Holiday issue

gandalf

If you have a full license and are a careful driver you'll be fine. Ffs you have to start driving on a motorway at some stage. If the insurance allows for driving in the UK then I really don't see the problem here. The insurance is in your own name isn't it? If you're a named driver then I see where your parents are coming from.

silverharp

if he is only driving around Wales he wont exactly have to deal with the M4 into London

retro:electro

silverharp wrote: »

if he is only driving around Wales he wont exactly have to deal with the M4 into London

If he's taking the ferry to Liverpool he may well have to take the M4/M5 to Cardiff

Ursus Horribilis

It depends where he's going in Wales. He hasn't been back to clarify where he was planning to sail into or where the parents live. The only Welsh port I've sailed to with the car is Pembroke and it's not near the M4

silverharp

anna080 wrote: »

If he's taking the ferry to Liverpool he may well have to take the M4/M5 to Cardiff

then I'd go via Rosslare , a ferry to Liverpool is a daft way to get to Cardiff unless they want to do something there. It would just leave them with a small stretch of the M4 into Cardiff. Go on a Sat/Sun when the traffic will be lighter. He can hire a car in Fishguard if there is a problem bringing his Irish one over.

LegacyUser

anna080 wrote: »

If he's taking the ferry to Liverpool he may well have to take the M4/M5 to Cardiff

Why would you take the ferry to Liverpool to go to Wales? Depending which part of Wales he'd go to Fishguard but most likely Holyhead.

Assuming of course you have a full license, OP only way you get experience driving on motorways is to drive on motorways. I've driven to Wales dozens of times and it's no issue. Just plan your route and leave loads of time so you never have to feel rushed or stressed.

Regarding your parents sit them down and explain you are an adult. If they say they'll stop paying your insurance well time to start paying it yourself. Just out of interest do they have an issue with your GF that could be the real reason they are against you going?

Ursus Horribilis

silverharp wrote: »

then I'd go via Rosslare , a ferry to Liverpool is a daft way to get to Cardiff unless they want to do something there. It would just leave them with a small stretch of the M4 into Cardiff. Go on a Sat/Sun when the traffic will be lighter. He can hire a car in Fishguard if there is a problem bringing his Irish one over.

Does he have much scope for changing or cancelling at this stage. He's due to sail on Sunday.

retro:electro

can't log in wrote: »

Why would you take the ferry to Liverpool to go to Wales? Depending which part of Wales he'd go to Fishguard but most likely Holyhead.

Assuming of course you have a full license, OP only way you get experience driving on motorways is to drive on motorways. I've driven to Wales dozens of times and it's no issue. Just plan your route and leave loads of time so you never have to feel rushed or stressed.

Regarding your parents sit them down and explain you are an adult. If they say they'll stop paying your insurance well time to start paying it yourself. Just out of interest do they have an issue with your GF that could be the real reason they are against you going?

I totally misread the op and thought he mentioned Liverpool in there. Oops!

ManOfMystery

It's that age old conundrum.

"You're not experienced enough to do this!"
"But how do I get experience without doing it?"

I can understand your parent's concerns, but ultimately, I think it's them you need to have a talk with and not your girlfriend. You're 22 - an adult. Even if you were 19 I'd say the same but your teenage years are well gone already. You have to stand on your own 2 feet and experience things for yourself, just as they did, and it's only through experiences that you'll learn.

As with anything in life, there's risks with doing something new. But these risks can always be managed. In your case, you take your first attempt at driving on a motorway seriously and exercise caution and care. Plan your trip beforehand well, take frequent breaks so you're not tired, make sure you have a spare wheel and take any other precautions necessary in case of breakdown or some other incident. And most importantly - communicate all this to your parents, it will show them that you're being responsible.

Can driving on a motorway be dangerous? Of course, but so can driving on any road. If anything, a motorway lends itself to a calmer and steadier style of driving than the constant stop/start/queuing you find on smaller roads, assuming you're not one of the rockets sitting in the fast lane 24/7. It's not the huge leap into the unknown that they're making it out to be; many a student set off to their new digs at university having never driven in the UK or motorways before, duvet and Pot Noodles in the back, and lived to tell the tale. 

If you concede your parent's wishes and tell your girlfriend that your entire trip has to be revised, you're setting a dangerous precedent - that a 22yr old man can't make decisions for himself, and giving your parents more confidence to control other things in future. You can stand up to them respectfully, it doesn't have to degenerate into a massive row.

Big Bag of Chips

A few things you need to clarify:

Is it your own car, or the family car?
Is it your own policy or are you named on your parent's policy?
Are you in a position to pay your own motoring expenses?

If it's your car, and the policy is in your name and you are able to pay your own tax, insurance, fuel, maintenance etc then contact your insurance company today and change the payment details so that the insurance is coming out of your bank account. Not your parents.

