Age Related Problems

Capt Lightning said:
Hi Mike, have you had any luck getting insurance at a sensible price ? Mrs. L used SAGA for a couple of years when they offered a good rate, but then it shot up. Seems like offering a good initial rate and then increasing it. but they might be worth a try.
She currently pays less than £200, fully comp, protected NCD etc.. with Direct Line. Curiously, my campervan which is more valuable than her car only cost £175 for the same level of cover.
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So far Capt Lightning, I have studied several places that compare
different companies, the best I have found so far, (stopped for the
weekend), is with AXA, but that is still over £400, my friend asked
me why do I want comprehensive insurance, he only does 3rd party,
fire and theft, so I am thinking about that now.

All my far flung friends are gone now and I use the car for supermarket
shopping and visiting the Doctor, nothing serious, but I am in London,
so caution is needed, I will put my decision here when I get something
sensible.

Mike.
 

Mike,

I’m curious how difficult it would be if you choose to give up driving.

For me it would be more of an attitude adjustment after a lifetime of driving.

My reality is that there are many transportation options. Some of them seem expensive but they are probably comparable to the cost of owning and maintaining a vehicle.
 
Mike said:
Here there is supposed to be no Ageism, old age as a barrier
to employment is a no-no.

Why then, can it be applied to insurance, if I needed to drive for
my job they would be in trouble I think, or they should be, as they
would be denying me the possibility of working, we have offices
that protect us from wrongs, in this case it will be, "The Insurance
Ombudsman", they have an Ombudsman for all sorts of grievances,
I might just call them and see what they think, I will still find another
insurer though.

Mike.
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well what if you had to drive yourself to chemo treatments or something? my God!
 

Sounds like some good lawsuit material. And I would bet you might find some eager lawyer willing to work on a contingency basis for this age discrimination.
 
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Aunt Bea said:
Mike,

I’m curious how difficult it would be if you choose to give up driving.

For me it would be more of an attitude adjustment after a lifetime of driving.

My reality is that there are many transportation options. Some of them seem expensive but they are probably comparable to the cost of owning and maintaining a vehicle.
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A great question Aunt Bea, you made me think about it, I could
probably give up driving without too much inconvenience, I do
have a pass for free travel on public transport, bus, tram and train,
with very little restrictions, I would have to make several more trips
for shopping which is more exercise, so it is a plus when looked at
logically.

The downside would be the inconvenience of being tied to public
or any other kind of transport, if I ever go out of London, to visit
family in Cornwall or Scotland, in both places I would need a car,
Cornwall because it is all mainly countryside with few if any buses
and Scotland because everybody lives far apart.

The main reason is I suppose because I have always had a car and
I am used to relying on the convenience of having it available, here
where I live now, some of my neighbours, have come to rely on my
car too.

Until I am unable to drive because of health issues, I would like to
keep driving, as it is even more difficult to hire a car if you are over
75 years old here.

Mike.
 
Michael Z said:
Sounds like some good lawsuit material. And I would bet you might find some eager lawyer willing to work on a contingency basis for this age discrimination.
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Unlike the USA, the UK is not really a litigious nation. We do not see everything as a basis for a law suit.
Although it might me tempting to say that the Equality Act 2010 was breached, there are points to note..
The main one is that it can be legal to restrict a service if there is a justification for doing so... In this case, an insurance company might make a judgement on the risks involved versus the costs of insurance is not good business. This would not be discrimination unless one customer was refused but another of the same age was accepted.

I expect that insurance companies might refuse to insure young inexperienced drivers who want to drive a high performance car.
 
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Mike said:
A great question Aunt Bea, you made me think about it, I could
probably give up driving without too much inconvenience, I do
have a pass for free travel on public transport, bus, tram and train,
with very little restrictions, I would have to make several more trips
for shopping which is more exercise, so it is a plus when looked at
logically.

The downside would be the inconvenience of being tied to public
or any other kind of transport, if I ever go out of London, to visit
family in Cornwall or Scotland, in both places I would need a car,
Cornwall because it is all mainly countryside with few if any buses
and Scotland because everybody lives far apart.

The main reason is I suppose because I have always had a car and
I am used to relying on the convenience of having it available, here
where I live now, some of my neighbours, have come to rely on my
car too.

Until I am unable to drive because of health issues, I would like to
keep driving, as it is even more difficult to hire a car if you are over
75 years old here.

Mike.
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Mike,

We seem to be in similar circumstances.

I need to get busy and start actively exploring my options before I'm forced to make a change.

Even if I have to severely restrict my driving, I would feel more comfortable knowing that my own car is still an available option.

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Mike, I'm not sure who they will cover, but if you're still stuck, try Adrian Flux. They specialise in non-standard requests and do advertise as offering 50+ policies. Quite a few caravanners and people who convert vans, have imported vehicles etc., use them.
 
My insurance company increases my monthly premium every 3 months.
That started when I turned 80 when I was paying about $70. It is now at $92 per month.
However, I like the convenience of having my own car and I would not be able to afford taxis every
where I go so happy to pay up for as long as I need the insurance.

I am still comfortable and aware while driving but I do it only locally and weather permitting.
Highway driving is definitely not for me any more. Only in an extreme emergency.
I also will not take any passengers in my car. A couple of friends who still drive feel the same and there is the
friend who is still driving and should not . I can see the signs in him. His wife is in a panic when they go out.
At this late age who knows what the body will be up to next...
 
This insurance company needs to expand their statistical base for older folks. There is a price for any type of risk with insurance. They might find that they have made a great misjudgement and are losing business that they did not need to lose. Not everyone over 80 is a great hazard on the road just like not everyone under 30 is not.

I still say, even in the UK, investigate legal action. Sometimes, just the mention of legal action can have a great effect.
 
Capt Lightning said:
Mike, I'm not sure who they will cover, but if you're still stuck, try Adrian Flux. They specialise in non-standard requests and do advertise as offering 50+ policies. Quite a few caravanners and people who convert vans, have imported vehicles etc., use them.
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Thanks for your suggestion Capt Lightning, I will have a look, I might
be pleasantly surprised.

I have done a trawl through all the places again, comparison sites etc.,
for "Third Party Fire and Theft", only and I was shocked, it used to be
very cheap, but not in this century, one didn't start till after £700!

To show how uncaring insurance companies are, I received a letter from
General Accident, today, but signed by Aviva Insurance Ltd, they stated
that it is illegal to have a vehicle on the road, according to the Road
Traffic Act 1988 and that they will be informing the "Motor Insurance
Database" that my insurance will lapse shortly!

To rub more salt in the wound, they state, "If you still need car insurance,
you could contact Aviva for a quote, through their website www.etc., etc.,"
these are the people who have refused to insure me through one of their
trading names, I find this disgusting practice, why didn't they write to me
with a quote, instead of telling me that they wouldn't renew in the first place!

Mike.
 
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