Driving Someone Else's Vehicle

At some time or another during our lives those of us who drive will be required to drive someone else’s vehicle should it be recreationally, work-related or in the instance of 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

This is the most important aspect of driving another person’s car; are you insured to do so? Many insurance policies – in particular fully comprehensive policies – allow you to drive another vehicle 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.

It is unfortunate that many people forget to take this most common of scenarios into account and as a result insurance companies will refuse to pay for damage to the car being driven or any other vehicle 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 coverage – either your own or the person who owns the car – and being able to display ‘L’ plates throughout your time in said 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 involve the person who owns the vehicle ‘adding’ you to their insurance policy either on a semi-permanent basis (until you have passed your test at least) or for a set time for example a week or two.

Automatic or Manual

Another aspect of 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 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 as libel for any damage caused to it or other vehicles whilst it is in your care.