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Full UK License V 3 Year Restricted Clarification

T

Tra77

Newbie
Messages
4
Type of diabetes
Type 1
If I have a 3 Year Restricted License does this mean I do not hold a Full UK License?

Reason for my question I have never had any problems with my car insurance (in last 9 years) - admittedly I've always been a named driver only on my partners policy. When previously searching for car insurance the question has been asked 'what type of license do you hold', giving 4 possible answers: Full UK Car License, Provisional UK, Other International, Full ECC. Then as a further question comes 'do you have any medical conditions that have been reported to DVLA', again with the various choices - 1,2 or 3 year restricted license. Now I've searched/applied for my insurance in this manner answering both questions as holding a Full UK Car license - DVLA aware 3 Year restriced, both online and also confirming this over the telephone. However when my documents arrived they had my medical condition down as Insulin dependant diabetic, DVLA aware, but no information shown under the 'restriced license' section. I phoned them and further advised them (for the 3rd time) after which I was told my monthly premium would increase from £35.00 to £110.00! According to them I had made a mistake and completed the application incorrectly as I do not hold a Full UK license.
To cut a long story short I cancelled this insurance and spoke with another provider who tell me despite the restricted license conditions I do hold a Full UK license. After repeatedly expressing my concerns about this they said they would put a note on their system advising of my condition and the restricted license. However, when my policy documents came through there's nothing detailing this information I have provided, license type just reads 'Full UK'. Should the note be in black & white on my policy documents also?
Any advise/comments much appreciated.
 
Hey Tra77!

I think you are pretty much covered. My insurance reads 'Full UK, 3 yr restricted. Insulin dependant diabetic'. They were brilliant when I went onto insulin and told them - said that doesn't affect my premium, but when I renewed they missed the '3 yr restricted' off. I phoned them and explained and they apologised and sent revised documents - again they said that doesn't affect my premium. It is actually illegal for them to put your premium up as a result of being insullin-dependant - it is disability discrimination. Don't ever buy from an insurance company that does this! If it's any help, my insurance is Sheila's Wheels - they only insure women, but they are part of Esure, so I expect Esure has the same policies.

How about naming and shaming the company that tried to put your premiums up - we'll all boycott them :lol:

Smidge
 
Tra77,
I also have a 3year restricted license, this does not take anything away from it being a 'full UK license' and anyone suggesting that it does is simply incorrect. You passed your driving test under the same conditions as anyone else who holds a Full UK license, the fact that you are blessed with Diabetes is irrelevant.
The 3year restriction is not a restriction on your ability to drive a car, it merely is reviewed on a 3 yearly basis to ensure that your condition has not deteriorated, resulting in you physically not being able to, safely and competently, drive a vehicle. Be aware that the insulin dependency also means that you are not allowed to drive any vehicle with more than 7 seats, no lorry's either. Probably will not affect you but worth remembering, in case you ever want to hire a minibus or something like that.
When requesting quotes on line or on the phone, make sure you give the insurance company all of the relevant information, sometimes they may ask for a copy of your DVLA letter to be faxed to them but this should in no way increase your premium.
It is good to shop around for insurance and this can save lots of money, if you feel like blowing the whistle on this particular company it may help other people unwittingly falling into this potential pitfall.
Good luck,
Shugga
 
:lol:
I wasn't sure whether or not I was allowed to post names, anyhow it was actually HALIFAX.

Whilst I'm naming names I might add the new insurance company is elephant.co.uk who have been extremely helpful - they even allowed me a no claims discount (even though I had only been a named driver on my partners policy), as our previous insurance had been with Admiral - who I understand are part of the same group of companies.

I'll look at Sheila's Wheels for my renewal Smidge - thanks for that!

To be honest I didn't really shop around after the Halifax thing - I was in a bit of a panic I must admit and found this site via google, where someone had mentioned using elephant. I was happy with the quoted premium (in comparison to the increase Halifax were trying to impose!), but I'll definitely bear in mind the disability discrimination thing - again I was totally unaware of this until now!
 

Thank you Shugga - That's exactly what I wanted to hear! The thing I was most annoyed about is that I told HALIFAX twice about the restricted license, then the 3rd time I spoke to them they told me I was mistaken because I don't hold a full UK license - really??? :? I was even told I didn't speak to an English woman (which I definitely did - I even had her name) but a foreign male named Gupreet!. . . Happy if I never have anything to do with this company again! (on a positive note I did manage to get the £20.00 cancellation fee waived - quite rightly so too in my opinion)
 
Tra77 said:
The thing I was most annoyed about is that I told HALIFAX twice about the restricted license, then the 3rd time I spoke to them they told me I was mistaken because I don't hold a full UK license
Click to expand...

