News

High Percentage Of Tyre Treads Below Recommended Limit

Tyre As a motorist, you will hopefully be aware that the tyres on your car plus the spare wheel must have a tread depth of at least 1.6 mm to make sure that they are legal. However, the recommended minimum tread depth on a tyre is considerably more at 3 mm.

Research shows that the stopping distance increases significantly when comparing a car that only has a tyre tread depth of 1.6 mm than if the tyres had a tread depth of 3 mm.

According to a Road Safety Factsheet published in October 2017 by The Royal Society for the Prevention of Accidents. Back in 2016, there were 120 serious injuries and 8 deaths due to road traffic accidents believed to have resulted from either under-inflated, defective or illegal tyres.

Well, you may find it of interest to read that some research has been conducted on behalf of the price comparison website Confused.com relating to tyre tread depths between the 27^th March 2018 and the 29^th March 2018 and the information revealed will no doubt concern you.

The research was undertaken in 10 cities in the UK with 100 vehicles being spot checked in each city making a total of 1,000 vehicles. The cities in which this research was carried out were Birmingham, Brighton, Bristol, Cardiff, Edinburgh, Ipswich, Leeds, London, Manchester and Newcastle.

Of those vehicles inspected, 20.9%, over a fifth, were found to have a minimum of one tyre that had a tread depth of under 3 mm. Even more worrying was that 3% of vehicles checked were found to have at least one tyre with a tread depth of below 1.6 mm.

Edinburgh had the highest number of vehicles that had a minimum of one tyre with a tread depth of less than 3 mm – 27%. Manchester was in second place at 26%. Birmingham was in third place at 23%. Brighton and Newcastle were in joint fourth place at 21%. Bristol was in 6^th place on 20%. Ipswich was in 7^th place on 20%, Cardiff and Ipswich were in joint 8th spot on 19%. In 9^th place was Leeds on 17% and in 10^th spot was London on 16%.

In joint first place for having at least one tyre with a tread depth of less than 1.6 mm were Ipswich and Newcastle on 5%. In joint third place were Edinburg, Leeds, Manchester and Brighton with 4%. In joint seventh spot were Bristol and London on 3%. In ninth place was Cardiff on 2% and in tenth spot was Birmingham with 0%.

You may or may not be aware that there are severe penalties for being caught with a tyre that has a tread depth of below the legal limit of 1.6 mm. You could receive three penalty points on your driving license plus a fine of up to £2,500 for every illegal tyre. This in turn could lead to an increase in your car insurance premiums. So, you may wish to have the tread depth on all your tyres checked to make sure that they are satisfactory.

Introducing Daley Grice

Airsports Insurance Bureau (AIB), the niche and high net worth insurance broker, has appointed Daley Grice as Specialist Insurance Consultant within the personal lines and high net worth team.

Daley has over 5 years of experience in the insurance industry, and brings with him a wealth of knowledge and transferable skills to nurture new and existing clients. He joins from Business Choice Direct where he worked within the commercial sales department, focussing on courier and taxi business. Prior to this Daley worked at both A-Plan Insurance and Ageas both locally in Eastleigh.

The division Daley joins within AIB specialise in meeting the insurance requirements of individuals and companies that may have high net worth, performance and exotic cars. AIB can cover vehicles such as Ferrari, Porsche and McLaren as well as collections of classics and vintage vehicles and modified, kit and imported cars. They have a broad selection of products for unusual and non-standard homes, such as thatched, flood risk and clients with higher sum insureds as well as being able to cover unoccupied, holiday homes and rentals.

Daley was born in Winchester and attended Toynbee School in Chandlers Ford. He has 2 small children, still lives locally and his claim to fame is he once met and spent a morning training with boxing legend David Haye at his gym.

In other news AIB are delighted to announce experienced team member Murray Johnston recently won the local election whilst representing the Liberal Democrats and is now Councillor for Rowner and Holbrook within the Gosport Borough.

Welcome on board Daley and well done and congratulations Murray.

Classic Ferrari Sells For World Record Price

Those of our customers who are classic car enthusiasts will no doubt be aware that classic Ferraris are highly desirable vehicles with many commanding high prices as and when they are offered for sale. The Ferrari 250 GTO is reputably the most sought after of them all with, it would be fair to say, a value far exceeding what most people can afford to spend. For instance, back in 2013, it is believed that one was sold privately for around £40 million.

Well, it is believed that that figure has recently been exceeded with a 1963 Ferrari 250 GTO fetching in the region of £52 million. This would make it currently the world’s most expensive classic car. Apparently, when originally sold brand new, this make and model of car could be bought for around $18,500. We are sure that you will agree this is a significant increase in value over the years and has probably provided a greater investment return than any other asset.