If you have taken on full responsibility for the running of the car, well then its your business (you can tell your parents this in a nice way, of course)

If you are still dependent on your parents, and by extension your gf is dependent on them, then I'm afraid there's not a lot you can do between now and Sunday except maybe plead your case. And ask your gf to arrange someone to collect you off the ferry.

Edit: You could also go onto Google Earth and show your parents that the main, national roads over there are almost identical to the national roads over here. And you're not likely to be on a 4 lane motor way getting to a remote part of Wales.

kerry cow

Yes its time to grow balls and grow up .
Some guys still suckle at 22 .
You need to fly the nest and get your own wheels and insurance .its costly but that's life .
Your parents are concerned and rightly so , why because you still be nursed and therefore they know no better either.
Man up and give you parents a break .
Any mother and father will protect there children if they need it .
It's all your fault because you haven't taken the manly steps to life .
Buy your own car .
Rent your own house .
Have your own job .
Be independent .

Dublin moves faster than cork and the UK moves twice as fast as dublin .
I drive the UK motorways with last 10 yrs and faster and busier they are becoming .
You need a pepie car and nerve.
It not for the faint hearted .
For Wales it Holyhead for north and Pembrokeshire for South .
Wales is easy once you stay clear of England .

Ursus Horribilis

Steady on! He has only just finished college! He probably hasn't even received his exam results or started working yet.

Neyite

blackbird98 wrote: »

If you only have a provisional licence, then you are not licensed to drive anywhere outside of Ireland. It is the equivalent to not having a licence, therefore your insurance company probably would not cover you

There is no such thing as a provisional licence any more. It's a learner permit now. After passing a test the driver is required to display N Plates to denote that they are a novice driver for 2 years.

OP do you still have N-plates? You need to check with the insurer what your restrictions might be. You may not have insurance cover outside of Ireland. It often just covers the island of Ireland. Did you check that you are insured on your policy in the UK mainland?

The novice period is for 2 years and you've only driven for one of those years. You ARE a novice driver and to be honest, I think I'd have similar feelings to your parents on this one, and I cant see what you can do in a week to fix it.

Renting a car is also not going to be a valid option in your case. You need to be a fully licensed driver over 25 at least.

I think you have to concede to your parents on this one I'm afraid.

unknowngirl!!

Can't believe how harsh the majority of responses have been towards the parents and, to some extent, the OP. My parents would have been the exact same and I think I'd be the same with my own children. He is only 22. It's a bit much to expect him to pay for college, a car, insurance, rent his own place etc. My parents helped support me until I had my degree and a permanent job. Some of us are lucky to have parents who help out, don't make it into a failure on the OP's part that he has extra support.

To me it's not a question of control but one of caring and worrying for their son who has little driving experience and is taking off on holidays to drive in a country and on busy roads he doesn't know.

I'd have more of an issue with the girlfriend to be honest. Rather than getting on her high horse she could appreciate that the parents don't want them at risk and try to come up with a solution. It's her family so surely she should be helping to find an alternative arrangement rather than adding additional stress.

silverharp

^^

Renting a car is also not going to be a valid option in your case. You need to be a fully licensed driver over 25 at least.

I see 21 as the min age for the UK to rent a car but should have a licence for a year but there would probably be a surcharge under 25, its not a legal thing just commercial

skallywag

rock22 wrote: »

Motorways are not safer for inexperienced drivers.

I agree strongly with this.

In general Motorway driving is indeed very safe, but only once one has the grasp of them.

The two more common mistakes which an inexperienced driver will tend to make is either entering the Motorway too slow or moving into the fast lane to overtake while completely misjudging the speed of a car in that lane approaching from behind, who may of course be massively breaking the speed limit. Both of these mistakes can lead to tragic consequences.

Both of these dangers can be addressed with a basic amount of driving experience. OP, would it be an option for you to have a family member or family friend etc accompany you for some spins on the motorway?

Neyite

silverharp wrote: »

^^



I see 21 as the min age for the UK to rent a car but should have a licence for a year but there would probably be a surcharge under 25, its not a legal thing just commercial

Some do, most don't, but the devil is in the detail. A driver under 25 often has to pay to go on the rental company's insurance and that tends to be eye-watering. Plus other charges and fees. If you are over 25 and driving for X number of years you can transfer your own fully comp insurance over to the car so you are paying a lot less to the rental crowd.

silverharp

Neyite wrote: »

Some do, most don't, but the devil is in the detail. A driver under 25 often has to pay to go on the rental company's insurance and that tends to be eye-watering. Plus other charges and fees. If you are over 25 and driving for X number of years you can transfer your own fully comp insurance over to the car so you are paying a lot less to the rental crowd.

an example below, they limit the type of vehicle which wouldn't matter and at £36 extra per day it aint cheap. Id be angling for the moth to borrow the parent's car when they get there :-)

https://www.sixt.co.uk/campaigns/student-offers/

Young Driver Surcharge

Unfortunately due to insurance requirements, all drivers under 25 will be required to pay a young driver's surcharge of £36 a day.

gline

When is the next payment due on your insurance? If it is after the trip is planned for, then I would just go, bring your car and deal with the fallout when you get home.

