Young drivers car insurance

23rd February 2012

Young drivers car insurance is well known to be the most expensive category of motor insurance. This is mostly due to the fact that young or new drivers are more likely to be involved in a car crash where they were seen to be at fault. This may seem a little unfair but there are plenty of statistics to back up that fact including the following;

  • 20% of new drivers will have an accident within the first 6 month of acquiring their driving license
  • An 18 year old driver is over three times more likely to have an accident than a 50 year old

These two simple statistics arise mainly due to the relative inexperience of the newly qualified drivers when it comes to driving on the road without the help of a driving instructor. The varying road conditions and lack of driving miles mean that some new drivers are less confident behind the wheel, which leads to poor decision making when faced with a developing hazard.

Poor training or the need to pass quickly may be the root cause of the problem. If young drivers, or people who have just passed their driving test, took more driving lessons and learnt to drive to a higher standard, then maybe the essential skills of forward planning and hazard perception would prove priceless. Training people to become safe drivers for life is the key to reducing the cost of young drivers car insurance long term.

Young males in particular are seen to be the highest risk of driver. This may be due to them trying to impress their friends by undertaking more risky manoeuvres. Research says that young males are much more likely to drive above the speed limit but even at the correct speed limit it may be too fast depending on the road conditions. This is considered by the insurance companies when providing young drivers car insurance quotes.

There are however many different insurance companies in the UK offering a wide range of quotes for inexperienced drivers. The best thing for a new driver to do before buying motor insurance would be to shop around. Make sure you get quotes from a variety of different insurance companies and then pick the one that you see as the best value. This may not always be the cheapest car insurance, but the one that suites your needs as a driver.

One way to get many quotes at the same time is to use one of the ever popular insurance comparison sites. I would personally recommend this as a great way of getting cheap car insurance. You fill in your personal details once and the insurance comparison site finds the best deal for you. Although there are some insurance companies not on these comparison sites so it is worth doing the work to make sure you get the best deal.

Young drivers car insurance can be extremely expensive which is frustrating if you cannot wait to get on the road after all the hard work you put in to pass your driving test. Shop around and get the best quotes and as long as you drive safely you can start to build up a history of safe, considerate driving. As long as you are a good driver your insurance will reduce after each year with your no claims bonus. Drive like an idiot, and you will keep paying high premiums for a long time.

One day car insurance- reasons why you may need it

February 23rd, 2012

One day car insurance is not something that comes to mind when you think about car insurance. Typically you would think about the yearly kind of insurance, that you pay for once annually or on in installments on a monthly basis. The renewal of car insurance is something that drivers hate to have to do, but it is necessary to keep legal and to provide drivers with financial help if they are ever involved in an accident with another vehicle. Everyone knows we need insurance who drives a car, but is there an option if you only need to drive the car every so often? In this case you can get temporary car insurance.

One day car insurance is a type of insurance that covers a driver for a short period of time. This is also known as temporary car insurance cover. This time period could be anything from one day to a few months. It is not usually taken out for longer than a few month, as it may become more expensive than an annual car insurance policy. There are many different reasons why someone may need one day car insurance cover, including if they are going on holiday and want to share the driving responsibilities with another driver..

If you were worried about the reliability of your own car, but need to go on a journey that is some distance, then you may be able to borrow a friends car and get temporary car insurance to make you legal. If you are going to borrow someones car it is a good idea to get insurance to cover you for a few days more than you need, just in case of any problems on your journey home.

One of the benefits of this type of insurance is that if you were unfortunate to be involved in an accident, the owner of the car’s no claims bonus would be unaffected. This is because the temporary car insurance is designed in a way that it is a stand alone policy, meaning you alone would be responsible in the event of a claim.

One day car insurance is sometimes limited to people over a certain age, so it is worth shopping around to make sure you can get insured if you are under the age of 25. This is just so the insurers can minimise the risk of a claim. Young drivers are more likely, statistically, to be involved in an accident where they were seen to be at fault. This could be even more likely if the young drivers was driving a car they were less familiar with. Therefore, an age limit is sometimes put in place to help insurers pay out less often.

One day car insurance is ideal for short trips away. It will cover you in case of an accident on your journey, or you can get insured for longer if you intend to use the car whilst away. It can also be a less expensive method compared to hiring a car for your journey. In the end, we all need to save money in the present economical climate and temporary car insurance is a great way to save over a short period of time.