Who has paid that sort of money for such a wonderful vehicle? Well, it is believed that a businessman called David MacNeil from the USA is now the proud owner of this classic sports car. He owns a business that sells car mats and, by the sounds of things, appears to have made a considerable amount of money doing so.

Only thirty-nine Ferrari 250 GTOs were built between 1962 to 1964. So, it is an extremely rare classic vehicle with this no doubt having a considerable bearing upon its value. These models were capable of rocketing to a top speed of around 174 mph.

This particular Ferrari 250 GTO actually won the 1964 Tour De France so this will no doubt have had an impact upon its value. It has also taken part in many other motor racing events.

The premium to insure such a classic car would no doubt be considerable and there are possibly not too many insurance companies that would be prepared to take on the insurance risk. In this respect, if you are the proud owner of any make and model of classic or vintage vehicle and require a quotation for classic car insurance then why not get in touch with us on 02380 268 351 and one of our experienced members of staff will discuss your requirements with a view to doing all that can be done to obtain a competitive quotation from our panel of insurers.

Motorhome Sales Increase

If you are the proud owner of a motorhome you may be interested to read that you are one of a growing number of holidaymakers who take to the road in such a vehicle to enjoy a break both here in the UK and overseas. According to statistics produced by the NCC that is the trade body for the motorhome, tourer, park home and caravan holiday home industries the number of people buying motorhomes rose in 2017 – in fact there has been a steady increase for a number of years.

Below are the statistics for new motorhomes registered here in the UK: –

2017 14,062

2016 12,332

2015 10,572

2014 8,733

2013 7,425

Below are the statistics for pre-owned motorhomes registered here in the UK: –

2017 55,449

2016 55,020

2015 48,839

2014 47,755

2013 45,572

The above organization also produced some interesting statistics for the number of new motorhomes registered in certain European countries that showed there has been an increase in certain countries when comparing 2017 with 2016: –

France 8.3% increase

UK 14.0% increase

Germany 15.5% increase

Italy 19.1% increase

It is estimated that there are in the region of 225,000 motorhomes being used here in the UK. Interestingly, there are about 555,000 touring caravans and 365,000 caravan holiday homes being utilized here in the UK. In 2016, it was estimated that people in Great Britain spent in the region of £2 billion per annum on caravan holidays and it is believed that about £6 billion is contributed to the economy here in the UK by the caravan industry every year.

Of course, as with most things that can be purchased, there is such a huge variance in the cost of buying a motorhome ranging from a few thousand pounds for a second hand vehicle to a six-figure sum for a brand new motorhome.

If you are considering investing in a motor home and it is not the type of holiday that you have tried before then you may prefer to hire such a vehicle for a week or two to make sure that touring around the UK and beyond is for you and your family.

Here at AIB Insurance we have many years experience in arranging motorhome insurance for numerous clients, We have a panel of reputable insurers so why not get in contact with us on 02380 268 351 and speak with a friendly, informative member of our team who will happily arrange a bespoke, competitive quotation without any obligation.

Military Jet Has Near Miss With Paragliders

If you participate in paragliding then you will be well aware that there are numerous risks relating to your sport that could potentially lead to a serious accident taking place resulting in injury or death. Fortunately, such incidents are few and far between both here in the UK and elsewhere around the world.

Well, who would have thought that when four paragliders from the Avon Hang Gliding and Paragliding Club took to the air on the 26^th January 2018 they were to have a close encounter with a military jet. In fact so close that one of the paragliders apparently claimed that the heat from the jet’s engine could be felt.

The encounter took place at around 12.33pm on the above date with a Royal Navy Hawk T1 military jet over Bratton Camp that is located near Westbury in Wiltshire at between 1,000 feet to 1,500 feet above the ground. The jet in question was in the throes of a practice bombing run.

Obviously the jet was travelling at a considerable speed and it flew between the four paragliders who were no doubt disturbed at such an incident. The near miss was actually filmed by one of the paragliders who had a camera on his helmet.

A comprehensive report was recently published by the UK Airprox Board a copy of which can be found on their website. We are sure that those of you who enjoy paragliding will find the report of interest. Apparently, the military jet pilot had not previously been aware that the four paragliders would be in the air. The cause was determined as being due to the pilot of the military jet not seeing the four paragliders and was assessed as risk category A.

Here at AIB Insurance we can arrange competitive quality insurance cover for those of you who enjoy paragliding. So, why not give us a call on 02380 268 351 and discuss your requirements with a knowledgeable member of our team. We look forward to being of assistance.

