Driving Someone Else's Vehicle

At some time or another during our lives those of us who drive may need to drive someone else’s vehicle whether for recreation, work-related or in an emergency. If you are planning to drive another individual’s vehicle then there are a few things you should make sure of before you do.

Insurance

Before you even think about driving someone else's car; ask yourself whether you are you insured to do so. Many insurance policies – in particular fully comprehensive policies – allow you to drive another vehicle with the owner's permission and will cover you to do so.

If you do not have a fully comprehensive policy then you must enquire about either changing your policy to include the provision for driving another person’s vehicle or ensure that the other person’s insurance policy has a clause which allows for any driver.

Unfortunately many people forget to take this into account and as a result insurance companies will refuse to pay out if you are involved in a Road Traffic Accident (RTA). It is also a criminal offence to drive a motor vehicle of any description without the correct insurance to do so.

Learner Drivers

If you are a learner driver then you must ensure, before you get behind of another person’s car, that you are legally allowed to do so. By this we mean having the correct insurance cover – either your own or the person who owns the car – and being able to display ‘L’ plates throughout your time in the vehicle. If your insurance does not cover you for driving someone else’s vehicle you must insure that their insurance does and that it also covers learner drivers. This may mean the person who owns the vehicle has to add you to their insurance policy either on a permanent basis or for a set time.

Automatic or Manual

Another thing to consider before driving another person’s car is your level of familiarity with it. Many people will take to driving someone else’s car quickly if they are an accomplished driver but if you are a relatively new driver then it might appear to be a daunting task, especially if the car has more gears than your own or the car you are used to driving. Likewise it may take some getting used to if you are driving a car which has an automatic gear changing system as opposed to the more common gear stick system: if you have the opportunity to do so, familiarise yourself with the vehicle and its clutch and gears before taking it onto the road.

In Case of Emergency

The only advice that can be given regarding the use of another person’s vehicle in the case of an emergency is that you are legally licensed to drive it on your own and that either your insurance or the insurance of the vehicle’s owner covers you whilst driving it. Without this insurance – as we have already mentioned – you are not legally entitled to drive the vehicle and as such are liable for any damage caused to it or other vehicles whilst it is in your care.