Best cars for young drivers car insurance

February 21st, 2012

If you are looking for young drivers car insurance then well done on passing your driving test. Unfortunatly there is a battle ahead for you that could prove more difficult, and that’s getting a car that you can afford. The main problem is less experienced drivers are, because of their lack of experience on the road, more dangerous than older drivers. But what can you do to help you get cheaper car insurance?

You could insure your car with a limited mileage insurance policy, if you think you will be driving between, say 3,000 or 5,000 miles per year. This will reduce your premium and is a more simple way of saving money than installing a “Pay as You Drive” tracker in your vehicle, which basically just does the same thing, but tracks your mileage.

Joining a car club could save you up to 15%, keeping your car in a garage will help save you money too, and fitting a security device such as an alarm will reduce the cost again.

These alone are good tips to help you get cheap young drivers car insurance. However the most important factors that result in high insurance prices are;

  • Age
  • Location
  • Sex
  • Car type

Now you cannot change your age, sex or even change your house just to get into a better postcode. But the one thing you can do is choose to buy a car that is cheap to insure.

So which is the least expensive car to insure? We did a lot of research and came up with a list, some of which may be surprising to you.

The cheapest car for young drivers car insurance is, by a massive amount, is the old VW Beetle. Other cars were also cheap to insure with the old style Mini and the Renault 5 both in the top 10. There are also some new version cars in the list such as the Peugeot 106 and the Vauxhall Corsa doing very well.

Below is the list of vehicles. As you can see most of them are 1000cc engines with low power. If you buy a car with more power too soon, you will end up paying a lot more to insure the car. if that Renault 5 at number nine were the turbo version, the premium for a male driver would be £4,000, so keep the engine size low. the quotes below are for Third Party Fire & Theft insurance for a 17 year old driver living in a moderate-to-low risk area and for cars valued at less than £5,000.

Car and engine size          Male      Female
VW Beetle (old style 1.6) 1250 1120
Vauxhall Corsa 1.0 1550 1205
Peugeot 107 1.0 1550 1205
Fiat Uno 1.0 1550 1205
Peugeot 106 1.0 1550 1205
Old style Mini 1.0 1550 1205
Fiat Panda 1.0 1550 1205
Hyundai Atoz 1000cc 1550 1205
Citroen 2CV 602cc 1550 1205
Vauxhall Agila 1.0 1550 1205
Renault 5 1.0 1550 1205
Peugeot 205 950cc 1550 1205
Citroen C1 1000cc 1800 1320
Daihatsu Sirion 1000cc 1800 1320
Seat Marbella 850cc 1820 1370
Citroen AX 1.0 1820 1370
Chevrolet Matiz 800cc 1820 1370
Fiat Seicento 900cc 1845 1395
Toyota Aygo 1000 1845 1395
Suzuki Alto 1000 1845 1395
Daihatsu Charade 1000 2150 1605

 

If you are looking for young drivers car insurance then there will be something on the list to suit your taste. A few of these cars are old bangers, but a lot of them are newer style so have a look around online and see which car is best for you.

Is womens car insurance sexist?

February 19th, 2012

Women’s car insurance is well known to be cheaper than men’s. Women are seen to be better drivers than men, this is backed up by  statistics that say women make less insurance claims. Even when they do make a claim on their policy, they tend to cost the insurance company less money than when men make a claim. This may be because females don’t seem to make major claims, perhaps a minor bump rather than a complete write-off. Official figures state that more than ninety percent of driving convictions in the UK are men, and ninety eight percent of those convicted for dangerous driving are male drivers.

These stats are good for females wanting cheap car insurance, as insurance providers are willing to provide them with cheaper car insurance than their male counterparts. Due to this women have been paying on average £150 per year less for their car insurance than men.

However, the European Court of Justice recently ruled that this is sexual discrimination by the insurance companies, and has stated that there should not be any difference between insurance prices based purely on sex. The changes are to become law by December 2012 and Women’s car insurance quotes are set to rise by around 30% for female drivers under the age of 25. In terms of money, female car insurance prices are set to increase by £400 per year on the average policy.

