Tag Archives: ABI

Green Light for Green Card Ditch

 

Ok, we know travelling abroad is still extremely limited. We also know some of you may be chomping at the bit to get away. To open up the engine of that brand new drop-top you impulsively purchased in a fit of lockdown excess and/or boredom! The lure of those long French roads, no other motorists in your mirrors for miles… azure waters lapping at the edges of ocean drives… wind in your hair, freedom at your pedals…

Well the whole process of taking your wheels abroad has just been made a whole lot easier. With a post Brexit boost for Blighty, it has been confirmed recently that the EU has ditched the car insurance green card. Drivers will no longer need to apply for this internationally recognised document confirming valid third party insurance, when travelling abroad to EU countries. The green cards were set to cause travel chaos for drivers looking to head across the continent as restrictions begin to ease.

Any driver without a card driving in the EU could have faced fines, prosecution or having their car impounded. However, the Commission decided to drop the card in an effort to reduce tension around the Northern Ireland protocol – a welcome change, making it easier for them to travel freely into the Republic of Ireland. The MIBI had protested against the cards, saying ‘It was not a sustainable solution, considering the estimated 43m cross border vehicle trips per annum”

Huw Evans, Director General at the Association of British Insurers said:

“This is excellent news. We have long campaigned for the UK to be part of the Green Card Free Circulation Zone so we warmly welcome the decision by the European Commission today. The Commission has taken a pragmatic approach on the matter.  UK drivers will no longer need to apply for a green card through their insurer which will help reduce bureaucracy for drivers and road hauliers travelling between the UK and EU. It will be especially welcomed by motorists in Northern Ireland driving across the border to the Republic of Ireland.”

The move to remove the Green Card has been welcomed by the insurance industry who have campaigned to see an end to the practice.

 

 

Kirby De-Gray Birch, Director at Airsports Insurance Bureau, said:

‘It’s fantastic news and a sensible change although it still needs to be fully endorsed and rubber stamped by the European Union.  Once fully approved though, this will make things a little less complicated for Britons who prefer to travel to Europe by road rather than flying there.

If you are travelling into the EU within the next three weeks we would encourage you to call us and order a green card if you haven’t already, but any travelers travelling after this date, hold tight until it’s all ratified.’

Be aware though, if you’re eagerly kitting out your camper for a road trip to remember, you will still need the document in place for the rest of this month. While the commission has confirmed it is ditching the card, the rules haven’t come into force just yet.

Until the EU has fully implemented the change, anyone taking their car to Europe will still need to get a Green Card from their insurer before they head off abroad to countries that require one. Post-change, your certificate of insurance will be enough to head out on the highway. Bon Voyage!

The full Association of British Insurers article can be found here: https://www.abi.org.uk/news/news-articles/2021/06/abi-welcomes-decision-on-green-cards/

25% Of UK Households Have No Contents Insurance

Whilst it is not a legal requirement to insure the contents and personal possessions in your home, surely it is a sensible thing to cover against the likes of fire, theft or accidental damage. After all, the cost of replacing things like your furniture, white goods and clothes could run into many thousands of pounds.

Well, according to the recently published ABI’s Home Insurance Premium Tracker covering 2018, a staggering one in four households here in the UK have not bothered to arrange such cover. That equates to around six million households.

Yet, the average cost of insuring home contents is only £127 per annum. That is a mere £2.44 per week – a small price to pay for the peace of mind of knowing that you can replace your contents if they are damaged in a fire and only have to pay the excess towards the cost of the items replaced.

Below is a list of the percentage of households in the UK that do not have home contents insurance broken down on a regional basis: –

Northern Ireland                      18%

South East                               19%

East Midlands                         21%

Yorkshire & Humberside        22%

East Anglia                             22%

South West                              22%

Wales                                      22%

North West                              24%

Scotland                                  26%

West Midlands                        28%

North East                               32%

London                                    45%

As you can see, Northern Ireland has the lowest percentage of households without contents cover at 18% and London has the highest percentage at 45%.

