Hello all.

I am going to London to visit my son and will be there a month. He wants me to drive his car to take the grandkids around. Is there any kind of special insurance I need to drive in London?

Thanks,
Jennifer

Do you mean IN London? If so - I'd really re-think this. What part of London? How old are the kids? You know that young children travel free on public transport.

What sorts of driving are you talking about. A weekend outside of town - or the school runs and shopping in the city? If you are taking a couple of days out into the countryside - then driving can make sense.

I drive in London - but will always take public transport if it is an option.

You son's car insurance should cover you, but you can get add'l travel insurance if you wish. But really - I can't think of many places <b>IN</b> London where you'd need to drive.

You don't need special insurance, but you do need nerves of steel...

They actually live near Cambridge so we are outside of London. Just errands and possibly sightseeing? Now I am rethinking it

I wouldn't drive in London or any other major European city, for that matter. Public transportation and taxis would be a much better choice.

I can understand why others would try to dissuade you from driving in London, especially if you have never driven on the left side before; but to say one wouldn't drive in any major European city is taking it too far IMO.

How old are the grandkids? Old enough to navigate for you? That would make a difference, I think.

No they aren't - I think we will let them drive.

Thanks everyone, I appreciate all the response.

Jennifer

sheesh - you asked about driving in <u>London</u>. Now we find out you really meant outside Cambridge. That's like asking about driving in Manhattan when one really means Poughkeepsie.

Two different questions altogether . . . . . .

Driving around rural Cambridgeshire won't be difficult at all - though IN Cambridge can be a pain.

To go back to the &quot;insurance&quot; question...

Insurance is mandatory. If your son wants you to drive his car, the simplest way would to sort the insurance out would be for to him to contact his insurance company and have you added as a named driver for a limited period. Driving in the UK without adequate insurance is illegal; so he'd have to make arrangements. (My in-laws do this often, when they exchange houses and cars with people from all over the world, and generally all it takes is a phone call. Sometimes they are asked to provide a photocopy of a drivers licence, but not often).

If your son doesn't own the car - e.g. it's a company-provided lease car - there may be restrictions on additional drivers.

Whether you can cope with the driving is another question. Depends on your ability and adaptability, and what you're used to. Many people do it with no problem - e.g. two elderly (70-ish) sisters who came as house-exchangers from S.Carolina took to it like ducks to water. Outside of central London, if you take it easy, it's not that hard...