This is bad news for women drivers and comes at a time when the average price of women’s car insurance for females between the age of 17-24  is already at an all time high of over £1000 a year. Prices have increased by around thirty four percent this year alone. This means by the end of 2012 the average price could be up to around £1400 per year, leaving many women struggling to keep up with the increase in the price of driving a car.

The massive increase in the price of women’s car insurance, as well as the increase that is coming later in the year, means that now is a great time to make sure you save as much as possible on your car insurance. Some insurers specifically tailor their insurance for female drivers, however the best way to save is to shop around. Make sure you always shop around when your insurance is up for renewal. Staying loyal to your insurer doesn’t usually pay so you should get quotes from lots of different insurers.

A great way to get cheap women’s car insurance would be to start by getting quotes on the compare websites, and then get quotes from the female only insurance providers and see if they can beat the best quote you have. Try a few different compare sites to make sure you get the best deal, as not all insurance providers are on all compare websites.

Cheap classic car insurance valuation

February 17th, 2012

The main difference between cheap classic car insurance coverage and a standard car insurance policy is how your vehicle is valued. Even though you’ll find age requirements for a classic car insurance policy, usually stating that your vehicle must be a minimum of Fifteen to Twenty five years old, it is usually the case the particular fees pertaining to classic vehicle policies tend to be far less when compared to regular insurance policy.

Cheap classic car insurance rates tend to be low in expense since there are distance limitations observed in the insurance plan. It is crucial that you understand these distance and storage area limitations before signing an insurance agreement. Unless you store your automobile properly, or if you happen to go over the actual yearly miles allotted within the policy,any claim you have to make fr damage may be turned down by the insurance provider.

The value for a basic car plan is determined by the actual agreed price instead of the accurate monetary value your vehicle. True financial valuation implies that the insurance company will take care of the cost of your car or truck based on the worth minus the level of depreciation. Quite simply, the insurance firm will take into account the automobile’s condition, distance, and the age of the vehicle prior to providing the insurance premiums. If a classic car claim was paid out on the genuine monetary value, the vehicle owner will not likely get a whole lot due to the age of the vehicle and normal depreciation.

This is the reason precisely why classic car insurance plans go on the actual agreed price. This value is a pre agreed figure the car owner will give the insurance company which is the owners valuation of what the car is worth. Even though costs will be decided on the known value of the vehicle, the insurance company must agree to this valuation. The majority of insurance providers who supply specialized insurance coverage will ask motorists to give promoting proof of the particular car’s value if they notice that it is an extreme valuation. Store all of your documents, photos and cost receipts in case you have to make a claim. Protect the time and energy you have placed into your classic car by making sure you have adequate insurance.

To obtain cheap classic car insurance you should compare quotes with a number of insurance companies and don’t forget to look at the small print, and find out the restrictions within the policy. Through knowing your alternatives, you will get reasonably priced policies that will meet the needs of you and your classic car.

Learner Driver Car Insurance for Under 17s

February 16th, 2012

Some learner driver car insurance companies offer insurance to driving instructors for pupils as young as 14 years of age. Pupils who do not have their provisional license, or who are under the age of 17, can be taught off road on private land and in private car parks.

Research has shown that teaching young people how to drive from an early age greatly improves the skill of the driver at a later age. Drivers become more adept at assessing situations and are able to react safely through experience. There is also evidence that people who learn to drive at an early age have a pass rate when it comes to taking their actual driving test.

Therefore there are more and more driving schools in the UK who now offer this sort of younger driver tuition on private land. If you are a driving instructor and you are thinking about expanding your business in this way you will need to do a couple of things.

First of all get the correct learner driver car insurance for the age of student you will be thinking of teaching. As soon as someone is tall enough to reach the foot pedals, and see over the steering wheel, then they can be taught how to drive. Some insurance companies advertising online offer comprehensive driving school insurance from the age of 14. Shop around and see what quotes they come up with, you might be surprised on how little extra it may cost to start insuring your car for younger learner drivers.

Secondly you will need to find somewhere to give your driving lessons. School playgrounds can be a great place to start. During the weekends and holidays school playgrounds are empty which means you can teach young drivers while they aren’t at school.. You could try speaking to the school representatives and explain the benefits of your course to try to get them to allow you to use their car park. You never know, they might let you use it for free.

A good idea would be to do these driving lessons at a reduced rate, with 2-3 pupils inside the car, and prepare the pupils for when they actually get their provisional license. This will mean that by the time they are ready to drive on the roads, they will already have the skill needed to start driving safely and under control.

