Temporary Car Insurance for your newly qualified teenage driver

So your teen has passed their driving test! Yippee! they can take you home from parties, ferry you to the pub, share the driving on holiday ... oh wait... you do know that you need to sort out the car insurance right?

On the very moment they pass their test, they are no longer insured to drive the family car they've been cheerfully practicing in! Yes a quick call to the insurance provider is needed.

In our case Raffy had been driving my Fiat Panda, not a well known sports car or hot hatch, and it had raised my insurance to have her on the policy from £200 a year, to £400.
So it was with some surprise to find that upon passing her test the insurance now rose to £4000.

After some clutching at my chest and deep breathing, I went to a few comparison sites to look around, I did finally find insurance at as little (as little! *bitter laugh*) as £1500 a year, but as Raffy tends to only use the car for about an hour a week to drive to and from college, this seemed excessive. So it looked like her driving days were numbered.

That's when I remembered a product I'd heard of that enabled people to drive your car with a temporary insurance, literally an hour at a time if necessary. It was sold to me at the time as festival driving insurance "giving a mate a lift? why not share the driving to and from the festival" but I realised this might be useful for newly qualified teenage drivers too.

I took a look at Cuvva as it was the first one I had heard of, but it turned out they wouldn't insure drivers under 19. As Raffy isn't 19 for a good while yet I had a hunt about. And I found Veygo. Underwritten by Admiral Insurance it enables you to insure a car for anything from an hour to...well a month or so if you like (perfect when your student comes home for summer from University and wants to borrow dad's wheels) . And as it's done via an app you can even do it on the go. They insure learners too!

I used it for the first time this Monday, and it seems pretty simple to use. You take pictures of the car (if you forget to do that and then need to claim, your excess will be higher) and then fill in the info on the app and it's all good, the policy documents are emailed to you immediately (Mr TM and I joked that Veygo should sponsor Police Interceptors as one of the major crimes seems to be young lads driving uninsured, for only £17 or so they could escape a fine or worse!)

I insured Raffy for 24 hours as she wanted to car late in the evening, Veygo stipulate that for insurance after 10pm and before 5am it must be 24 hrs minimum, but even then it was only £26. For day time only on a Saturday the cost was more like £17. All in all a cheaper option than £1000, as she doesn't have her own car, and is now using mine only occasionally.

So there you go, my top tip. Try out temporary car insurance to ensure your new driver doesn't forget how to drive! Veygo even say you can earn a years no claims discount if you use the app for driving more than 30 days in a year!

Teaching a teen to drive with minimal screaming

As the lovely DD has turned 17 her thoughts naturally turned to...nope not marriage, driving.

The first thing I discovered was that adding a new driver (even just a learner) to your insurance makes the price go up. I'm not talking a tiny bit either, my insurance company told me that they don't want to insure young drivers so my quote went from £300 a year to over £800 a year. Obviously I high tailed it to Compare the Meerkat to get another opinion! I am now with a different company, insured for £300 ish again. What a weird world. (oh and I get a free meerkat toy, so win win)

I have a Fiat Panda so it's a nice small car to practice in, has a great driving position with excellent visibility, and DD isn't scared of it, of course my fear factor when she takes the driving seat is on another level all together.


What I can't offer DD is a driving lesson. I'm not a qualified driving instructor and I passed my test (first time, *proud face*) way back when I was young (25 years ago) so I have no idea how much of what I was taught is still in the test, and of course there is a theory test now that I didn't have to worry about.
But I can offer DD some basic pointers and time to practice. And so after a few tense minutes talking about clutch control and braking we went out for a drive.

As the 'reponsible' driver in charge of a learner (I know!) I had to behave exactly as I would when driving. So no tweeting, no having a glass of cava to steady my nerves, in the eyes of the law, *I* am in charge of the car.

But so that you could enjoy the mayhem fun, we set my phone up on the satnav holder, out of the way, and set it to record before we set off. Note my calm and relaxed posture, the lack of screaming, the smiling...I think I did pretty well.

Of course we have invested in 'proper' lessons too. And after a hunt around for someone that
   a) had availability (many teachers are booked up months in advance) 
   b) we could afford (prices ranged from £15 - £30 an hour and some could only be purchased as a bulk booking of ten or more)
   c) DD got on with OK (a 'trial' lesson should be possible with most instructors as teaching styles should ideally be matched to the pupil's learning style)
we settled on a teacher. He is taking DD out once a week in a dual controlled car so that his blood pressure hopefully won't rival mine after an hour in the car with her.

Have you taught a teen to drive? Will you be allowing your child to drive your car? Share your horror stories below.

How to use your phone while driving.

You are stuck in traffic, nothing has moved for ten minutes, you are sure it's probably an accident and you think you might as well ring your wife to tell her you'll be late.

You are at traffic lights, they have just turned red, you only missed the green by seconds and now you have to wait for 4 sets of changes before you can move again, you glance at your phone on the passenger seat and see you have a snapchat notification.

You are cruising at 70 on the M4 on the way to a conference, running a bit late you decide to text the organiser, after all, you have some automated 'I'm running late' texts programmed into the phone.

It's late and dark and you can't find your mate's house on a large housing estate, all the roads look the same, you give him a ring and clutching the phone twixt ear and shoulder you ask him to talk you through the route.

It doesn't matter why you think it's OK to use your phone while you are driving, it's not OK, it's dangerous and it's illegal. I've been in some of those situations, I've been tempted. And in the days before using your phone and driving was a specific offence I have used hands-free to get directions from a friend.