OK this may be down to misinterpretation, you do have a FULL UK license and I don't think it is 'restricted' when it comes to driving a car with 7 seats or less.

The rules can be found on www.dft.gov.uk/ and are;

Changes to the standards for driving Group 1 vehicles (cars and motorcycles)
The following changes introduced by the European Union have applied since September 2010.
Must not have had more than one episode of severe hypoglycaemia within the preceding 12 months
Must not have impaired awareness of hypoglycaemia which has been defined by the Diabetes Panel for Group 1 vehicles as "an inability to detect the onset of hypoglycaemia because of a total absence of warning symptoms"

I drive a car and ride a large motorcycle and my licence is not affected in anyway despite me being insulin dependent. As I say the only 'restriction' is when it comes to driving LGV and PSV vehicles and any vehicle with more than 7 seats.
As long as you have not had a Hypo in the last 12 months and can tell when you are running low and have potential to go Hypo then your good to go.

I suspect the person you spoke to at Halifax just didn't understand what the rules are and the word 'restricted' just confused the issue.

Shugga
 
Shugga wrote:
As long as you have not had a Hypo in the last 12 months and can tell when you are running low and have potential to go Hypo then your good to go.
Click to expand...

I think the important thing in what you quoted from the DVLA site is the severe in severe hypoglycaemia. There's been quite a lot of discussion about this part of the rules in the diabetes community but I think the definition of severe is where you've needed assistance to treat the hypoglycaemia. When one is a type 1 hypos are often one of those things that you can't eliminate completely. However, my understanding is that you're ok to drive provided that you've been able to treat them yourself and that you don't have impaired hypo awareness.

To the original poster, I agree with everyone here who has said that you do have a full driving license that is just subject to a three year renewal/review. For the price of the policy to go up just because you're diabetic would be discrimination because of a disability which is against the law. This doesn't, of course, mean that the insurance company wouldn't find another reason to raise the premium so shopping around can be beneficial. Diabetes UK used to have a very good insurance scheme, but it then changed providers and it went downhill for some. From personal experience, it's evident that the insurer/broker will have an audience that they are able to give a very competitive quote to. Other audiences may not get such good prices from the same insurer/broker.

Steve
 
Hi Tra77

OK until very recently I worked in the retention department of one of the UK's largest insures (over a million customers). Yep its me people speak to, to renew there car insurance. When training I took great interest in the rules regarding diabetes as I'm T2 (MODY) taking 320mg Gliclazide, 2500mg Metformin and 8units AM 26units PM Lantus Solo Star.

I was told regarding “treating customers fairly” which is one of five goals set out by the FSA if “DVLA regards the licence holder to be fit to drive and they have not been told not to drive by a medical professional it is, no concern of ours.

However we did note pad the details (its a note that is attached to each policy holders details) Insurance company’s do like all the details so do tell them. I would say the best answer to the question, “Do you have any illnesses or diseases notifiable to the DVLA? I am a type ….... diabetic & have no restrictions placed on my licence. So long as that is the truth.

If you loose your licence on medical grounds they should cancel your policy free of charge as they need to know your licence has been revoked as it reduces the possibility of them having to pay out, if a claim is made after the licence has been revoked and also the reason for cancelling is beyond your control.

At the company I worked for it was not entered (illnesses or diseases) on to the quoting system so it was not coincided in the Under Writers calculation.

You do see Ad's for “Quotes for Diabetic Drivers” even on this site. This will be a panel of Under Writers who use specific information on Diabetics when calculating premiums. But major factors such as age, postcode and occupation will still be a major consideration.

Stu
 
Hi all.
add marks and spencers to your list i did a on line insurance quote in april for my ka put everything restricted licence insulin depentant.
came up with a great quote
£148.00 i then phoned them up to get things started for some reason there had not got the medical part down that changed everthing different quote £244 i nearly fell off my seat i have only joined this forum tonight do you think it is to late for me to ring them and tell them that i think as soon as i confirmed my condition things changed and my quote flew up.


Alison.
 
You can now drive LGVs provided your medical condition is adeqately controlled. European Court ruled that the UKs ban on insulin controlled diabetics driving LGVs was discriminatory and the law changed last year. I have applied to have my entitlement returned and DVLA have had my license, application amd all medical details for over 6 months amd I am still waiting. Myself and my GP have had to jump through hoops over my reapplication.
 
Can't beat a bit of discrimination :lol:
 
Hi there does anyone know what a diabetic medical consists of as my license is up in April and dvla wrote to me and my doctor asking me and him to do this ? Many thanks kevin
 
A colleague of mine passed his driving test a year after being diagnosed as type 2. He was issued a full UK drivers licence with no restrictions
 
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