These pupils are more likely to come to the same driving instructor, for driving tuition, that had taught them earlier in their life. You could actually create guaranteed pupils for years to come by putting in the ground work now.

Get some quotes now for learner driver car insurance for under 17s and see if it seems like a profitable business model. You never know, this could be the thing that gets your nose in front of the ever growing amount of competition withing the driving school industry.

How to reduce the cost of car insurance

February 14th, 2012

Whether you are looking for Young drivers car insurance, or you are searching for cheap classic car insurance, the cost of car insurance is determined by a few factors:

  1. Particular insurance provider
  2. Standard of protection required
  3. Your associated risk quantity

By reduction of an insurer’s perception of your associated risk levels, it is possible to decrease the amount you will shell out.

Car insurance prices are set by specific people, whose role is to try to evaluate potential risk. Ensure that that you’re as little of a risk as you can, and you will make big price savings by demonstrating to the insurance company that you are not the most common high-risk younger car owner. Each and every insurer’s prices will depend on a couple of things. Primary, the underwriters’ analysis of your specific risk focus; and then the pricing table that determines the kind of drivers the insurance company would like to acquire.

Fit a security alarm system

Any added security can certainly help. Installing an alarm system or immobiliser (especially one approved by Thatcham) helps to reduce the cost drastically.

 
Park and Drive cautiously

Theft and unintentional damages will add a large amount of money to insurance plans. When you park your motor vehicle inside a garage or on your drive way it’s actually a significant discouraging factor to thieves and would mean accidental damages are more unlikely, leading to a 3% – 7% reduction in insurance rates.

The more points on your own driver’s licence, the larger the expense. While speeding points stay on your driver’s licence for 4 years, insurers usually look at convictions over the last five before they may be taken off of your personal driving history.  A conviction for speeding could possibly impact the expense of insurance by about 5% – however any more will increase the cost, having two violations coming in at approximately 20% more.

Getting caught using a cell phone whilst behind the wheel is far more serious and will double your insurance quote. Additionally, it can ensure that you get three on the spot points added to your driving licence, which remain on for 4 years. Authorised hands-free products are okay if put to use correctly.

Decrease your miles

The less you drive, the more affordable your insurance policy is going to be. Where doable, make sure you decrease your mileage. It might sound obvious, but in fact the true secret of saving is combining the additional insurance cost whenever you make long trips, not simply the expense of fuel in comparison with using the bus or train.

By following these simple steps you can reduce the cost of Young drivers car insurance or even get cheap classic car insurance. Make sure you tell the truth in any case, or you may end up with no insurance at all.

Is your driving instructor a trainee?

February 8th, 2012

Getting learner driver car insurance so you can practice whilst not on your driving lessons is a good idea. Doing this can help you get used to the different skills you will need to master to pass your driving test. Bay Parking…Emergency Stop…Three point turn..all manoeuvres you’ll have to grasp during your driving tuition. Regrettably a few large driving schools inside the United Kingdom are utilizing additional “manoeuvres” to get their dirty hands on your money.

Is the driving instructor teaching you a student?

All fully Qualified approved driving instructors must show their own GREEN coloured DSA (Driving Standards Agency) logo in their car window whenever providing driving lessons. This particular license demonstrates they’ve accomplished the high standards, thorough checks laid out by the DSA, to become a professional DSA Approved Driving Instructor. Eight in Ten of those people who pass their driving test first time had been trained by a properly accredited driving instructor.

The Driving Instructor test consists of three phases:

  • Driving theory test (Part one)
  • Driving ability test (Part two )
  • Test of ability to teach others (Part three)

After an instructor passes all three tests it indicates that they’ll legitimately be able to charge a fee to offer driving lessons. They will have proven they have the ability to teach you the best way to drive a car, according to the latest DSA techniques.

Big Driving instructor schools just like Red and also BSM teach their Potential Driving Instructors (PTI) to become fully trained ADIs by letting them take paying pupils out on the road for driving lessons. These kinds of PTI’s need to display the PINK student driving instructor badge for this to be fully legal. These potential teachers may not at any time become ADI’s should they not pass the three tests within the first couple of attempts.