Many Classic Motorcycles Sold At Recent Auction

If you are an enthusiastic collector of vintage motorcycles then you may like to know that there were a number of interesting motorbikes sold at Bonhams The Spring Stafford Sale that took place at Staffordshire County Showground on the 21^st to 22 April 2018. Below we mention some of the highlights of the auction but further details can be found on Bonhams website. Sales totalled £3,37,045.

A 1970 Clymer Munich 1,177cc TTS “Mammoth” motorcycle that had been restored to a very high standard was sold for £154,940. It is believed to be one of only 150 built in the USA so is very rare. It was capable of reaching a top speed of 120mph.

A 1973 MV Agusta 750S achieved a sale price of £96,700. It has an interesting colour scheme of red, white, blue and crimson so it definitely catches the eye. Not many of these delightful classic motorcycles were built which is no doubt a factor in why it achieved the sale price it did.

Perhaps the star of the show was a 1931 Brough Superior 981cc SS100 motorbike that was sold for £264,700 exceeding its estimated sale price of £170,000 to £220,000. Three charities benefitted from the sale proceeds – Salvation Army, Royal National Lifeboat Institution and the Search and Rescue Dog Association. This fantastic classic motorcycle was originally owned by Edinburgh Police and had been in the same ownership for in excess of 50 years.

A rare 1926 Coventry-Eagle 981cc Flying-8 motorbike went for £65,340. It had been restored in the 1980s and its last owner had it in their possession since 2013.

A 1955 Vincent 998cc Black Knight & Steib 501 Sidecar was sold for £63,100. Again, this is an extremely rare vehicle. It had been in the same ownership since way back in 1961 but the individual concerned who is 80 years of age was finding it difficult to start this classic motorcycle.

A 1957 ex-works Cecil Sandford FB Mondial 250cc DOHC Grand Prix World Championship Winning Racing Motorcycle achieved a sale price of £92,220. It was raced by Adamo Tursin who was a national champion on 16 occasions.

If you are the proud owner of a classic motorcycle or are looking to buy one for the first time then why not get in touch with us here at AIB Insurance on 02380 268 351 as we can arrange bespoke, competitive insurance cover for your vehicle through our reputable panel of insurers.

Introducing Our Newest Team Member – Kerry Scoines

Airsports Insurance Bureau has strengthened its Eastleigh offices further with the addition of young businesswoman Kerry Scoines.

Kerry has just completed her education at Winchester University and has previous experience in customer service. She joins our busy administration team where she will learn every aspect of an expanding, predominantly personal lines insurance broker, including motor, travel and home insurance.

A delighted Kerry said:” I am really pleased that I have been successful and given the opportunity to develop my career at AIB and look forward to helping out my friends and family when their car and home insurance is due for renewal too!”

At AIB we pride ourselves on the quality of our staff and the professional relationships we are able to build with all parties. We encourage our team to reach their full potential and give them the tools and resources for a rewarding career in a satisfying but demanding environment.

Kerry was born in London and relocated to Eastleigh, attending Crestwood Community School. She loves fancy dress and whilst comes across as a cool, composed and tranquil young lady, at the weekends she plays front row for her ladies rugby team!

Some Car Insurance Premiums Reduce

Car insurance premiums have been showing an upward trend for quite some time but the Confused.com car insurance price index has revealed that, on average, the cost of fully comprehensive car insurance has dropped slightly during the first quarter of 2018 when compared with a year ago. The average premium paid by motorists for such cover was £768 per annum with this being a small reduction of £13 per annum when compared to the first quarter of last year. This equates to a drop of around 2%.

When you look at the cost of cover based upon someone’s age, the vast majority of age brackets have seen a fall in the amount charged by car insurance providers. On average, it is still the younger motorist who has to pay the most for their car insurance. For instance, an 18 year old is paying most with premiums costing on average of £2,114 per annum. A 17 year old is paying an average of £2,003 per annum but this is actually £118 per annum less than they were paying a year ago, whilst a 21 year old is being charged an average of £1,621 per annum to insure their vehicle with this being a rise of £38 per annum. A 34 year old has to pay an average of £655 per annum.

It is perhaps interesting that someone of 68 years of age has seen his or her car insurance premiums rise by an average of £40 in the space of 12 months to an average of £543 per annum.

