Getting into your 50s and 60s is an exciting time of life. The children are starting to be independent as they head off to University or move into their own homes, and suddenly time becomes your own once again. Semi-retirement might also be on the horizon offering even more spare time. There’s often a little more money now too, that you can spend on yourself, so it’s the perfect opportunity to do just as you please!
Day trips and weekends away visiting parts of the country you’ve never been to before are part of the fun. There are museums, historical houses and quaint old villages you’ve been meaning to look around, and now is the time to do it. These are the years when you can tick off some of the things on your bucket list, so get the maps out and start planning some trips. And as you’re preparing to drive more, think about taking out a good breakdown cover for your car, to make sure your fun times go without a hitch. Look out for a plan which gives you national coverage for your breakdown. If you’ve already got a plan, check it still is the right the one for you and offers you everything you need now your life is changing. And if your driving travels are taking you overseas, extend your cover to one that includes Europe as well.
While your children might be more independent, you still worry about them, especially when they are out driving by themselves. If you’ve got kids or other relatives living at home with you, you can cover them for breakdowns in their own cars as part of your plan with some breakdown companies. My recommendation in such a scenario would be GEM’s breakdown cover. They have multi-user packages for up to four people, which works out cheaper than covering everyone individually. Vehicle breakdown cover could save you late-night trips to rescue your son or daughter with a flat tyre or dead battery miles away from home. And accident management is part of the deal too, so someone else deals with that side of things for you should an accident occur. Taking out this kind of cover means there’s help for them when they move to University, as long as they are still registered as living at your address, as well as while you’re away on your holidays, so you have peace of mind. Overall, GEM’s package a really good service to think about buying for your family, and they have recently won the Auto Express award for best Breakdown cover so they really are an award winning service.
Of course, you might be worried about someone near to you who is getting a little older, like a parent or grandparent. Or possibly someone who is suddenly driving alone who previously had a partner in the car with them most of the time. Taking out breakdown cover for them, with their consent of course, will help you feel happier knowing that a professional is at the end of a phone line should they need it. It could also give a more nervous driver a bit of a confidence boost, if becoming stranded was one of the reasons they were feeling bit unsure.
As people get into their 70s, 80s and beyond, there will be a time to think about stopping driving altogether. The age someone is no longer safe to drive depends a lot on the person in question, and this is discussed here. It’s quite a tough decision to make, whether it’s about yourself or someone close to you, so it needs careful thought and a pragmatic approach.