The driving schools won’t tell you that the driving instructor isn’t qualified but they will still ask you for the full price for your driving instruction. Make certain there’s a GREEN coloured certificate on the dashboard or windscreen of the instructor’s car. If they have a PINK license in the window you may be getting sub standard driving instruction whilst paying the full price. If your driving instructor does not have their license on show, then ask to see it. It needs to be on show at all times to make them legal and make sure they have learner driver car insurance cover.

The DSA suggests that you take additional private driving practice to make sure you get the most out of your time as a student. You can get learner driver car insurance that will enable you to drive in someone else’s car under their supervision. The supervising driver needs to have had their full driving license for at least three years, and be over the age of 21.

Young drivers safety tips for parents

February 6th, 2012

Getting young drivers car insurance is just the start. As your children grow into young adults, throwing the keys to your car to your teenage child is both a proud and emotional moment for each and every one who is in the position to do it. The way in which your child effectively navigates the roads might be the combination of leading by example, many driving lessons, firm rules and boundaries, together with confidence in their common sense.

There is however reason for a parent’s concern. The alarming statistics demonstrate that vehicle crashes will be the leading reason behind the deaths of teens within the United Kingdom. The greatest risk of death is higher when accidents involve drivers aged 17 to 21, and the overall risk is greater throughout the initial year that teens are on the road.

Why are Young Drivers More Accident Prone when Driving?

Combining high energy levels, high-risk taking  and less experience, studies have proven teens frequently underestimate driving conditions that are hazardous, are overconfident and therefore are less able than more mature drivers to recognize a dangerous situation. They are also more likely to drive too fast, driver too close to a vehicle in front and not use their car’s seatbelt. Along with the growing distractions of recent technology in automobiles, it seems sensible parents are left feeling anxious when they’re teen drives off in the car.

Studies have proven that it requires merely a distraction of four seconds to lead to any kind of accident. The most common distractions are as follows

  • Visual – Taking your eyes off of the road
  • Manual -Taking both hands off of the steering wheel
  • Cognitive -Not keeping your mind focused on what you are doing

With more and more distractions in the the latest cars constantly taking young drivers focus off the road, it’s no surprise it’s illegal to text or use a sat nav whilst driving.  It’s common place to see people using the “hands free” option on their phone while holding it in their hand to their mouth. What’s the point in that?

What Exactly Can Parents Do?

A parent’s own recklessness or cautious driving will probably be noticed from an early on age, like lots of your other actions. Appreciate the impact your individual driving is putting on your child, within the years just before they reach 17. Be observant and diligent to train safe driving habits, and start speaking to your teenager about driving techniques when they’re still young.

Buy driving lessons from an Approved Driving Instructor so your child will learn defensive driving techniques and safe habits from a professional aside from their parents, who may be out of tune which regards to modern safe driving techniques.

Provide driving training from both mother and father along with driving school training. This is an important opportunity for developing the young drivers driving habits and setting down family rules. Furthermore, it offers parents an opportunity to evaluate their teen’s ability and capabilities.

The normal UK teen now sends and receives hundreds of texts monthly. Don’t let them use mobile phones while your son or daughter is driving. You can make this part of a driving agreement and make sure they know if they use a phone wile driving they will not be able to use the car in future. Further restrictions can certainly function as teen requiring to leave their phones at home if they are to use your vehicle.

Don’t allow other young people in the car until your child has got used to driving alone after passing their driving test. Once you are confident in their ability, make sure you keep the amount of people in the car at any one time down to a minimum.

Train your son or daughter how to driving in winter driving conditions, for instance how to control a skid and best practices for driving in snow and ice. Empty car parks and quiet side roads are ideal for practice.

Suggest to them the best way to be on the diligent lookout for pedestrians on the roads, bicyclists and animals by checking the road ahead, blind spot checking and utilizing their mirrors effectively as part of the Mirror, Signal, Manoeuvre routine.

Teach them how to maintain the vehicle, for instance tire care and proper inflation, regular maintenance, showing them the vehicle manual and fundamental mechanics, to ensure that they can make safety checks with confidence.

Instilling safe driving habits within your teen is beneficial for everyone on the road, and will help you relax when your young driver is out on the roads. This will also ensure that you get young drivers car insurance in the years to come.

How to get cheap young drivers car insurance.

