Comfort Insurance Warns Motorhome Drivers to Beware of Their Licence Restrictions

DAGENHAM, England, December 5, 2013 /PRNewswire/ --

Comfort Insurance, providers of a specialist motorhome policy underwritten by Aviva has issued a warning to all motorhome drivers on the consequences of driving a motorhome or campervan with the wrong driving licence.  

Unfortunately a number of people do not realise the restrictions of the law and don't check which licence they have, if caught, their insurance becomes void. Ben Cue, Head of Operations at Comfort Insurance is warning against the danger of driving without the appropriate licence.  

Ben says, "At Comfort Insurance we have seen cases of people who have broken the law without realising by driving a motorhome with the wrong licence."

Not many people realise that if they passed their driving test before 1st January 1997 and are under the age of 70, they will automatically have category C1 entitlement on their licence and be able to drive a heavier motorhome than if they passed after that date. Having a C1 category on their licence enables them to drive vehicles up to 7,500kg which usually covers all but the largest American RV vehicles.

However if they passed their driving test after 1st January 1997 their licence only covers category B & B1 which means that you they can only drive a vehicle that weighs up to 3,500kg or can tow a trailer up to 750kg behind it. Because of this, most new motorhomes are now built up to 3,500kg. If they want to drive a larger motorhome then they would need to pass a further driving test to add a C1 category to their licence.

Failure to comply with this can have major consequences.  If you do not have the entitlement to drive on your driver's licence it is a criminal offence and therefore invalidates your insurance.

Furthermore, Ben explains that when you reach 70 years old you'll need to renew your driving licence. He says, "To avoid losing your C1 entitlement you will need to ask your GP to fill in a D4 medical report form, as the standard renewal procedure will not include the C1 category."

Ben also comments, "Time and time again we speak to people who have no idea about the requirements.  This can have dire consequences and causes enormous expense when people's vehicles are not insured.  We really would urge people to investigate thoroughly before buying or driving a motorhome to ensure they are legally entitled to drive it".

Comfort Insurance is an award winning motorhome insurance provider who has been experts in the industry for over 20 years. They are proud to be the market leaders and motorhome insurance specialists.

Contact:
Charlotte Davies
Marketing Manager
Charlotte.davies@comfort-insurance.co.uk
http://www.comfort-insurance.co.uk
+44(0)20-8984-0777