Honda Car Insurance

[Kenneve]

This must be a record.
Direct Line - £2767

[Kremmen]

......and you'd be surprised how many advise people to use 2 feet and get cross when others, including me, advise against.

I agree, it's dangerous unless you're in a F1 car and trained.

[Jazzik]

Maybe the following will also work in the UK (for those with a younger wife):
Next week I turn 75. My wife  is nine years younger than me. Our cars have been in her name for about 10 years, with me as co-owner. The insurance also in that way and that's where her age counts...

[Thingy]

When I was searching I tried "Quote Me Happy" with Aviva, put my D.O.B. in and was told they would not insure any one over 70!!

I have been with Quote Me Happy for 2 years. I am 73.

[Kenneve]

I can't understand why.
In a manual car, the left foot operates the clutch.
Auto car - No clutch
Left foot not required - Simples

[Lord Voltermore]

I think many older drivers  restrict themselves to 'roads they know'  and avoid driving after dark.
Of course if you feel unable to tackle unfamiliar  locations  you shouldnt really be driving at all.  Even a familiar road  can have unexpected hazards that weren't there the last time.     

Maybe the fact that   todays   older drivers have often driven most of their lives and venture out more by car has exposed their  age related  shortcomings (on average ) such as loss of concentration and slower reactions.    ,hence higher premiums  .  For my parents  car ownership came later in life and they did few miles . This made them a good risk overall,  but I'm glad my dad stopped driving when he did. 

Also  the ease of driving an automatic, and satnav guiding them through unfamiliar locations  tempts some out further afield and more often.

I suspect that as I progress through my 70's my current annual declared mileage of 12000 ( its actually less but I dont want to be caught short)  will become increasing more expensive to insure.          Maybe there will be  reversal of the previous problem  of young drivers as named drivers on 'grannies' insurance. 

[Jazzik]

I think many older drivers  restrict themselves to 'roads they know'  and avoid driving after dark.
Of course if you feel unable to tackle unfamiliar  locations  you shouldnt really be driving at all.  Even a familiar road  can have unexpected hazards that weren't there the last time.     

Maybe the fact that   todays   older drivers have often driven most of their lives and venture out more by car has exposed their  age related  shortcomings (on average ) such as loss of concentration and slower reactions.    ,hence higher premiums. 

I don't know how these things are regulated in the UK, but this is how it is regulated in the Netherlands:

Medical examination of the elderly
To enable the elderly to safely participate in traffic, a medical examination is mandatory from a certain age when applying for or renewing a driving licence. The following age categories are highlighted:

You are between 65 and 70 years old
If you renew your driver's license, you will receive a driver's license that is valid until your 75th birthday. A medical examination is not necessary. Sometimes you do have to fill in a Health Declaration.

You are 70 years or older
If you renew your driving licence, it is valid for a maximum of 5 years. A medical examination is not necessary. Sometimes you do have to fill in a Health Declaration.
If your driving license expires on or after your 75th birthday, you must be examined by a doctor to renew your driving licence.

You are 75 years or older
Does your driving license expire on or after your 75th birthday and you want to renew it? Then you must have yourself examined by a doctor.

Source https://www.rdw.nl/particulier/voertuigen/auto/het-rijbewijs/rijbewijs-halen/medische-keuring

Here in Poland the rules are even stricter than in my native country: I had to undergo a medical examination when renewing my Polish driving license when I was (still) 69 years old, but in the year I turned 70...
Not just your own Health Declaration, you have to see a doctor (NOT your own family doctor!). You are checked for physical abnormalities and restrictions and for eyesight, hearing and on response time...
I passed!    But... I will be 'invited' for the next examination in October this year...

[Lord Voltermore]

As far as I know the UK  driving licence expires at age 70   . Thereafter you have to renew it every 3 years  and self declare that you are medically fit to drive  and can pass a basic  eyesight test  of reading a car number plate  at a certain distance.     There is a list of medical conditions that you must declare even if your licence is not yet due for renewal.    For some conditions ,such as some operations or procedures in hospital, they might not cancel or physically take away your licence,  but you will be told you MUST not drive for a certain length of time, after which its assumed you are again well enough to drive.       Some medical conditions , you will not get a driving licence  ,and for some you will need a certificate from a Doctor, or if eyesight related from an optician.    I think police can conduct the simple eyesight test at the roadside if they suspect your eyesight is dodgy and  if  relatives  etc are concerned about your fitness to drive they can  alert dvla (the licencing authority) who may require compulsory  medical checks. 

 Basically they trust you to tell the truth. If you make a false  declaration ,or drive when you have been told not to (By the licencing authority or a doctor or optician) your licence is  not valid, even if you still have it in your possession. .   
Stricter regulations apply to bus and lorry drivers. 

[ColinB]

Unfortunately many elderly drivers (although obviously no members of this forum) fail to recognise that, whilst they may be medically fit, their skills have eroded to the point where they are not safe. Poorer cognition, hazard perception, judgement, and slower reactions all contribute to an increasing accident rate for the very elderly which reflects into higher insurance premiums. I recall conversations with my elderly father-in-law which included:
(After he had misjudged parking his car and scraped along another vehicle): "That's just normal driving, everyone does that"
(After driving to the shops along a busy A road): "I was perfectly safe, I stayed below 20mph all the time"
We did eventually persuade him that the time had come to stop, but there were some difficult conversations.

