Driving Insurance

Driving Insurance

One of the very first things from getting your drivers license, once you have a vehicle, is you must sort out is drivers or motor insurance. As soon as you’re driving on the public road, you must have drivers insurance. Motor insurance is the only insurance policy the law says you must have.

Policies can cover you and your car, as well as other road users, against damage and accident, but the very minimum you must have is a policy that covers other people for personal injuries caused by your negligence – third-party cover. That policy also covers injuries to passengers.

Talk to an insurance broker about all the different sorts of policies and the best type for you. You can find details of brokers in your local phone book or try the British Insurance Brokers Association (0870-950-1790 or www.biba.org.uk). The Association of British Insurers (020-7600-3333 or www.abi.org.uk) can give you useful information.

Once you’ve got a policy, your premiums will go up if you have to make a claim because your car is damaged or stolen or you injure someone or yourself. Your premiums will come down the more driving experience you have, and you will normally collect bonuses for the years in which you don’t make any claims – to the point where you may be paying half or even less of what you would have been paying if you had made claims.

Even if you’re unintentionally driving without insurance – your insurance company has gone bust, for example – you’re committing an offence. Make sure when you hire a car that you have all the insurance you need. Your own policy may cover you for driving a hired car, but if not, you’ll have to pay for insurance through the car hire company. Read the small print of the hire agreement before you sign.