It might not be a popular decision, but I think your parents are being very unreasonable. Motorways are not that dangerous, small country roads are much more tricky and you are 22 , not a child anymore, sometimes you will need to override the decisions your parents make for you. I would hazard a guess that if you just went off on the holiday with your car and came back safe and sound they would probably come around to your thoughts on the matter.

I had similar issues when I was 17 buying a moped, one of my parents was adamant about me not getting one even though I needed it to get to work. I just made my own decision to do it and they eventually got used to the idea and all was fine.

freshpopcorn

I did a little research OP if your 22 you can rent a car no problem. Rent a car and it won't cost a fortune and it's amazing you don't have to tell your parents.
For all they know you could have being driving around in rented cars when you were doing Erasmus.
Driving on a UK motorway isn't rocket science. Once you plan your route and know what junctions you'll be using. It's not like you'll be on the M25 in rush hour traffic.
What's your parents driving like? I know people and their parents(mothers especially) were afraid of the big roundabouts in Cork and daddy had to the driving.

pwurple

Ah lads, is this why generation snowflake is upon us? I went the whole length of Germany when I was 22, on a motorbike. This is a car, in Wales of all places, it's not downtown Aleppo we are talking about here. There's no language barrier, same side of the road, similar road signs. It'll be a nice soft cushy safe adventure.



What's that Braveheart line again.... FREEEEDDDOOOOM!

The_Conductor

pwurple wrote: »

Ah lads, is this why generation snowflake is upon us? I went the whole length of Germany when I was 22, on a motorbike. This is a car, in Wales of all places, it's not downtown Aleppo we are talking about here. There's no language barrier, same side of the road, similar road signs. It'll be a nice soft cushy safe adventure.



What's that Braveheart line again.... FREEEEDDDOOOOM!

And I spent a summer driving commercial vehicles supplying trade shows in Geneva from Amsterdam- driving 24 hours shifts to get time sensitive stuff to Switzerland when it was required- when I was 20 (I got a light commercial license at 18). Different times...... Happy memories. Don't think I'd be up to driving for 24 hour shifts anymore though.

Eric Cartman

This is ridiculous , I am so sick of this idea that driving in dublin or the UK is way more lethal than driving down the country, if anything its the opposite.

OP , your parents are pessimists and scared, now's not the right time, in 2 years it won't be either, another 2 after that it won't be. I would guarantee your parents still stress out about them driving in dublin.

Realistically its grand as long as you are observant, you're fully licenced for 2 years, you'll have to do this at some point. It's really not that bad. How are you funding this trip ? start factoring in paying a deposit and the first months payment on car insurance yourself, if they pull the plug thats you sorted, if they don't then woo hay more holiday money.

I had my full licence for a few months at 18, went to the UK and drove my first car back to the ferry and back to Ireland, no bother, nothing bad happened, it was grand.

irishgirl19

unknowngirl!! wrote:

Can't believe how harsh the majority of responses have been towards the parents and, to some extent, the OP. My parents would have been the exact same and I think I'd be the same with my own children. He is only 22. It's a bit much to expect him to pay for college, a car, insurance, rent his own place etc. My parents helped support me until I had my degree and a permanent job. Some of us are lucky to have parents who help out, don't make it into a failure on the OP's part that he has extra support.

At 22 you're not doing your child any favours by paying their bills IMO

The J Stands for Jay

silverharp wrote: »

an example below, they limit the type of vehicle which wouldn't matter and at £36 extra per day it aint cheap. Id be angling for the moth to borrow the parent's car when they get there :-)

https://www.sixt.co.uk/campaigns/student-offers/

What's "angling for the moth" mean?

beauf

McGaggs wrote: »

What's "angling for the moth" mean?

I think he means the girlfriend borrow her parents car.

Just hire a car.

unknowngirl!!

irishgirl19 wrote: »

At 22 you're not doing your child any favours by paying their bills IMO

I never said they should pay his bills. I said that it's a bit much that at 22 he is expected, by some posters on the thread, to fund college, his own car, insurance as well as renting his own place.

It's simply unrealistic.

lawred2

Not a huge amount of motorways in Wales

beauf

unknowngirl!! wrote: »

I never said they should pay his bills. I said that it's a bit much that at 22 he is expected, by some posters on the thread, to fund college, his own car, insurance as well as renting his own place.

It's simply unrealistic.

I think the point is true independence (and free will) only comes with financial independence.

He could have avoided the issue by getting a hire car anyway. Fly and drive probably cheaper then ferry anyway.