doing ok. Drives locally and carefully, avoiding junctions he doesn’t like. Has a good record and think protected no claims bonus.

But he’s just called me and said while parking his car outside his flat he accidentally pressed the accelerator not the break and has damaged the car to the tune of £1k. I’m awaiting full estimate. The car is drivable but apparently it’s more than cosmetic.

I would assume that if he claims on the insurance there may be a number of consequences. Clearly his premiums will increase, but could they also insist on a retest or even refuse to insure again?

Any thoughts? I think this is a one off (while he was parking quickly) but it’s a bit worrying. I honestly thought he was ok to keep driving but just thinking things through, this might be a sign it’s time to stop. Or it might be something that anyone could have done. But the first question is about the insurer. I know they don’t insure new customers over 80, so it may be that notifying the insurer of the incident puts a stop to driving anyway….

thanks in advance.

I believe that you need to report to the insurer regardless of if you claim or it would invalidate the insurance. It does sound like this is a sign that he should stop driving now. I know that’s difficult to broach.

Thanks @Pleasenomoreglitter . That’s an interesting perspective. I had thought you only needed to report if claiming (obvs) or if someone else was involved. About 2 years ago someone badly scraped my car door and we were quoted £££ to get it fixed. So did nothing. It’s still scraped. Should I have reported that? Forty, straying from original point.

Had similar with my dad. He had 4 incidents in a year, ranging from scraping the side of his car on a pillar in a car park to hitting the car in front while in traffic. Took me 6 months to convince him to give up driving as I was worried that the next incident would result in someone getting injured or worse.
When we worked out the cost of the car, insurance, road tax, maintenance & repairs etc we realised getting a taxi when he needed it was much more cost effective.

@Radiatorvalvesi could be wrong and it’s only if others involved. Best to read the policy documents to check.

When it comes to renewal you’re asked if you’ve had ‘any accidents, claims or convictions’ so he’d have to declare it at that point.

I would take this as a sign that he needs to stop driving. You don't want to wait till he has more, potentially much more serious accidents resulting in harm to others or himself.

What does he think?

It’s a sign he needs to stop driving. He was lucky only the car was damaged. There are numerous news reports of elderly drivers who have killed or seriously injured people by mixing up the accelerator and brake. It’s only a matter of time.

We’ve got some conversations ahead. To be fair to him this is the first time he’s scraped the car or had any issues (of which I’m aware). I know he’d give up driving if we told him he was unsafe. The challenge is whether one minor prank after years of safe driving means he’s unsafe. Interesting that everyone who’s responded is thinking the same way.

Well.
Luckily, this time it wasn't at a pedestrian crossing.
It's a sign he needs to stop driving.

Unless it’s a temporary condition like a sore foot or badly fitting shoes that could be replaced, id take it as a sign he should stop driving. Nobody should be hitting the gas instead of the brake. That could have been a pedestrian crossing. They don’t want to give up their independence though so you may have to find a solution for that.

Also ‘losses’ which is this kind of thing- an out of pocket repair.

Fil had several small bumps / scrapes in a row. He did tell his insurers and his premium went up a lot. They didn’t insist on a retest though AFAIK. He has now stopped driving - my SIL took the car to her house where it somehow suffered a puncture.., in the meantime Dr ‘advised’ him to stop driving. No clarity though on whether the dr was giving advice or an instruction though, that was a real pita.

How much is he paying out in insurance premiums at his age anyway? An older relative of that age was paying well over a thousand a year and rarely drove. Then he drove through the garage doors (no, not when they were open). Car went after that...

I think it’s about 600. Don’t know the exact amount but it seemed reasonable last time he told me. Suspect next time (if he’s still driving) that may change.

A neighbour of mine had an 'absence' where he pressed the accelerator and took out 4 garden fences and a greenhouse before coming to a stop. It was the first time, apparently, but was told he should stop driving.

He didn't, ignored pleas of his GP and family, had several more incidents, and unfortunately died at the wheel after hitting a wall at speed.

Now's the time for tough, painful conversations and insisting on stopping driving op.

Time for a talk about giving up. You shouldn't be mistaking the accelerator for the brake. That's how people get killed.