Revoked licence - insurance?

[mattpiano]

Afternoon all!

I would appreciate some advice or shared experiences.

I'm a Type 1 Diabetic and, following a traumatic brain injury (prompted by a bad hypo) and surgery, the DVLA are revoking my driving licence for a period of time. Although I'm frustrated by this as I have made a full recovery, the DVLA are working within their very blunt rules so I understand the situation.

My problem (apart from the daily commute to work which is now much more problematic) is that I know I now have to inform my insurance company that I do not hold a valid licence until the time period has passed and I can re-apply to the DVLA. I'm the policy holder and the only driver on the policy as my wife does not drive. I'm wondering whether the insurance company is likely to be able to continue to insure the car for me but only as a static object until I get my licence back, or will they simply say they can no longer insure it?

The matter is made more complicated as the car is on a PCP finance deal and there is a stipulation from the finance company that it should be fully comprehensively insured.

Any experience or advice to share?

 

[mrman]

I would, in that instance leave it insured in your name, keeping your no claims up to date as long as you know your getting your licence back. I would want the car insured should something happen to it wherever it was parked.

 

[mattpiano]

Hi brett. Thanks for your reply. What you say is exactly what I think too, but I can't re-apply for my licence until early November (8 weeks before the anniversary of my injury) and I think I have to inform the insurer as a matter of law. I guess what I'm asking is has anybody else been in this situation before and, if so, how helpful have the insurance company been?

I can currently see two alternative outcomes:

1. Insurer agrees to cover the car (but not being driven), so I just keep it.
2. Insurer says they are not able to cover the car due to my licence revocation. I speak to the finance company and investigate whether they can recommend insurance for this circumstance, or whether they can take the car back.

What I definitely can't have is a situation where I retain the car but can't cover it. It is only 27 months old so still has some value, and it is legally owned by the finance company.

 

[Flowerpot]

Hi @mattpiano,

I was in a similar situation with my car I needed for work. I had my licence revoked by the DVLA due to sight loss from retinopathy. My work gave me 12 months to regain my licence or have to retire from my job so I needed to keep my car insured in the hope I could regain my licence. My insurers agreed to insure my car for 12 months knowing that I didn't have a licence and nobody else would drive it as I was the only named policy holder. In the end it was a costly experience as I couldn't regain my licence.

I hope you can sort something with your insurers and get your licence back as soon as possible.

 

[mattpiano]

Thank you @Flowerpot . I'm sorry to hear you didn't regain your licence. Your HbA1c in your signature looks good so I hope things are going well for you otherwise.

I hope my insurance company are as helpful as yours was. Thanks again!

 

[Ambersilva]

My hubby collects cars. Most of them have SORN Statutory Off Road Notification status. The cars still have to be insured. He insures these cars with laid up insurance until he needs to take them on the road or on a trailer. If it were me I would not tell DVLA about your revoked licence only that the car is not going to be driven for a while.

https://www.gov.uk/sorn-statutory-off-road-notification

 

[AndBreathe]

My hubby collects cars. Most of them have SORN Statutory Off Road Notification status. The cars still have to be insured. He insures these cars with laid up insurance until he needs to take them on the road or on a trailer. If it were me I would not tell DVLA about your revoked licence only that the car is not going to be driven for a while.

https://www.gov.uk/sorn-statutory-off-road-notification

@mattpiano - One of the application questions asks (me anyway) to confirm I have a driving license and how long I have held it. I am further obliged to inform my insurers of any material change in my circumstances. A change in response to an application question is a material change, in my view.

I cannot foresee the insurers would cancel cover, as in real terms their risk is reduced. The risk of causing or being involved in an accident is pretty much eliminated, so the remaining risk is then fire and theft. The rules on insuring vehicles changed a while ago, and I don't know the detail, but you could call the DVLA if you want to understand that before talking to your insurers.

At the point of claim, insurers will always check the claim is valid and that you have complied with their terms and conditions. I wouldn't want to risk something catastrophic befalling my car, then to find the insurer finds themselves enough wiggle room to reject the claim. That you still have finance on your car, and presumably couldn't afford to just walk away from it's value (who could?), just redoubles my feeling you need to get on the case.

 

[Ambersilva]

@mattpiano - One of the application questions asks (me anyway) to confirm I have a driving license and how long I have held it. I am further obliged to inform my insurers of any material change in my circumstances. A change in response to an application question is a material change, in my view.

