Home Security

Nearly half do not lock up when at home

Nearly half (47%) of all adults do not lock their front doors when they are at home, according to new  figures provided by an Insurer.

The data, which was collected in partnership with the Neighbourhood Watch Trust and released to tie in with new Home Office National Crime statistics, also shows that 13% of adults only lock their front door at bedtime.

The Home Office statistics show that domestic burglaries are up 14%.

It follows recent  research showing that passers-by including would-be burglars can spot goods worth an average of £1,223 by looking through the windows of the average UK home.

A spokesperson for the Insurance Industry said: ‘It’s often wrongly assumed that many household burglaries are committed while homes are empty. But canny burglars know that many people assume that by being at home, they themselves are a deterrent and so they take fewer precautions. But an unlocked front door or window can be an open invitation to a burglar while the occupier is distracted by spending time in the garden.

“With so few people routinely securing their home while they are there it’s no wonder that so many thefts are committed without a forced entry. It’s not about turning your home into a fortress but simply getting into the habit of locking doors and windows, regardless of the period of time the house or room is unattended.”

New Loss Recovery Insurance

GSI Commercial Insurance are pleased to announce a new product that we are now able to offer all policyholders.

Lorega Ltd will provide policyholders with a full claims handling service, and access to a team of claims experts, surveyors and forensic accountants. These specialists will work with us to value and successfully negotiate your claim.

In recent years commercial insurance claims have become extremely complex matters and due to the increase in fraudulent claims and the need to control claims costs, insurers’ attitudes have hardened considerably. As a result specialist assistance is essential. In return for a small premium you will have access to a full insurance claims service to ensure you receive the best help available should you suffer a major loss.

Cover applies to Property and Business Interruption claims over £5,000 and the service includes;

• Telephone advice and assistance for all claims
• Personal visits on all major losses
• Arranging interim payments from Insurers where necessary
• Arranging temporary premises and equipment to enable trade to continue
• Preparation of a fully valued inventory for all items damaged or stolen
• Attendance at all meetings and liaison with Insurers
• Co-ordination of builders, surveyors, decorators etc.
• Working in conjunction with your own accountants to formulate any loss of profits claim
• Negotiation of the best possible settlement to which you are entitled

To find out how to take advantage of this valuable service, call us on 01634 727766 and speak to one of our friendly and helpful insurance advisers.

Challenges facing the future of Motor Insurance

Motor insurance premiums are increasing, attracting the attention of the Parliamentary Transport Select Committee.  We know our customers do not like price increases, particularly with the current mood of austerity but sometimes it is actually in everyone’s best interests. As brokers, there is a really important message for you, our  customers. There are some serious structural flaws within the current operating market that, if left unchecked, will continue to erode profitability in the market with the inevitable consequences of Insurers withdrawing from the market and a reduction in competition.

All motor insurers are facing

• Increased frequency of bodily injury claims
• Increased credit hire costs
• Increased claims costs
• Increased fraudulent and uninsured activity
• The current civil compensation model

Motor insurance in both the private and commercial sectors is experiencing increased claims costs largely driven by the increase in frequency in bodily injury (personal injury) and credit hire claims. A report published by The Actuarial Profession in October 2010, concluded that these increases have added at least £100 onto the cost of an average motor policy in the last two years.

These costs, coupled with a decline in investment income and a fiercely competitive price-driven market, mean that for the majority, UK motor insurance is not a profitable line of business to write. In simple terms, for every £1 of premium taken, £1.20 is paid out in claims and other expenses. Obviously, this is not sustainable in the longer term but there are things that can be done.

Recently the government has commissioned two reviews – Jackson and Young – to look at the existing compensation system. Both of these offer real opportunities for change to bring  Motor Insurance back into profit and more importantly, for you our customers, to maintain the existing level of choice. The British Insurance Brokers’ Association agrees. It has devised its own eight-point plan to tackle the issue, much of it dealing with young drivers, but it also supports the Jackson review and calls for change to the compensation system.

Carjacking

Recent years have seen a sharp fall in the levels of car crime in Britain. Manufacturers have made great strides in introducing new security measures to their vehicles, with the result that it is now very difficult to steal a modern car without being in possession of the keys. While this is all welcome news, it does have a downside – and the downside is that thieves now have a greater incentive to get the keys than they ever did before. Of course, the easiest way to do this is to take them from the car’s owner directly: carjacking. Concerns about car-jacking have grown even amid falling rates of car crime generally.