So I understand the temptation I really do. I know you think 'I'm not even moving, I could use it quickly!' I know you are thinking, 'glancing at a text message is no worse that tuning the radio, that message might be important'. I get it. But it's not OK, it's not OK because it's dangerous, and because it's dangerous, and because we are tempted, it's also illegal. Even being illegal hasn't been enough to stop some people playing Pokemon Go in traffic in the town centre (but Officer, there was a Pikachu!) so the penalties increased in March 2017

If you are caught using your mobile phone while in charge of a vehicle (which includes at traffic lights and in a traffic jam) you are liable to 6 penalty points on your licence and a fine of £200.  If the case goes to court there is a risk you will lose your licence entirely and be fined £1000.

Copyright: bignai / 123RF Stock Photo

So my top tip is simple, when you get into your car, if you have no passengers to answer your phone, or tweet, or catch Pokemon for you, switch off your phone, and put it in the boot. Job done. If you 'need' to use your phone for music via the bluetooth, switch off the data, and set calls to voicemail or silent, put the phone face down out of reach.

Don't be tempted. Be safe. Be legal.

Driving long distances should always include breaks for safety. So just make them mobile phone check breaks too.

Are you a safe driver?

Do we all drive safely?

I was send a cardboard VR headset which accommodates a phone, (I have android, it works fine, also works on Apple)  to test out the new Driving Academy game from Goodyear Tyres.

The idea of the Driving Academy game is to demonstrate to teens and children how easy it is to be distracted while driving and how a distraction can cause a mistake and just how quickly it can all go wrong.


The game can be played without the VR headset - so even if you don't have one, pop over to GoodYear with your phone or tablet and try your luck. The VR headset gives you the thrill of 3d of course.

So far I admit I'm not the best driver when playing the game, the phone ringing makes me swerve off of the road! But that's a reason I switch off my phone when I'm really driving - or have it in my bag on silent, so I can get messages when I stop.

Is the game like real driving? No. But it's a good way to introduce driving skills to kids. And the VR headsets (which can be bought in various places, or made if you are crafty!) add some realism.

Thanks to Goodyear for sending me the headset to try out the game.

The Driving Academy App 

In 2016, and as part of the Driving Academy programme, Goodyear launched their first VR (virtual reality) app to connect with young drivers and make them aware of the dangers of driver distraction.

The  app, which uses Google Cardboard, aims to educate young people of the dangers of driver distractions through an immersive experience which puts them in the driving seat, and is used as part of the annual Young Driver Challenge competition run by Young Driver as well as promoted by the DIA through their extensive network of learner drivers.

Developed in conjunction with the Driving Instructors Association (DIA), the game tasks the player to drive through various scenarios whilst navigating internal distractions, such as text messages appearing, or passengers talking, and external distractions, such as pedestrians crossing the road. The free app is available for public use on  (available in Google Cardboard and non-VR formats) and is also used at Young Driver centres across the country as part of our Goodyear Driving Academy programme.

To find out more visit the Goodyear website here.

The one with lots of driving

After San Francisco we had the long drive down interstate 5 ....oh poet and didn't know it...anyway, we had the long drive down interstate 5 to the next bit of fun which was Six Flags Magic Mountain, a roller coaster theme park that DD had wanted to visit on our last trip five years ago but we hadn't had time.

The drive was long, straight and easy. I had imagined it would be boring too but as the farming is so different and the views so lovely it wasn't boring at all. We stopped at a viewpoint to admire the vista and take pictures, including pictures of us by the car. I am going to miss my car when I go home!

On the journey we saw tumble weed, huge dairy herds (really huge, thousands and thousands of cows) sheep, vineyards, nut trees (almonds, pecans, walnuts) and mountains.

The drive was uneventful, though later we read about a horrendous accident that happened further north on the I5.

We checked in at our hotel, DD went for a swim and I watched this athletic activity from the hot tub.

I might* have locked us out of the hotel room at one point and had to request another room key, much to DDs embarrassment. 

*did

One misty, moisty morning

Woke early again today, darn time zones, even DD was awake by 6am, so we were up, showered, packed and ready to go before 8am.

Nowhere for breakfast so we set off coffee-less along the highway to see the elephant seals. There was some mist over the sea, it was early, we were almost alone with the seals, just a litter picking guy in the car park ...

We watched their amazing wobbling wallows up the beach, their grunts and bellows, their play fighting (they were mostly juveniles) and the occasional swim. DD said it was the best bit of the trip so far, we hung around for a while just watching, videoing and being amused by the seals. We then carried on driving, looking for a cafe

We were not disappointed as we discovered a lovely coffee shop, gas station and mini mart at Ragged Point, the coffee shop guy was really friendly, we had apple pie (and DAMN it was fine pie) for breakfast. Then we used the restroom and bought some snacks and on we went.

The highway along the coast is gorgeous, nice to drive, almost empty. Our views were sometimes obscured by the mist rolling in, but even that was beautiful. Sadly some of the larger bridges were totally in mist.

We saw buzzards and loads of turkey vultures too, dd was nervous they would eat us!

We took the top down on the car again, despite the mist making it cool, and despite, my *ahem* sun kissed arm, we drove for over an hour with the top down and heater on! Haha

Long story short....we made it to San Francisco.

California Driving Tunes

I'll be meeting up with Mimi, a friend I've known online (and met once in person) for years. I have hired a convertible car and DD and I are planning Thelma and Louise style adventure (with less death hopefully) and so I need some songs to drive to.

I'm planning on popping a few onto my generic mp3 playing thingy (probably my phone actually) and also doing a CD or 4. I plan to take the unabridged Audio Book (on CD) of To Kill a Mocking Bird too, we have a lot of driving to do.

So I'm asking you for some help, some input, some reader participation. So far the tracks I have lined up are



and some Beach Boys of course, California Girls....obviously

San Francisco (Be Sure to Wear Flowers in Your Hair) - of course.

But what other must have driving tunes do two English girls in an open top car cruising the West Coast need?

Suggestions in the comments please!