Car insurance for the elderly?

[Buckman]

Just musing. As you get older and especially into your late eighties apparently car insurance can increase quite substantially however cars now have so many safety features perhaps insurance should be lower? I wonder how far it would reduced if the person had a car that is self drive or close to it? Just to add that I have a long way to go before I get into my late eighties.

 

[otherclive]

Just musing. As you get older and especially into your late eighties apparently car insurance can increase quite substantially however cars now have so many safety features perhaps insurance should be lower? I wonder how far it would reduced if the person had a car that is self drive or close to it? Just to add that I have a long way to go before I get into my late eighties.

My father paid nearly £1000pa for a Corsa 1.2. He drove everyday until he was hospitalised in June 2018, and then went into residential car care fir a year. It was his lifeline for shopping and social engagements, and lunch out most days. He was 95 years when he had to cease driving.

 

[Sam Vimes]

I think its still early days in regards of driver assist technology and the Insurance Risk Analysists may not have enough data yet to be able to build up a picture if this is a good or bad thing.

Having additional technology in the front of your car may mean that even the slightest 'fender bender' becomes an expensive repair item. Cameras, Lidar, Radar etc may all need replacing. Might this push up premiums.

I also wonder if adding this technology makes those behind the wheel less attentive and that driving skills will deteriorate over time as more dependency occurs. While the driver is supposed to still be in control there may well be additional delays in taking control in a situation where the technology fails to recognise a potential problem. Is it going to miss that cyclist - yes, no, maybe, yes, no too late?

The other debate going on is liability. If an incident occurs that the technology fails to cope with, is the driver resonsible or the company that wrote the rules for the automation?

 

[Jaydug]

.As you get older and especially into your late eighties apparently car insurance can increase quite substantially.

Yes! It does increase as you age - but it pays to shop around. It also helps if you can prove that you are still a capable driver. I'm now 92 and I have two cars. One is a big 2ltr diesel estate car to pull my caravan and the other is a tiny Citroen C1. I've been a member of IAM Roadsmart for 50 or so years, but last summer I spent an hour being reexamined. See here:

https://getlicensefast.co.uk/assets/pdfs/ExperiencedDriverAssessment.pdf

I ended the session with a Grade A pass, consequently, my car insurance cost me £600 for the diesel and £300 for the C1. Both policies also include legal representation and a decent level of breakdown service.

 

[Raywood]

I think its still early days in regards of driver assist technology and the Insurance Risk Analysists may not have enough data yet to be able to build up a picture if this is a good or bad thing.

Having additional technology in the front of your car may mean that even the slightest 'fender bender' becomes an expensive repair item. Cameras, Lidar, Radar etc may all need replacing. Might this push up premiums.

I also wonder if adding this technology makes those behind the wheel less attentive and that driving skills will deteriorate over time as more dependency occurs. While the driver is supposed to still be in control there may well be additional delays in taking control in a situation where the technology fails to recognise a potential problem. Is it going to miss that cyclist - yes, no, maybe, yes, no too late?

The other debate going on is liability. If an incident occurs that the technology fails to cope with, is the driver resonsible or the company that wrote the rules for the automation?

The position at the moment is that the technology is only there to help you and if one of these individual things fails then if the worst happens you are liable as you still have absolute responsibility for the safety of the car,. With self driving cars on the horizon though there is a move towards making the manufacturer responsible if it fails, but I would think that might put the cost of the cars outside the reach of many as the manufacturer would have to factor in these costs into the price you pay.