[Jocko]

My step-daughter's intended is a driving instructor and he has agreed to take me out for a thorough assessment of my driving. We just have to arrange a date. I am currently 74 and took an assessment with a local driving school when I was 70. I have my eyes tested every year and always ask the Optometrist if my eyesight is okay to continue driving. I had my last test just before Christmas. I have a bad eye and a better eye and he told me that, with glasses, my bad eye alone is sufficient to pass the driving eye test.
I do however try to avoid driving after dark if possible because I am not particularly comfortable out with the street lights.
I regularly drive in Edinburgh city centre, an area I am only just getting to know, and am happy to do so.
Where I am particularly careful is joining a fast main road from a side road. I know that with age your ability to gauge the speed of approaching traffic diminishes and that so many fatalities of elderly motorists and their passengers occur when they pull out into fast traffic and get T-boned by a car travelling faster than judged. I think being aware of the problems will help me to avoid a similar fate!

[Kremmen]

I agree. I'm just about to start the process of moving from near Heathrow to Reading near the daughter. Once I'm moved and settled I will sell the car as my mileage will be miniscule.

I only use mine for weekend trips to Reading and back so once I'm there, no point paying for ever increasing insurance and maintenance.

I'm nearly on 3,000 miles on my Sep 21 Jazz, peanuts.

At the moment I feel OK driving, very early 70's,  but I do find night driving not as easy as it was so I avoid unfamiliar routes in the dark.

[Lord Voltermore]

To paraphrase my favourite Poem ' the gift of seeing ourselves  as other see us  would save us from many blunders and foolish notions.   Many of us drive well beyond our driving 'sell by date'. Its hard to admit to failings , and losing the use of a car can be a large change in life style.   Although not always that large.

I really think that a periodic  driving assessment, perhaps with an approved driving instructor (experienced ones, specially authorised for the task, and not one of your own choice)  should be compulsory.    Even for  younger drivers  .  I have known people who are useless drivers even in their 30's and 40's. Often they remain  nervous drivers who tend to avoid driving rather than learn to perfect it . They often become steadily worse over the years but continue to drive.    If the instructor has has doubts of their competence they must take their full  driving test again.    Maybe police could order it as an alternative  to prosecution  if they see some dodgy driving behaviour.   
Or if not made compulsory  the availability of voluntary assessment tests should be more widely advertised, and could be encouraged by concerned friends and relatives. '  "Happy birthday grandad. We know you wanted a trip in a hot air balloon  but heres a voucher for  a driving assessment  .  It will be fun. We love you."
 
     Contentious I know.   Insurers might start insisting on an assessment for older drivers  .  But a driving licence is not just a lifestyle convenience.  Its a licence to go out there and put yourself and others at risk of death or life changing injuries.       

[Kenneve]

It seems that this post is rapidly developing into one relating to an old persons ability to continue driving.
Yes, I know everyone is different, but let me run these two scenarios by you.

I will be 86 this month,  I have been driving since 1954, without any accident that was my fault (the last incident was a rear end shunt in 2015, when some woman ran into the back of me on the school run)
My current licence is valid until March 2025 and has been absolutely clean throughout, with no points for any reason.
I wear glasses and have my eyes checked every year, to ensure that they are up to the standards required for driving. I have no illness that requires notification to the DLVA.
I have driven 17000 miles all around the country, since April 21, but have to admit that like others I'm now, not particularly keen on night driving.

Compare that with someone, who is perhaps several years younger, has a driving licence with several points on it, for various reasons. Does not have much of a NCD. Does not wear glasses and as a result does not feel the need to have regular eye tests, nor do they see a Doctor on a regular basis.
Their driving is for various reasons, restricted to maybe 1 or 2000 miles per year, maybe just to the local shops etc.

Who would you go as a passenger with?

In my recent quest for cheaper insurance I note that some companies are asking whether I am a member of any motoring club or forum. I guess the reason for that is to check whether the driver is, really interested in motoring, or whether its just a means of getting from A to B.
I guess this speaks to ones attitude to driving in general.
Of course I'm happy to say I'm a member of GEM Motoring Assist and also the Honda Jazz forum.

So guys, please don't write us oldies off just yet.   Having said all that I guess it will be sods law,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,

[Lord Voltermore]

I'm 'only'  69 and have been riding a motorbike since my 16th birthday and a car since my 17th birthday, and passed the IAM test at about 21.   I have never collided with another car or made an insurance claim  (Once a car ran into the back of me after I had been stopped at a red traffic light for several seconds - company insurance) )    I drive a lot of miles    -driving all day at work for many years.      I still regard myself as a good driver .        But not as good as I once was.  My main compromise so far is we now  take our time on   on long journeys,with more hotel stops  and avoid  early starts that disrupt sleep. 

Maybe  the IAM or some other road safety organisations   could have a 'wrinklies club'  where older but enthusiastically active   drivers  could  demonstrate they still justify   lower insurance premiums with amenable selected companies. 

[ColinB]

It seems that this post is rapidly developing into one relating to an old persons ability to continue driving.

I think the thread has gone that way because of your reports about huge insurance quotes. The blunt fact is that very elderly drivers are regarded as higher risk, probably because of higher accident rates, and that is reflected in the higher premiums. That is of course a generalisation, and there will always be folks - like yourself - who may still be perfectly capable but are being caught by the "old is bad" mantra. The trick would be to find an insurance company who is willing to take account of any non-mandatory assessments and quote a lower premium. Are there any? IAM membership often gives a (small) discount, or maybe a telematics (aka black box) insurer who can actually see a record of your driving?