Bletchleyite
Veteran Member
This is rife. The number of bicycles capable of 70mph round here is quite impressive.
(Easy to detect too!)
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Use of private cars for home deliveries
- Thread starter Camberman
- Start date
This is rife. The number of bicycles capable of 70mph round here is quite impressive.
(Easy to detect too!)
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R
RailUK Forums
What concerns me most is the drivers using their cars and working delivering / couriering and who do not have the correct insurance. In the event of a collision this fact would probably come out and their insurers would decline their claim. The consequence of this would be to leave the third party in the collision having nobody to claim against, resulting in increased premiums through no fault of their own.
Trainman40083
Established Member
Exactly. Only other recourse might be to make a private prosecution on the other driver. Now ask yourself how many people are doing it.
I'd be surprised if they can get business insurance as a learner.
Trainman40083
Established Member
Makes me wonder how long you can ride and be a learner. Maybe you can for years, and never take a test.
Egg Centric
Established Member
Indefinitely although not sure why you'd want to. You're restricted to some pretty low power machinery before you get a bike licence and certainly when I did it it wasn't a hard test (aiui you now have to do two tests but I doubt the content has changed).
The "big" food delivery companies absolutely check for you having insurance and there are insurance companies that will insure you for food delivery hourly pay as you go so there's no real reason not to get it other than to save a few pennies (i.e. you don't have to fork out hundreds/thousands for a part time job).
https://www.zego.com/blog/how-does-pay-as-you-go-delivery-insurance-work/ explains it well
Two years for a bike, Indefinitely for cars
Egg Centric
Established Member
You just need to renew cbt (basically impossible to fail) on a bike after 2 years, you can still carry on indefinitely
That seems crazy - why would you ever want to get a full motorbike/moped licence if you can simply renew your CBT every 2 years? Does this mean there are potentially numerous people riding around who have never passed a full test?
Trainman40083
Established Member
Yes, but then there are also many car drivers driving around without a UK licence or banned too.
Agreed. It seems to me that this country has plenty of laws and regulations - what is wrong is that are not sufficiently enforced.
Trainman40083
Established Member
And when they are, and people get caught, they say it is their fault. But it is.
No you claim against the last insurer the guilty driver had. If not then the ABI pay up. They then claim the money back from the uninsured driver.
Lewisham2221
Established Member
The endless CBT & provisional licence combo only applies to lower powered vehicles, if you want to ride something more powerful than a moped you need to do the actual test.
JohnMcL7
Member
- Joined
- 18 Apr 2018
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- 950
As above you're limited to 125cc and 14.6bhp I think it is with the CBT so it's only very low powered vehicles. At least the riders on these mopeds can be riding legally unlike the increasingly common illegal motor powered bikes which are completely illegal.
Cloud Strife
Established Member
- Joined
- 25 Feb 2014
- Messages
- 2,340
I believe that insurance companies can't refuse to pay a third party claim: section 151 of the Road Traffic Act. If there's a policy, then they have to pay out under it and then chase the policyholder if something isn't kosher.
More restrictive than in my young days when you could just keep renewing the provisional licence and ride a 250cc bike at 16.
johncrossley
Established Member
Some car insurance firms (including big ones that advertise on TV) don't even insure delivery drivers, even if you don't use the car for deliveries. For example, if you use a pedal bike for deliveries, or a van provided by retailer.
GusB
Established Member
Is this really true? Do please provide a list of these insurance firms, as well as providing links to and relevant quotes from their websites.
johncrossley
Established Member
I was told by LV and Aviva that the occupation is totally banned when I called them up, even if I use a pedal bike, but the websites just mention using the insured car
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edwin_m
Veteran Member
This is perhaps understandable, noting the mention upthread that the insurer would have to honour third party claims even if the policyholder was violating the terms. There has to be a suspicion that many delivery drivers will use the vehicle regardless, driving may not be exactly up to good standards either, and low wages in the industry mean if the insurer has to pay out under this obligation then they'll have little hope of recovering the money from the driver.
johncrossley
Established Member
Realistically, to stay legal you can only do this job if you don't own a car at the same time. Having to get special car insurance would be too expensive and too much hassle.
birchesgreen
Established Member
I don't think i've ever seen one without the L plate...
Trainman40083
Established Member
Do you have to have a provisional license to ride a moped with L plates? See, where we end up
philthetube
Established Member
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- 5 Jan 2016
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- 3,994
Trainman40083
Established Member
I guess they would also be over 100.....and affected by halogen led headlightsIf they were doing so before 1st April 1934 then they would not need a licence
How would your insurance company know that you were using the car for commercial purposes though? For example, if I had a boot full of Amazon parcels that I was delivering and I crashed into someone, my insurance company aren't going to know that are they?
I was told by LV and Aviva that the occupation is totally banned when I called them up, even if I use a pedal bike, but the websites just mention using the insured car
I’m not sure this is right - clearly you can’t use the insured car for commercial purposes under the policy terms, but how and why would a car insurance company “ban” you from doing parcel delivery on a bike? It’s nothing to do with them as they only insure risks in relation to the insured vehicle.
Similarly if you own and insure a private car that doesn’t prevent you having access to another vehicle you use for commercial purposes.
They investigate higher value claims, and I’m sure they have ways and means of sussing out suspicious usage. If you aren’t honest with them you’re also likely to be committing fraud, so not something to be taken lightly. I’m sure people are more likely to get away with it in the case of a minor collision, though.
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- Joined
- 21 Jan 2010
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- 5,116
If the Police are called to/happen across the crash, you’d be prosecuted for no insurance (as the purpose of your journey would be outwith your policy).
The other party could also make comment along the lines of “they’re an Amazon driver…” whilst discussing with their insurers, etc.
So many ways to be tripped up. Ultimately it’s on you to make sure you’re fully covered.
johncrossley
Established Member
They told me that they don't insure people with that occupation, so it doesn't matter what mode of transport you use. Similarly, they don't insure sportspeople or TV presenters (for example).