On a regional basis, motorists in Inner London have seen the cost of insuring their cars drop by an average of £81 per annum in comparison to a year ago. That is a fall of 6%. However, they can expect to pay, on average, more than £1,000 per annum for fully comprehensive cover. However, a motorist living in the Scottish Borders has had to face an average increase of £32 per annum to an average of £579 per annum and drivers in North and Central Wales have seen their car insurance premiums go up by an average of £12 per annum in the space of a year to an average of £629 per annum.

Let us hope that the average cost of insuring a car continues to drop in the coming months. However, it is important that motorists try to obtain the right level of cover from an insurer that provides an excellent service including when it comes to processing claims and for a competitive premium. In this respect, you will be pleased to read that, here at AIB Insurance, we have an extensive panel of insurers that can hopefully meet your exacting requirements. So, why not give us a call on 02380 268 351 and speak with a knowledgeable, friendly member of our team who will do all that he or she can to obtain a competitive quotation for your perusal without any obligation.

Covea Added To Our Insurance Panel

Here at AIB Insurance, we are pleased to announce that Covea Insurance plc has recently been added to our carefully vetted panel of insurers. It provides a variety of personal and commercial lines insurance products including cover for the likes of private car, home, motor breakdown, motor trade, motor fleet, shops, offices, surgeries, property owners, tradesmen and professionals as well as cover for high net worth clients.

Covea Insurance plc can trace its history going as far back as 1958 when Norman Insurance was established that was renamed MMA Insurance in 2000. Covea Insurance was launched in 2012 following the merger of MMA Insurance with Provident Insurance. It has won a number of awards including the Gold Accreditation for Investors in People in October 2014 and the Insurance Times Awards – Customer Champion of the Year and Training, Excellence and Impact (Insurer) in December 2014. It has 7 offices in the UK at which it employs about 1,500 staff. It has in excess of 1.9 million policyholders that, in 2017, produced premiums of £739 million. It has a Standard and Poor’s “A+ Stable” rating signifying its financial strength.

We have been most impressed with the range and quality of tailor made products offered by Covea whether it is to insure an executive five bedroomed detached property on an exclusive estate, a luxury apartment in a desirable area of London or a terraced property on the edge of a town, a family car or a top of the range high-powered sports car or an office for one of our professional clients. The level of service provided by the extremely knowledgeable staff at Covea is exceptional with no request being too much trouble.

Should you be in the unfortunate position of needing to make a claim, their dedicated UK based team is available 24 hours a day throughout the year including bank holidays. They pride themselves on their speed of response, calmness, support and attention to detail throughout the claims process being very conscious that it is, potentially, a stressful time in your life.

AIB Insurance looks forward to working closely with Covea and building on what has quickly become an effective partnership that can only be beneficial for all parties concerned including our highly valued clients both existing and new.

If you would like to find out more about Covea Insurance plc then why not visit their website at www.coveainsurance.co.uk

How To Reduce The Possibility Of Your Motorcycle Being Stolen

There are just under 1.3 million motorcycles registered here in the UK and, unfortunately, it is estimated that in the region of 30,000 are stolen every year – that is 2.3%. Regrettably, only about 40% of the motorcycles stolen are believed to be recovered and returned to their legal owners

So, what can you do to reduce the possibility of your motorbike being stolen? Well, it will come as no surprise to read that there is an awful lot of advice on the Internet but below we mention some of the things that can be done to help deter the theft of your beloved bike.

Cover

A thief is often looking for a particular model of motorbike to steal so a cover should act as a deterrent. In view of the additional time taken to remove a cover that should also put off some thieves.

Lock/Chain

A grip lock will secure the throttle and brake controls and a disc lock will assist in securing the front brake disc. Thread a chain lock through the back wheel.

Alarm

A Thatcham approved alarm system incorporating immobilization and tracking devices should help act as a deterrent but also locate the vehicle should it be stolen.

Mark the parts

Property marking the parts should help deter the thief as the parts would be difficult for a thief to sell. The parts can also be identified as coming from a particular stolen bike.

Parking your motorcycle

If you are out and about on your bike perhaps to go for a meal on an evening then don’t park it in a dimly lit side street. Instead park it in a well-lit car park or in a well lit street along which there is a regular flow of pedestrians.

Where to keep your motorcycle at home

Either leave it in your locked garage or locked shed. In addition, why not have a ground anchor fitted.

If you do not have a garage or shed then park it in a visible location in a well-lit place and make sure it is secured perhaps to a lamp post.

Motorcycle Insurance

You will obviously want to make sure that you have quality motorcycle insurance in place. Here at AIB Insurance, we have an extensive panel of insurers so why not give us a call on 02380 268 351 and speak with a knowledgeable, friendly member of our team who will discuss your requirements and obtain a tailor-made quotation for your consideration.