So what is carjacking? And what can you do to protect yourself against it?

Carjacking is stealing a car while its owner is present. This can be done using threats or violence to secure the car keys from the car’s owner or, in some cases, opportunistically taking advantage of the driver having left the keys in the vehicle while popping off somewhere temporarily. A broad definition of the term car-jacking would also include the phenomenon of thieves breaking into a person’s house just to steal the car keys. Police estimate that 8% of all burglaries in Britain are undertaken for this reason. Altogether, there were over 11,000 cases of car-jacking recorded in Britain last year.

Carjacking – The Risks

Organised car-jacking gangs are known to operate in London, and drivers in the South-East are known to be particularly at risk, because the prevalence of high-value vehicles in the region makes it attractive to thieves. Cars stolen in this way will typically end up on the streets of Eastern Europe or Africa, being shipped out for resale very quickly through established criminal networks.

High-value cars are obviously at greater risk than old bangers, but even if you’re not driving the latest top-of-the-range model, you’re still at risk. Resale isn’t always the goal of the carjackers. Sometimes they intend to use the car in the commission of another crime; and sometimes the thieves are youths who just want to joyride.

Would-be carjackers will often use tricks to lure drivers from their vehicles. One ploy involves a pair of carjackers in a car to arranging a light collision with another car. When the driver comes out to look at the damage, one of the thieves will enter the car quickly and make off. Another ruse is to place some light obstruction like a cone in the path of the vehicle. When the driver emerges to clear it, the carjackers will strike.

Carjacking – Protecting Yourself

So what can you do to protect yourself from car-jacking? One option is to have a tracker system fitted to your vehicle. These allow your car to be located wherever it is taken. Typically, you could expect to pay several hundred pounds for the installation of the device, and a further service charge of around £10-30 monthly to a firm which operates the tracking service.

You do not need to go to vast expense to limit the threat you face from car-jacking, though. Many of the most effective measures you can take come from simply being aware of the problem, and applying common sense to your situation.

• If you’re involved in an accident with another car which seems suspicious or contrived to you, don’t get out. Lock your doors, drive to the nearest police station, and tell them what happened.
• Don’t leave your keys in the car when you pop out to a shop or garage. In most cases, your insurance will not cover the theft of your vehicle in these circumstances.
• If there are multiple lanes, and you’re going to be stopped at a junction or traffic lights, move your car into the lane away from the pavement, making it harder for anyone to get to you.
• While driving in urban areas, keep your doors locked and your windows rolled up.
• When inside the house, don’t leave your car keys somewhere that’s easily visible or accessible from outside doors or windows.
• Be wary when a stranger attempts to flag you down, especially in isolated locations.

Carjacking is a frightening reality in Britain today. Being aware of the danger, however, and applying a number of common-sense measures consistently, can limit the threat it poses to you and your family.

Fronting

Sensitivity

Travel Insurance

GSI have recommended Fortis travel insurance  for over 20 years now. During this time their rates have continually proven to be competitive and their cover is one of the widest avaiable in the travel insurance market.

Fortis Insurance is one of the UK’s most experienced travel insurers, covering more than 50 million travellers over a period of 35 years.

Their insurance offers value for money with high levels of cover for holiday makers and business travellers, with a choice of single trip, multi-trip and long stay cover, plus additional options to include winter sports, business equipment, European vehicle breakdown and excess waiver.

Support is available from  Fortis Onecall, and medical emergency service; Assistance International – both of which are based in house and operate 24 hours a day, 365 days per year.

Download more details and a summary of cover

There are valuable extensions available such as  winter sports cover, golf/business equipment cover, excess waiver or indeed reductions for cover not needed.

Rates start from as little as £16.50 for european cover for 1 person up to 17 days (Terms and conditions apply)

Phone GSI on 01474 359118 for a travel Insurance quote now

Advice to Golfers

Information displayed at a Scottish Golf Club

1.  BACK STRAIGHT, KNEES BENT, FEET SHOULDER WIDTH APART.

2.  FORM A LOOSE GRIP.

3.  KEEP YOUR HEAD DOWN!

4.  AVOID A QUICK BACK SWING.

5.  STAY OUT OF THE WATER.

6.  TRY NOT TO HIT ANYONE.

7..  IF YOU ARE TAKING TOO LONG, LET OTHERS GO AHEAD OF YOU.