The above tracker also revealed that the average premium for buildings insurance in 2018 stood at £258 per annum with this being a drop of 8% when compared with the previous year. The average cost of combined buildings and contents insurance was £307 per annum with this being 1% more than in 2017.

Here at AIB Insurance, we have an extensive panel of closely vetted insurance companies that provide buildings and contents cover. So, if you are a single person living in rented accommodation looking to insure your contents or a family living in your own home looking to cover the buildings and contents, why not give us a call on 02380 268 351 and speak with a friendly, experienced member of our team. He or she will discuss your requirements and then look to obtain a no-obligation quotation from one of our panel members with a view to providing you and your family with complete peace of mind. We look forward to being of assistance.

Travel Insurers Paid Out £370 Million In 2016

PlaneThe peak overseas holiday season will soon be upon us with schools here in the UK shortly to break up for the summer. Many families will be taking to the sky in planes, boarding cruise liners and ferries as they venture across oceans and travelling by car or train through the Channel Tunnel onward bound to some European destination or an exotic country many thousands of miles from our shores.

With this in mind, it is perhaps rather timely to mention travel insurance that, based upon research carried out by the Association of British Insurers (ABI), rather surprisingly reveals there are a significant number of holidaymakers who are not arranging this potentially valuable form of cover. Apparently, around 1 in 4 people travelling overseas do not bother to take out travel insurance.

When you consider that 480,000 people travelling abroad last year claimed on their travel insurance policies in respect of things like lost luggage and medical treatment there is obviously a need for such cover. In fact, around £1 million was paid out to claimants every day.

Of those people, 154,000 required emergency medical assistance. The cost of such treatment amounted to £199 million. There were 83,000 claims made in respect of cash being lost and luggage going astray totaling £17 million. There were 159,000 claims made by holidaymakers who unfortunately had to cancel a holiday at a total cost of around £130 million.

When you consider that the average amount claimed for cancelling a holiday was £816 and that the average amount claimed in respect of medical treatment amounted to £1,300 yet the average amount of an annual travel insurance policy is £37 it rather puts this into perspective. It is also reassuring to note that insurers approve almost 9 out of every 10 travel insurance claims.

So, if you are looking for quality travel insurance at a competitive price, why not give us a call here at AIB Insurance on 02380 268 351 and discuss your requirements with a knowledgeable member of staff. It really is not worth the risk of travelling abroad without suitable cover.Europe

UK General Insurers Pay Out Over £56 Million A Day

ABIThe Association of British Insurers (ABI) has recently published statistics showing that, last year, general insurance companies paid out £56.7 million a day to policyholders. This included payouts for people that had the likes of protection, home, motor and business insurance policies.

Claims payouts for damage to property amounted to £15 million a day. Of that figure, £6.9 million was paid out daily in respect of commercial claims that were made by owners of businesses. The balance of £8.1 million per day was paid out to owners of residential properties so no doubt included things like damage to properties caused by fire and flood and subsidence.

Payments were made to motorists totaling £28.6 million per day who claimed on their motor insurance policies. This sum will no doubt have been paid to cover the likes of claims for personal injuries such as whiplash and for damage to vehicles that were either repaired or had to be replaced.

Travel insurers paid out £1 million a day to holidaymakers who claimed on their travel insurance policies no doubt for things like medical expenses, flight delays and lost luggage.

Insurance companies providing protection cover including life, terminal illness, income protection and critical illness insurance paid out £9.9 million every day to policyholders and beneficiaries to provide financial support at a time of need.Claims

Trade credit insurance policies paid out £400,000 a day. This sort of cover assisted businesses that were owed monies by another business that was unable to pay the sum outstanding.

We are a nation of pet lovers and many people choose to insure their pets. You may be interested to know that £1.8 million was paid out every day in 2015 towards vet bills.

You may also be interested to note that, according to figures recently issued by the ABI, in 2014 and 2015, 84% of claims on house insurance policies were paid out, 99% of claims on private motor insurance policies were met and 87% of claims on travel insurance policies were paid out.

Here at AIB Insurance, we will gladly endeavor to assist any of our clients who wish to make a claim in respect of a policy that was arranged through ourselves. In this respect, please give us a call on 02380 268 351.