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Are you protecting your most precious cargo when you drive? Seatbelts have long been mandatory in the UK, however, it was not until recently that legislation was passed to ensure the safety of UK children when driving. On Sept 18th, 2006, new regulations became law concerning the enforced use of child car seats in the UK. The changes to child car seats were long overdue: the last time the laws were updated was back in 1993. Previously, child seats and booster seats were suggested to be used “where available”.

New Regulations to Change Old Habits

What exactly are the new rules? The regulations state that “all children travelling in an automobile must be subject to the appropriate safety restraint.” Although simple sounding, these regulations are designed to prevent a repeat of the nearly 11,000 children under the age of 11 killed or injured in car accidents in 2005.

It has been suggested that the proper use of a child restraint could have prevented a large number of these injuries and deaths. These new rules also apply for the transportation of babies – for example rear facing baby seats cannot be used in the front passenger seat when an airbag device has been activated.

While seatbelts create safety for adults, child restraints are far more capable of protecting a child’s life. Seatbelts are designed with the adult body-type in mind and are not suitable to the smaller child frame. Lawmakers have suggested that recognizing this fact and implementing the changes in child-restraint laws could prevent over 2000 child deaths each year.

How Do I Know Which Child Restraint is Legal?

An appropriate safety restraint conforms to the United Nations standard, ECE regulation 44-03. Yet in addition to this, the child must fit into the child restraint! Make sure you have found the seat most appropriate with your child’s weight and height. Don’t forget to check with the manufacturers’ instructions – it may save your child’s life.

Choose Your Child’s Seat Carefully

It is important to understand the different types of child seats and their proper usage. A child’s weight and height must be considered when choosing a child restraint. There are several different child restraints which the government has suggested to match a child’s weight/height ratio.

• Group 0 – Rearward facing child seats (for babies up to 10 kg)
• Group 1 – Forward facing child seat (for children 9-18 kg)
• Group 2 – Booster seats (for children 15-29 kg)
• Group 3 – Booster cushion (for children 22-36 kg)

Some Extra Precautions

Now that you have chosen your child’s restraint seat it is imperative to remember to make sure that the belt is worn snugly. Also, the lap belt should go over the pelvic region, not the stomach. Finally, the diagonal strap should rest over the shoulder, not the neck. If you can apply these new rules and regulations to your child’s protection, you are well on your way to protecting your most precious cargo!

• The AA
• Green Flag
• The RAC
• More Than
• GEM Motoring Assist

For more detailed information and all the best deals from the AA visit www.aa-cover.com/

Tags: AA, Automobile Association, Car Insurance, Car Maintenance, Cars, Child Safety

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You already know that travel cover is essential to ensure that you are protected from unforeseen events during your holiday. However, some people take their policies for granted, assuming that their cover will protect them from everything.

This is simply not the case; every insurance company sets their own parameters around what will and will not be covered, so it is important for you to understand the fine print both before you purchase cover and before you set off on your holiday.

Here are some situations that may, or may not, be covered by standard travel insurance. If any of these factors appear important to you and the well0being of your holiday, you should speak with your provider and see if they have additional cover that can be added to your package.

Tour Cancellations

Some holiday cover does offer protection if your trip is cancelled, not be by you, but by the company from whom you purchased it. However, this is not always the case. Even if you have purchased cover that includes cancellation coverage, it may only apply to situations in which you were forced to cancel the holiday for personal reasons such as illness or injury.

Acts of War and Protest

Travelling to politically unstable areas carries a unique set of risks and not all of them will be covered by your travel insurance. Even if your cover does include acts of terrorism, there may be exclusions for war and civil unrest. Be sure to speak with your insurance provider about the types of incidences that will be covered and those that will not.

Pre-Existing Medical Conditions

Protection in the event of an illness is a common reason for people to purchase travel cover – after all, it can be very expensive to obtain medical care particularly when travelling internationally. However, your cover may not apply to conditions that are related to illnesses that you had before leaving on your holiday. More information about pre-existing medical conditions can be found in the article Travel Insurance for Retired Travellers.

Illness or Death of a Pet

If you have to cancel or curtail a holiday because of the illness or death of a family member, it is likely that your insurance provider will be sympathetic and your cover will apply. This is not usually the case, however, when that family member is furry and walks on all fours.

It is unlikely that you will find travel cover that considers the illness or death of a pet as an insurable reason for cancelling a trip. However, if this is a concern for you some pet insurance options may be able to help.

Sport Injuries

Although you may feel secure with your travel insurance’s health and accident cover, you should make certain about which types of activities are covered and which are not. For example, it is not uncommon for insurance companies to exclude adventure sports that carry high risk of injury such as bungee jumping, paragliding, skiing, and white water rafting.

• The AA
• Green Flag
• The RAC
• More Than
• GEM Motoring Assist

For more detailed information and all the best deals from the AA visit www.aa-cover.com/

Tags: AA, Automobile Association, Travel, Travel Insurance

Sourced from http://www.cover-direct.co.uk/

Retirement is the perfect time to travel – your children are no longer at home and you now have a chance to think about yourself and pursue dreams that were once placed on hold for family and work.

As financial planning for retirement improves, the travel industry is seeing a large increase in the “Golden Years” market. This has led to many specialized products and packages that appeal specifically to retired people. These improvements are certainly welcome, but there is one area that retired travellers have difficulty with – Travel Insurance.

Like most types of insurance, increasing age does make it more difficult to obtain travel cover. This is not because insurance companies want to prevent you from enjoying your retirement, but is instead the result of restrictions that apply more frequently to older travellers than younger ones. For example, age makes the presence of a pre-existing medical condition more likely.

The Right Travel Cover is Out There

Although it can seem daunting, the perfect travel cover for you does exist. When searching through potential policies, you should be certain to first check age restrictions and any special conditions to which you may be subject. For example, be sure to understand whether you will be required to provide additional medical information because of your age.

The most important thing is to find an insurance company that is willing to treat you an individual. Companies that provide flexible and comprehensive packages are more likely to have the perfect product for you than those who are very rigid and limited in their offerings.

Pre-Existing Medical Conditions

One of the biggest hurdles that retired travellers face in obtaining travel cover is the concept of pre-existing medical conditions. Here is some information on this concept and how it may affect your ability to obtain travel cover.

What is a pre-existing condition?

Every insurance company has a slightly different definition what counts as a pre-existing medical condition. Overall, this term refers to a medical condition that was present at the time that you purchased the travel insurance. The variance occurs in how the company interprets the term “present”. There are three ways for the company to interpret it:

• The condition was formally diagnosed.
• The condition could have been reasonably identified (i.e. You had enough symptoms of the condition that even without a diagnosis you would have known it existed)
• The condition existed at the time, whether diagnosed/suspected or not.

Of course, you are likely to feel most secure dealing with a company who considers a pre-existing condition to be one that has been diagnosed.

How will it affect my cover?

The way it will affect your cover depends on both the nature of the condition and the insurance company’s policy in dealing with pre-existing conditions. In some situations, you will be able to obtain cover, but any incidences related to the pre-existing condition will be excluded.

Unfortunately, some people chose to try to conceal pre-existing medical conditions rather than honestly declaring them. This can create situations in which your entire cover becomes void and may open you to substantial financial risks should your pre-existing condition become an issue during your holiday. It is best to be honest and trust that you have selected an insurance company that is willing to work with you to find the best cover possible.

• The AA
• Green Flag
• The RAC
• More Than
• GEM Motoring Assist

For more detailed information and all the best deals from the AA visit www.aa-cover.com/

Tags: AA, Automobile Association, Medical Cover, Travel, Travel Insurance