The average school bag is worth £265!

With the start of the new school year fast approaching, parents will be sending their children off to secondary school (aged 11 to 16) with overflowing school bags worth on average £265, according to esure home insurance. Hi-tech gadgets and the latest 'must-haves' are to blame as 60% of parents admitted that their children never go to school without their mobile phone and almost a fifth (17%) take a hand-held games console with them, such as a Play Station Portable or Nintendo DS Lite, for break time entertainment.

Three in ten pupils don't leave the house without their ipod or MP3 or MP4 players and almost one on ten (9%) have replaced traditional paper timetables or diaries with electronic personal organisers.

Although £265 is the value of the 'average' school bag, some fashion-conscious teens could be taking personal items worth over £1100 into school:

Nike Back pack £17.99

Designer trainers Nike Shox Rivalry trainers £45.00

Stationery set Including pencil case, fountain pen and geometry set £13.97

Wallet Rip Curl Search Signature wallet £6.99

Mobile phone Silver Samsung E900 £89.99

USB stick Kingston Technology 2GB USB 2.0 Flash pen £7.37

Watch Nike Blade Watch £45.00

Designer spectacles FCUK designer spectacles £125.00

Musical instrument Buffet E11 Clarinet £535.00

Sports equipment Prince Tennis Racket Rebel Ti £40.00

MP3 player Samsung 1gb Ultraslim MP3 player £38.88

Handheld games console Play Station Portable - Base unit console (black) £99.95

Electronic personal organiser Compaq iPAQ - H3850 Pocket PC (Colour) £75.95

Total = £1141.09

Nikki Sellers, Head of Home Insurance at esure, said: "Gone are the days of arming your kids with a fountain pen, exercise book and a pair of plimsoles on the first day of school. Nowadays designer gear and hi-tech gadgetry are the must-haves for today's school children.

"With the average bag at £265 it's crucial to ensure that the valuables being carried around in school bags are not only insured but, if possible, kept away from school. The best place for anything of value is at home in the bedroom rather than in the classroom."

esure home insurance offers some top tips for parents:Make sure the school bag is insured - Parents should consider adding 'personal possessions away from the home' cover to their contents insurance to insure their family's possessions against loss, theft and damage whilst out and about, including whilst at school.Leave valuables at home - To reduce the likelihood of having to make a claim, parents should limit the number of high value items, such as ipods and PSPs, that their children are taking regularly to school - perhaps limiting it to special occasions or the last week of term.

Taking care at school and on the way to/from school - Parents should make sure that their children know to take good care of their things e.g. not leave their bag unattended at any time; lock lockers; avoid leaving valuable on pegs; be discrete and don't 'show off' to class mates with a new gadget or mobile; don't get distracted at a bus stop or on public transport and keep a tight hold on bags; and so on.

Take preventative measures - Parents should consider buying a good quality padlock for their child's locker; choosing a school bag with lockable zips; and avoiding designer brands, or high-fashion mobile phones that have greater desirability.

Don't forget musical instruments - Children's hobbies have become more exciting and expensive in recent years. With the continued popularity of learning a musical instrument for personal enjoyment, parents should be aware that they may have to insure a musical instrument if it is borrowed from the school.

Sat-nav cuts insurance premiums - vnunet.com

Sat-nav cuts insurance premiums - vnunet.com

The RAC has begun offering discounts on its insurance premiums for motorists who use satellite navigation equipment.

According to the breakdown recovery service, using sat-nav devices makes drivers less likely to crash.
"It means you don't have to constantly look at road names, warning signs and so on," said an RAC spokesman. "It makes you a lower risk."

Mark Peacey, a spokesman for sat-nav company Garmin, added: "Using sat-nav is considered a great way to make driving less stressful and more enjoyable.

"With innovations like pre-loaded speed camera information, drivers are alerted to known black-spots and provided with an ongoing reminder to be aware of conditions and speed."

iPod users warned on digital music risk News - PC Advisor

iPod users warned on digital music risk News - PC Advisor

In an investigation of 46 UK insurance providers, the Consumers Association's Computing Which? Magazine found that less than half provided cover for iTunes music and other digital downloads.

None protected music files in the event of hardware or mechanical failure – so if a computer is hit by a virus, or the hard drive fails, there is no possibility of iPod users making a claim.

Many insurers seemed confused about downloads. For example, staff at Tesco Personal Finance were unfamiliar with the area, while at MoreThan the policy wording didn’t reflect the fact that digital downloads were actually covered.

On a positive note, those companies that are keeping up with the times insure a wide range of digital content including music videos, TV programmes, films, games and even ring tones for phones.