8.  DON’T STAND DIRECTLY IN FRONT OF OTHERS.

9.  QUIET PLEASE …. WHILE OTHERS ARE PREPARING.

10.  DON’T TAKE EXTRA STROKES.

WELL DONE!  NOW …..
FLUSH THE URINAL, WASH YOUR HANDS, GO OUTSIDE AND TEE OFF!!!

---

The cost to us for uninsured drivers

Young men top uninsured list

February, 2010

Male motorists living in Dumfriesshire are the most likely to have a conviction for driving uninsured, according a respected source within the Insurance Industry.

The  analysis came from  almost three million car insurance quotes given over a year and found that men in their early twenties living in the Scottish town of Sanquhar in Dumfriesshire, have the highest proportion of convictions on their license for driving uninsured (28%).

Men of the same age living in Hebden Bridge in West Yorkshire, and those in Glasgow, take second and third place, with 24% and 20% respectively having the IN10 conviction.

Boy racers

Men under 25, generally speaking, seem to be the least responsible group of drivers  from all categories, they appear to be both boy racers and law breakers

With half of the top ten profiles for uninsured drivers being males under 25 years old, they are more likely to flout the law by driving without car insurance.

Unfortunately the high cost of car insurance, especially for younger drivers, could be the overriding reason for this. With recent news that the cost of comprehensive car insurance increased by almost 19% in 2009,2 we could see the number of uninsured drivers on our roads increase in the future.

Women drivers

Only one female profile appearing in the top ten. Female motorists in their early twenties living in the market town of Dunstable in Bedfordshire take seventh spot.

Postcode/ Area/ Age / Gender/ Offence Code/ % of convictions

• DG4/ Sanquhar, Dumfriesshire/ 22 – 25/ Male/ IN10/ 28.42%
• HX7/ Hebden Bridge, West Yorkshire/ 22 – 25/ Male/ IN10/ 24.88%
• G14/ Glasgow/ 22 – 25/ Male/ IN10/ 20.43%
• M12/ Manchester/ 31 – 40/ Male/ IN10/ 17.42%
• KA4 Galston, Ayrshire/ 17 – 21/ Male/ IN10/ 15.79%
• E9/ Hackney, London/ 51 +/ Male/ IN10/ 14.39%
• B7/ Nechells, Birmingham/ 51 +/ Male/ IN10/ 14.29%
• LU5/ Dunstable, Bedfordshire/ 22 – 25/ Female/ IN10/ 12.84%
• HR6/ Leominster/ 22 – 25/ Male/ IN10/ 12.45%
• W11/ Notting Hill, London/ 31 – 40/ Male/ IN10/ 12.37%

The Economy

The economy grew by 0.1% in the last quarter of 2009, bringing to an official end the longest recession since records began in 1955, but this in not something that we should get too excited about – either way. On the one hand, people are disappointed that the growth in Gross Domestic Product (GDP) was only a tenth of one percent – a quarter of the level expected by many commentators. On the other, there was relief that we are at least back in positive territory now.
The reason for a degree of optimism for those who were disappointed is that the Office for National Statistics has a habit of reassessing the figures as it goes and in both the second and third quarters of 2009, the revisions were upwards – mind you, for the four preceding quarters, the revisions were downwards, but that was simply following the trend; since we are now moving upwards, we can be (reasonably) confident that the revisions will be positive. If not, the next general election could be even more interesting!
The potential fly in the ointment, however, is that there were special circumstances that may have increased consumer spending in the final months of last year, especially the impending VAT rise on 1st January and deep discounting by retailers, both of which will have added to GDP growth. Equally, with an eye to the first three months of this year, the VAT increase may have an impact on manufacturing and sales and the bad weather we have experienced will have slowed retail spending – although it will also have increased expenditure on heating. Mind you, according to the Centre
for Economics and Business Research, the extreme winter of 1962/3 may have reduced manufacturing output by 7% in February, but there was actually no overall impact on GPD due to increased spending in other areas.