Friday, May 9, 2008

Post Office insurance for motorcyclists launched

The Post Office has launched a new motorcycle insurance policy, with one month's free cover offered for a limited period. Customers taking out the policy can also choose from a number of options, such as insuring up to four bikes on the same policy or taking out up to £500 accessories cover per bike. Female bikers in particular could stand to benefit from the Post Office's insurance, as they can claim a discount of up to 36 per cent in addition to any other discounts that are applicable.

According to the insurer's data, motorcycle use has increased by 37 per cent over the past ten years in the UK, with 1.2 million bikers currently on the roads.
Richard Pennant-Jones, Post Office head of general insurance, commented: "We expect the number of motorcyclists to increase further over the next few years and have launched this new policy to provide them with comprehensive cover at a competitive price." Recently the Post Office urged 'health tourists' travelling abroad for medical procedures to ensure they have the correct level of travelinsurance.

news source : http://www.moneynews.co.uk/

Monday, May 5, 2008

BIKERS IN NORTH WEST LONDON FIVE TIMES MORE LIKELY TO HAVE MOTORCYCLE STOLEN

Bikers living in North West London are over five times more likely to have their bike stolen compared to the average rider, according to the largest annual survey of motorcycle theft risk. Carole Nash, the UK’s biggest motorcycle insurance specialist, has analysed claims from its 230,000 bike insurance policyholders to pinpoint the nation’s theft hotspots, bringing bad news for Londoners and Liverpudlians.

The Carole Nash Motorcycle Theft Survey found that those living in the North West London (NW) area are at the highest risk when it comes to theft from the 117 main UK postcodes surveyed. Greater London postcodes feature in eight of the top ten highest risk areas, with Liverpool facing the worst record outside of the capital. A biker living in Liverpool’s L postcode is more than twice as likely to have their motorcycle stolen than the average rider.


Motorcycle insurance premiums are also likely to be higher in Preston’s PR postcode, which soared 64 places up the UK league – the highest year-on-year climb. But there was also good news as bikers in Hereford saw the area plummet 64 places - the HR code now props up the table with other low risk areas Galashiels (TD), Perth (PH), Llandrindod Wells (LD), the Isle of Man (IM) and Dumfries & Galloway (DG).
London bikers are easily the ones most likely to make a bike insurance claim for a stolen bike, suffering over six times the risk of the lowest ranked region, Northern Ireland.

“Year in year out our survey finds that Londoners face what is, frankly, an unacceptable theft risk,” said Carole Nash’s operations director, Dave Bowcock. “We might be talking about a bike worth more than a small car, perhaps £10,000, and yet there is still a desperate shortage of secure motorcycle parking places, not just in London but across the UK. Perhaps it’s time that the authorities addressed this rather than pumping out anti-motorcycle rhetoric and incorrect figures on the number of untaxed motorcyclist which only serve to further demonise the biking community. Biking should be being championed as a congestion- busting, environmentally friendly option, not marginalised, or worse, attacked.”


But he added that bikers themselves also needed to make greater effort to protect their machines. “Whilst security features fitted as standard have improved on some models in recent years, the majority still need additional investment in devices such as ground anchors, heavy duty chains and microdot tagging systems. Leaving an unsecured bike on the street is as good as leaving out a big bag of cash.”


Adding and using security features to a motorcycle can lead to notable reductions in motorbike insurance premiums as well as reducing the hassle and inconvenience that theft or vandalism inevitably causes.

The survey also found that, for the second year running, the model most prized by the thieves is Honda’s SCV100 Lead scooter. Almost six times as many motorcycle insurance claims were made for stolen scooters and mopeds as they were for the lowest risk category, the tourer.

news source : http://www.responsesource.com/