Car accidents and learner drivers

Because a learner driver or recently qualified driver does not have much experience on the road, they will always be more prone to accidents. All learner drivers have to be insured before they can drive a vehicle under supervision. It is not surprising that although new drivers only hold 10% of driving licences, statistics show that they account for 29% of accidents on the road, and so consequently their insurance premiums are significantly higher.

Who can supervise a learner driver?

A learner driver is allowed to be supervised by anyone who meets the following requirements.

They must have held a full driving licence for more than 3 years

They must be 21 years old or over

They must be insured to drive the vehicle

The learner driver must be named as such on your policy (if they allow it) or have their own insurance policy

They must clearly display L - plates on the tuition vehicle

They must ensure that the learner vehicle is road legal

Anyone considering supervising a learner driver should remember that they need to be both a confident driver themselves and a responsible one. Many people are unaware that anyone supervising a learner driver has to conform to all the road traffic laws as if they were actually driving the vehicle themselves. For example the supervisor must not be over drink drive limit or be sending text messages whilst they supervising, otherwise they may be breaking the law.

How to drive when behind a learner driver

Most people can probably remember when they were first learning to drive how nerve racking your first driving experiences can be. It's important for anyone travelling behind a new driver to try and remember this and be patient with them. Also bear in mind that being inexperienced they may stall the car or make unpredictable manoeuvres, so give them plenty of space.

Most qualified driving instructors will be teaching their students in cars with dual controls and so they can (in theory) 'take control' of the car if their student makes a mistake. However if a new driver is clearly being supervised by an un-qualified instructor, this will not be the case and so you should be extra cautious as the supervisor will obviously have less control over the vehicle.

Making a claim against a learner driver

If you are going to pursue a claim against a learner driver, bear in mind that you may actually be claiming against the instructor as well. As the instructor is supposed to be technically in control of the training vehicle, they are also responsible for ensuring that the vehicle is driven safely. There have been many instances where the instructor has been prosecuted due to an accident caused by a driver under instruction.

If you have been involved in a car accident that was not your fault we can arrange for your car to be repaired at one of our approved repair centres, and provide you with a quality comparable replacement hire car.

Please give us a call us on 0845 6768898 or start your claim enquiry using our online claim form.