Jenny Vs the Astronomical Insurance Monster
The Jenuine Article:
Jenny McGovern writes about the elation of getting her first car and being brought right back down to earth any an astronomical insurance quotation!
Well, I did it - I finally flipping well did it!
After years of bending my ear and breaking my will I went and bought a car. I am the proud new owner of a dinky little Nissan Micra, I’m a key carrying member of the car club. I’m ready to go, finally ready to get out on the open roads, no more driving rings around the Kilmore car park. There’s one slight little, teeny, tiny snag in my driving plans though… insurance will cost me more than an all expenses paid trip to Las Vegas.
You see, I don’t want to drive, I never have, I feel like I have to for everybody else’s sake and for people to stop pitying me for my lack of motor skills. The whole process scares the bejesus out of me and so although I’ve been legally allowed to drive for the past ten years, I waived that right.
People have always told me, you need to learn young, you need to have your own car, you need to just do it, and I just brushed them off. I’ve tried three times to pick it up and failed each and every time. I panicked and packed it in and to make a very long and boring story short - I’ve no named driving experience. I’m guessing writing ‘ten lessons, crippled with fear, sweating buckets and heart racing’ is not what insurers want to hear as ‘experience’.
When my brother and sister (younger of course and braver than I) were learning to drive mum was the main driver and they were named under her policy. They got lessons and were able to practice on the house car in between - there was no drama and no stress. I thought that the same could apply to me but alas insurers don’t or won’t offer that deal anymore.
So I’m snookered, either fork out thousands (yes THOUSANDS... plural) for insurance or spend my days polishing my expensive new outdoor ornament while I shell out for lessons in the hope that I’ll pass the test fairly lively and earn some sort of discount. I’ve been searching for a ‘better deal’ on insurance for a week now and my head is wrecked, the numbers keep rising and my patience is wearing thin.
I knew having a car would be expensive but holy moly I haven’t even got the damn thing on the road yet and I’m already slipping into debt. All this for something I’m still not 100% sure will work out for me… argh it’s extremely frustrating and I’m not sure what my next step will be, for now I’ll continue to stare in disbelief at the rising numbers on the screen.
Although if anyone has any advice or spare cash lying around I’ll gladly take it.
Tune in next week for more adventures in astronomical insurance.