January 30th, 2012

There are many ways to cheap young drivers car insurance and one of the most beneficial would be to take a pass plus course. Once you have passed your driving test you will probably end up driving on larger, busier roads than you are used to driving on. You will be doing this whilst, for the first time, alone in the car. This can be a daunting time for a new driver.

That’s where the pass plus course comes in. You can take extra tuition, usually about 6 hours worth, to help improve your driving in more challenging areas. If you take a pass plus course within the first 12 month of driving you will be entitled to an insurance discount, normally amounting to the equivalent of one year no claims bonus. This amount in the first year alone is more than likely going to be a bigger saving than the cost of the course itself.

During the pass plus driving course you will be taught in a number of differing road and traffic conditions including the following;

  • Bad weather
  • Night driving
  • Country roads
  • In town driving
  • Dual carriageways
  • Motorway driving

Just for the extra experience alone, the pass plus course is well worth the money. You will come out after the extra training with more confidence to cope with any situation on roads that you may have never driven on before. This will inevitably make you a safer driver. Most driving instructors will just charge you the cost of six hours of lessons for the pass plus course, but not all driving instructors are pass plus registered.

Taking your driver training further you can choose to do an advance driving test. This will give you a skill for life which could even benefit you if you were looking to get a new job. During the training for this qualification you will be taught how to;

Plan ahead – A safe driver gives them self time to think. If you plan ahead you will make sure you have enough time to react to any developing hazard as you will have seen the problem early. This is the best way to avoid accidents.
Save fuel – Driving at the right speed, and in the correct gear for the road conditions will not only make you a safer driver, but will also save you a lot of money on the cost of fuel.
Keep smooth – Driving smoothly means your passengers will feel safer. Accelerating gently will lengthen the life of your tyres, and engine. Driving smoothly will make sure you save money on repairs to you vehicle and lengthen the time until you need to buy a new one.
Stay cool – Keeping calm when driving will mean you are less likely to get involved in a situation which could lead to an accident. Your stress levels will be reduced, and in the times that we live in, who couldn’t do with less stress?

Both of these courses are great ways to get cheap young drivers car insurance. You will show your insurance provider that you are serious about driving safely. If you gain these driving qualifications you can be sure that you will save money, if not on your insurance, on your general cost of running your vehicle.

My one day car insurance experience

January 29th, 2012

I thought I’d tell you about my one day car insurance experience when me and a bunch of friends went to Torquay in the summer. It was my first holiday with friends, and as usual whenever we go anywhere, I was the designated driver. I and two of my mates packed everything we possessed into the back of my mini, and set off down the motorway.

We had the music blaring out and we were all very much excited in anticipation of what the summer might bring. The only downer was the English weather which was, as usual, tipping it down. We decided to stop for pit stop, to get a coffee and some extortionately priced sandwiches that tasted of cardboard.

Even though those sandwiches tasted rough, I have this thing about my food; I’m very protective of it. One of my buddies grabbed my sarnie and legged it. So naturally I started running after him towards by car. Unfortunately I had some pumps on, the type with very little grip on the bottom. As I turned to chase my mate around the car I slipped and twisted my ankle.

Now this was very painful don’t get me wrong. I wanted to save face but I could feel my emotions getting the better of me. Not just for the pain in my ankle, but more for the pain of the possible cancellation of our first surfing holiday. I was not impressed but quickly though of a plan.

When I was looking for young driver’s car insurance earlier that year, I had come across couple of websites selling one day car insurance. I was thinking to myself who would want car insurance for just one day. What’s the point in that? Well I had found a point to it. The point of not missing our holiday, and as my mate Johnny had a driving license, but no car, I decided to try get some insurance for him on my car, so he could finish the drive down to Torquay.

The woman on the phone of the insurance company seemed like an angel in disguise when she told me it would cost me £48 to get Johnny on the insurance for the day. What a result, we were buzzing. I could have kissed her but the only problem was we couldn’t get the insurance documents to us, and our Johnny didn’t want to be driving without them.

So we went into the Holiday Inn and explained the situation to the guy on the desk. He was more than happy to let the insurance company fax the documents over to his fax machine and we were ready to go. Nice one! We got the documents and Johnny drove us to the seaside.

Now that’s what one day car insurance is for. Making sure we get to where we need to be in the event of situation arising that may mean someone else has to drive. It couldn’t have been easier and after a couple of days my ankle was fine and we went surfing in the rain. What a result.