Do you require insurance coverage for a lawnmower or mobility scooter?

Do you have a sit-on lawnmower, or use a mobility scooter to assist you get to and from the shops?

If so, then you might properly be in line for a nasty shock.

Golf buggies, sit-on lawnmowers and mobility scooters can all be utilized without having insurance coverage under current UK laws.

Lawnmowers, for example, only want cover if they are driven in public locations, whilst mobility scooters can be driven on roads without having insurance coverage.

But a selection by a Brussels court signifies that any individual wanting to use these so-referred to as ‘niche’ automobiles may now need to have automobile insurance to do so – all simply because of a European Union (EU) Directive from 1972.

Sounds crazy doesn’t it? But it could nonetheless end up getting the law.

What’s going on?

Under UK law, niche motorised vehicles such as mobility scooters and sit-on lawnmowers do not call for the very same level of insurance coverage as cars and vans.

Now, although, it would seem that the EU desires all autos of this type to have at least third-celebration automobile insurance, in keeping with an EU directive that dates from April 24, 1972.

The directive in query is about “insurance against civil liability in respect of the use of motor vehicles” and states that ‘vehicle’ indicates “any motor car intended for travel on land and propelled by mechanical power, but not running on rails”.

Why is this taking place now?

You may nicely be questioning why a directive that has been in spot for 43 years is all of a sudden being dredged up and brought to bear on British gardeners and golfers.

The reason is a 2014 court case brought by Damijan Vnuk, a farm worker from Slovenia who injured himself falling off a ladder that was hit by a tractor.

Motor insurers refused to cover his claim because the incident took place on private property and involved a vehicle becoming used as an “agricultural machine”.

However, the European Court of Justice ruled in September that Vnuk’s accident must have been covered by compulsory car insurance coverage.

And that implies that any moving car utilised in the EU should now have motor insurance, regardless of no matter whether it is becoming used on public and private land.

This is at odds with current British laws that only need such automobiles to be insured only if they are on a “road or other public place”.

What this means for you if…

You have a mobility scooter

The government strongly advises mobility scooter drivers to take out insurance coverage to cover accident or theft.

Even so, they do not have to be insured by law.

And although the last Government looked set to make insurance coverage for mobility scooters a legal requirement, it is now unclear when this will happen.

Mobility scooter customers without insurance are still legal for the moment as a result.

Taking out cover now could save you from a pricey claim ought to you be involved in an accident, although. You can get third celebration insurance with breakdown cover for about £90 a year.

You have a sit-on lawnmower

Sit-on lawnmowers – and other similar automobiles such as quad bikes – already need insurance if they are to be driven on public roads.

Cover of this type expenses around £100 a year, and might quickly grow to be a legal requirement for all lawnmower owners.

Other choices obtainable in the meantime contain public liability insurance coverage for expert gardeners, and house contents private liability cover for home owners with motorised lawnmowers.

You have a golf buggy

At the moment, only golf buggies utilised on public roads need auto insurance.

Nonetheless, if the EU gets its way, these used solely on golf courses will also want to be covered with third celebration insurance coverage.

The difficulty if that happens is that handful of insurers supply cover for buggies that are taken off the golf course.

Even though you can get insurance coverage that includes private liability insurance for about £25 a year, even specialist policies do not cover you for journeys on public roads.

Image: 

 Quingo Plus Mobility Scooter,E10 by Sludge G is licensed below CC BY-SA 

Do you require insurance coverage for a lawnmower or mobility scooter?