Students urged to check cover

Students departing for university this month have been urged to check that their parent’s home insurance policy provides enough cover before buying their own specialist insurance policy.

Insurer Cornhill Direct explained that many parents do not realise that their home contents policy will usually offer sufficient cover for their children at university, making it unnecessary to buy a stand-alone student policy.

Mike Bishop, of Cornhill Direct, said: “We know from insurance claims we receive from parents that the university lifestyle can leave students vulnerable to theft from their rooms.

“These days, students take a lot of electrical kit to university such as laptops, Mp3 players and mobile phones, so they do need to be insured.”

A survey of 1,000 students also revealed that almost a third of students spend more time drinking and socialising than studying, although 41 per cent admitted that they do often feel guilty about this.

Home insurance policies from Cornhill Direct, Nationwide, HSBC, NatWest, More Than and Norwich Union direct all over cover for possessions in temporary student accommodation.

Tags: insurer, Mike Bishop, lot, specialist insurance, union

Millions suffer from Crashback

Having a car crash may have more of an effect on us than we think it will.

New research has highlighted a condition which has been labelled ‘Crashback’ and sees 85,000 people failing to get back behind the wheel six months after the accident.

More Than highlights that many drivers suffer from nightmares, panic attacks and flashbacks following a crash and this affects their future driving.

It could have a negative impact on insurance claims as well, as sufferers tend to lose confidence, become nervous motorists and are more prone to driving erratically – increasing the chances of having another accident.

The effects of Crashback can be felt for some time, with More Than discovering that almost 170,000 British motorists take more than six months to drive again.

An additional 85,000 people say they have not returned to their car since crashing and over three million admitted that they still thin about their accident every time they drive.

Marcia Chambers, from accident councillors FirstAssist Services, said help is at hand.

“Crashback is a very common condition amongst drivers who have been involved in an accident,” she commented. “Any car crash, no matter how small, can be traumatic, and there’s nothing unusual in feeling upset or anxious after a crash.

“An important part of the recovery process is talking about how you feel. Partners, family and friends are often willing to help, but there is also the option of speaking to a professional counselling service.”

Keeping an accident to yourself can prolong the recovery period, yet 1.5 million of those asked said that they have never told anyone about their crash.

Tags: Subaru, recovery period, counselling service, Than, feeling