Computing Which? Is giving the following tips to avoid digital download disaster:

1) Check your policy documents, or call your insurer directly, to see if you’re covered
2) Keep any receipts or bank statements relating to digital downloads you’ve bought
3) Make sure that your systems have anti-virus software, anti-spyware and a firewall installed as hardware or mechanical failure are rarely protected
4) Protect your digital content with a back up copy, particularly if you’re not covered by insurance
5) Consider switching insurance companies to avoid disappointment

Abigail Waraker, editor ofComputing Which? magazine, said: “Downloading music online is widely accepted now as being the easiest and most convenient way to buy music. Music lovers know it, the music companies know it – but it seems insurance companies are determined to stay behind the times.

“We’d like to see insurance companies make their way to the top of the charts by providing full cover for all digital contents."

Insure iPod Online

Insurance premiums to rise after UK floods / Current Headlines / Home - Global Continuity

Insurance premiums to rise after UK floods / Current Headlines / Home - Global Continuity


Two of the UK's largest insurance companies have ananounced higher insurance premiums following the June and July floods that affected Yorkshire, Humberside, Gloucestershire and Oxfordshire. The world's fifth largest insurer, Aviva - which owns Norwich Union - said it was planning to introduce 10% increases in buildings and contents premiums. Royal Bank of Scotland, said it expected "upward pressure" on premiums.

"Many of our customers’ homes have been damaged by the severe flooding the UK has experienced over the last two months, and we have been working hard to process their claims as quickly as possible and assist them at this difficult time. This has, naturally, affected RBS Insurance’s results, with June flood claims estimated to have cost a net £125 million."Sir Fred Goodwin Group Chief Executive, RBS. RBS Insurance owns the Direct Line, Churchill and Privilege sell general insurance brands.

Aviva said it estimates the cost of the July floods in Gloucestershire, and reinsurance to limit the costs of future similar events in the UK, to be in the region of £165 million. These costs will impact the group's general insurance results in the second half of the year.The initial cost estimate of £175m for the June floods remains unchanged.

In a statement, Aviva said: "The priority for Aviva's UK general insurance business, Norwich Union Insurance, continues to be helping those impacted by these devastating events through an exceptionally difficult time. A network of loss adjusters, contractors and claims teams is on site at all flood areas to assess the full extent of the damage. Call centre staff numbers have been doubled to deal with the extra calls. A fully equipped mobile advice centre has been sent to Gloucestershire, manned by claims and repair specialists, to provide practical help and advice on dealing with the aftermath of homes and businesses being flooded. Work also continues in the north of England following the floods in June.".

Igal Mayer, chief executive of Norwich Union Insurance, said, "Having visited Gloucestershire myself, I've witnessed at first hand the traumatic and emotional impact the floods have had on our customers. We're bringing in additional contractors and specialist equipment to ensure repairs are carried out as quickly as possible, and we're in discussions with local authorities to find the best solution to providing temporary accommodation for those who have had to leave their homes. We will continue to do everything we can to help our customers affected by these devastating events return to normal as soon as possible."

New Insurance Policy to Cover Art - Artguard

Artguard insurance offers cost effective cover to insure all sorts of traditional, conceptual or contemporary artwork. These art pieces can be paintings, drawings, prints, photos, sculptures and glass pieces in a traditional, contemporary or conceptual style.

Artguard provides:

1. Cover against theft, loss and accidental damage up to £50,000
2. Temporary purchase cover up to £10,000
3. Temporary removal cover within the UK for up to 30 days
4. Loss of value
5. Cover for theft or loss from a vehicle
6. No excess as standard

The cover is provided by Pavilion Insurance Management Ltd and sold under the name of Artguard, inline with their other insurance offerings such as CycleGuard, LaptopGuard, and Gizmo Guard to name a few.

Cycleguard enter triathlon field

Cycleguard, the specialist bicycle insurance providers have released Cycleguard Triathlon, a new policy created specifically for triathletes. The policy is endorsed by (and was designed in conjunction with) The London Triathlon Ltd - organisers of the Michelob Ultra London Triathlon, the Mazda Blenheim Triathlon and the London Duathlon.

Cycleguard Triathlon features a maximum bicycle value of £10,000 and the ability to leave a bicycle unattended during organised triathlon events, ensuring that transition times aren't affected. Cyclists that take the Active option are not only covered whilst participating in triathlons but that also extends to cover other competitive cycle sports including road racing, something which is usually excluded from cycle insurance policies.

Marketing Director Giles Rees says "We've had a lot of positive feedback about the product. People like the fact that they are able to choose the options that work best for them, rather than being handed a one size fits all policy and this flexibility also results in cheaper premiums."

Cycleguard Triathlon customers are able to transact all aspects of their policy online, from change of address and bicycle details, upgrade of policy options right through to instant online renewal.

For policy information, quotes or online cover, visit: Triathalon Insurance