I cannot foresee the insurers would cancel cover, as in real terms their risk is reduced. The risk of causing or being involved in an accident is pretty much eliminated, so the remaining risk is then fire and theft. The rules on insuring vehicles changed a while ago, and I don't know the detail, but you could call the DVLA if you want to understand that before talking to your insurers.

At the point of claim, insurers will always check the claim is valid and that you have complied with their terms and conditions. I wouldn't want to risk something catastrophic befalling my car, then to find the insurer finds themselves enough wiggle room to reject the claim. That you still have finance on your car, and presumably couldn't afford to just walk away from it's value (who could?), just redoubles my feeling you need to get on the case.

My husband does have to send the insurance company photos of each vehicle each year at renewal time. The insurance policy covers Fire and Theft.

 

[mattpiano]

Thank you both for your responses.

@Ambersilva I appreciate your response but I do have to speak to my insurance company.
@AndBreathe, you are quite right in saying that I can't afford to end up in a situation where something happens to my car and I turn out to be uninsured, owing the finance company money, and the licence being revoked is a material change so failure to be straight about it wouldn't be wise. I'm also mindful of the fact that insurance companies generally have ways of finding these things out, and if they did and cancelled the cover for dishonesty reasons it could make getting insurance difficult in the future. Your reasoning about the reduced risk makes sense and your advice to call the DVLA about the insurance rules is a good idea. I'll get on to it tomorrow.

 

[AndBreathe]

Thank you both for your responses.

@Ambersilva I appreciate your response but I do have to speak to my insurance company.
@AndBreathe, you are quite right in saying that I can't afford to end up in a situation where something happens to my car and I turn out to be uninsured, owing the finance company money, and the licence being revoked is a material change so failure to be straight about it wouldn't be wise. I'm also mindful of the fact that insurance companies generally have ways of finding these things out, and if they did and cancelled the cover for dishonesty reasons it could make getting insurance difficult in the future. Your reasoning about the reduced risk makes sense and your advice to call the DVLA about the insurance rules is a good idea. I'll get on to it tomorrow.

Whilst the risk is reduced, I wouldn't hold my breath for a reduced premium. It would just be part of my reasoning if there was any reticence on their part.

Good luck with it, and more importantly, good luck later in the year. I'm sure the time will fly by, once you establish new routines.

 

[Flowerpot]

My premium wasn't reduced by my insurers for the time that my car wasn't going to be driven but I was just relieved to get cover so paid up. Good luck sorting it out.

 

[mattpiano]

Cheers. I'm not expecting a drop in premium, just a way of reducing the disruption of this situation by being able to insure and keep my car ready for when I can get my licence back. Phone calls to be made tomorrow. Will report back as point of reference for anyone in this situation in the future.

 

[mattpiano]

OK, reporting back!

I called the insurance company (Aviva) and talked it through with a very helpful and polite agent who then consulted with the under-writers and his bosses before coming straight back to me with a solution.

Basically, I've had to add my Dad to the policy as the main driver, and keep everything else the same. I'm still the main policy holder but I'm excluded from being insured to drive the car. For now my full NCD moves over to my Dad's name for the purposes of this policy, but once I get my licence back it will be moved back to me. All this will be recorded in the notes and I already have the updated certificate and schedule which match what I was told on the phone.

This all means that I am 100% on the right side of the law, but I can retain my car and insurance history ready for when I can drive again. As a bonus, it means that when Dad is here, he can take my car for a little run to keep it in working order. Aviva have been absolutely excellent, totally sympathetic to the situation, and as flexible as they can be with the full facts in front of them.

One thing that did come out is that many people phone the insurer, inform them that they have been advised not to drive by their GP but have not informed the DVLA or surrendered their licence. For future reference for others, although there is too much vagueness between medics and DVLA, with medics usually reverting to the 'its up to the DVLA' line and the DVLA almost leaving it up to the medics, the law is actually quite simple. If your doctor or GP advises you to stop driving, you are required to surrender your licence to the DVLA and re-apply when you GP/consultant agrees it is safe. If you don't do this and continue driving anyway, you are effectively driving without a valid licence or insurance.

