When were you insured to drive again?....

[cupcake1981]

Hi ladies

I had my baby boy on the 6th September, so almost 2 1/2 weeks ago. I'm feeling pretty much back to normal now.

Decided to call my insurance company to find out if I have to wait until 4 or 6 weeks post partum before I can drive again, and to my surprise they said that if I feel up to it, I can drive now!

This seems soon to me, was expecting to be told I need to wait til 4/6 weeks.

What have your experiences with your insurance companies been?

X

 

[LDC]

If I'm honest I didn't call and ask, I was told at least 6 weeks and drove on 5 weeks 6 days only because I had to. I wouldn't have driven earlier despite feeling pretty ok, any twists and turns etc especially with a seatbelt can just make recovery so much harder xx

 

[puggyflump]

I was given the ok to drive by my doctor 10 days after having they section. My insurance company said as long as the doctor gives their ok you're insured. It's always a good idea to call and ask though

 

[ClaireJ23]

Same as yours.

 

[boxall1983]

I was driving by 4 weeks. I phoned my doctor/insurance company and both said as long as I felt ready it was fine. x

 

[vegazbaby]

i rang mine and had a row today

two weeks ago i rang and she said she was confused why she kept getting phone calls about c sections as its fine as long as i was ready i dont need to be signed off, but later in the conversation she misunderstood me and thought i was signed up so she noted it for me, i didnt bother to correct her as i wasnt ready to drive at that time anyway

i rang them today and got fobbed off, got told that i had to wait 6 weeks, i queried why last time i was told something different, and what would have happened if i had followed her advise, after telling him i wasnt interested in his medical opinion only the facts of my insurance policy and he rang through to underwriters who said i should wait till 6 weeks however i am insured

this confused me though on dvla page

You don’t need to tell DVLA if you’ve had a caesarean section.
You can be fined up to £1,000 if you don’t tell DVLA about a medical condition that affects your driving. If you’re involved in an accident, you may be prosecuted.

Most women do not feel fit to drive for a few weeks after a caesarean, and many wait till after the 6-week check. You should stop driving after a caesarean section and only start driving again when your doctor says it’s safe to do so.

You should also check your motor insurance to see if there are any restrictions about driving after a caesarean section.

so my doctor wont discuss it until 6 weeks, my insurance co dont want me to have to wait to be signed off, but do i need to be for dvla so confused

 

[cupcake1981]

I am driving again now 3 weeks on. Insur co were fine and I had a telephone consult with my doctor who said as long as I had no pain and could do an emergency stop he was happy and would write this in my notes.

 

[baileybubs]

By the sounds of it Hun you should be fine and covered by your insurance, as long as you feel you could do an emergency stop I think is the main thing. I started driving again at 5 weeks but could have at 3 I think, just didn't want judgy people querying me (aka MIL) but I didn't ring my insurance company coz they are pretty poop (cheapest one I could get as a new driver so I didn't bother and just hoped for the best, bad I know!!)

 

[babydevil1989]

Yep mjne said as soon as I felt ready - which at nearly 3 weeks I dont just yet but possibly next week x

 

[JessPape]

As soon as I left the hospital, they have no regards during surgery, unless on medication that says you can not drive, or operate heavy machinery.... Seems? well? safe?

 

[9jawife]

I never thought to call my insurance company. Is my medical status their business? I started driving 2 weeks after surgery as I was told by hospital staff that I could.

 

[spunky84]

I never thought to call my insurance company. Is my medical status their business? I started driving 2 weeks after surgery as I was told by hospital staff that I could.

I wonder if this is a UK thing? I never knew anything about having to call the insurance company. If we do, then oops! I just went by my dr's orders & was allowed to drive after a week. Though I didn't until about 2 weeks after as I could barely get into the car (passenger side) without being in pain (which told me I was clearly not ready to be operating a car!). I felt okay a little after a week, but I was too scared to until about 2 weeks after.

 

[missbabes]

From my understanding the moment that you're having a c-section your car insurance becomes void as it's classed as major surgery. All surgeries have some kind of effect as does certain medications, but you're supposed to be made aware whether verbal or written. I personally was told I wouldn't be cleared to drive again by my doctor until the six week check up when I was discharged from the hospital.

Simply if you were to have an accident in that period without being cleared by your doctor then legal action could be taken against you, whether the accident was your fault or not.

 

[misspriss]

It must be a UK thing. My doctor said 2 weeks and I was fine at 2 weeks (heck, I was fine at 10 days or so...) but I was in the car several times a day every day, as my LO was in the NICU and I had to come and visit every day, 2x per day. Getting a driver that often was tough.

I can't imagine having to wait until 6 weeks! I think Americans may drive more than your average UK'er though, just based on my interactions on this board...