If you suffer from a notifiable condition or medical event, you are legally bound to inform the DVLA. To inform the DVLA in these circumstances you have to fill in the appropriate form for that condition/event and give them permission to consult your GP and/or consultants so that they can make a licensing decision. For insulin-treated Diabetes it is form DIAB1 (which I filled in when I applied for my very first licence years ago). For a brain injury/surgery it is form B1 (which I've had to fill in this time). For epilepsy or any type of fitting episodes it is form FEP1. There are others.

I hope this is useful to someone in future.

 

[AndBreathe]

OK, reporting back!

I called the insurance company (Aviva) and talked it through with a very helpful and polite agent who then consulted with the under-writers and his bosses before coming straight back to me with a solution.

Basically, I've had to add my Dad to the policy as the main driver, and keep everything else the same. I'm still the main policy holder but I'm excluded from being insured to drive the car. For now my full NCD moves over to my Dad's name for the purposes of this policy, but once I get my licence back it will be moved back to me. All this will be recorded in the notes and I already have the updated certificate and schedule which match what I was told on the phone.

This all means that I am 100% on the right side of the law, but I can retain my car and insurance history ready for when I can drive again. As a bonus, it means that when Dad is here, he can take my car for a little run to keep it in working order. Aviva have been absolutely excellent, totally sympathetic to the situation, and as flexible as they can be with the full facts in front of them.

One thing that did come out is that many people phone the insurer, inform them that they have been advised not to drive by their GP but have not informed the DVLA or surrendered their licence. For future reference for others, although there is too much vagueness between medics and DVLA, with medics usually reverting to the 'its up to the DVLA' line and the DVLA almost leaving it up to the medics, the law is actually quite simple. If your doctor or GP advises you to stop driving, you are required to surrender your licence to the DVLA and re-apply when you GP/consultant agrees it is safe. If you don't do this and continue driving anyway, you are effectively driving without a valid licence or insurance.

If you suffer from a notifiable condition or medical event, you are legally bound to inform the DVLA. To inform the DVLA in these circumstances you have to fill in the appropriate form for that condition/event and give them permission to consult your GP and/or consultants so that they can make a licensing decision. For insulin-treated Diabetes it is form DIAB1 (which I filled in when I applied for my very first licence years ago). For a brain injury/surgery it is form B1 (which I've had to fill in this time). For epilepsy or any type of fitting episodes it is form FEP1. There are others.

I hope this is useful to someone in future.

I'm pleased you got all the information and outcome you wanted. It's usually best to be pretty straightforward with insurers, after all, that's how we like them to treat us.

On an aside, I hadn't thought of adding another driver when you posed your query, but the aside really is, you may want to consider leaving your Dad on the policy as a named driver at renewal. When I first started adding MrAB to my insurance years ago, I found my premiums actually reduced; even though he is always there as an occasional driver. He's 10 years older than I, and for some reason this is considered favorably. And, as you say, there are knock on potential benefits too.

Excellent.

 

[chadders]

Afternoon all!

I would appreciate some advice or shared experiences.

I'm a Type 1 Diabetic and, following a traumatic brain injury (prompted by a bad hypo) and surgery, the DVLA are revoking my driving licence for a period of time. Although I'm frustrated by this as I have made a full recovery, the DVLA are working within their very blunt rules so I understand the situation.

My problem (apart from the daily commute to work which is now much more problematic) is that I know I now have to inform my insurance company that I do not hold a valid licence until the time period has passed and I can re-apply to the DVLA. I'm the policy holder and the only driver on the policy as my wife does not drive. I'm wondering whether the insurance company is likely to be able to continue to insure the car for me but only as a static object until I get my licence back, or will they simply say they can no longer insure it?

The matter is made more complicated as the car is on a PCP finance deal and there is a stipulation from the finance company that it should be fully comprehensively insured.

Any experience or advice to share?

 

[chadders]

Hi

When my licence was withdrawn I spoke with both my finance company and insurers explaining the reason why. The finance company were very understanding, they came and took the car away and cancelled the remainder of the agreement. I kept the insurance running on the car until it was taken away. Then I contacted my insurance company LV, who, again were very understanding and cancelled the remaining time of my policy complete with refund for the time cancelled. They advised me if I was to get my licence back then they would give me a quote based on my circumstances at the time of cancellation ie using the schedule issued at the start of the policy.

Obviously in this case it was good to talk.

Best of luck.