Accident-prone holidaymakers claim £370m
Tuesday, 08 Jul 2008 13:16
Accident-prone British holidaymakers made 1.4 million travel insurance claims last year, worth an estimated £370 million, according to an insurance comparison site.
The onlyfinance.com figures revealed that around 510,000 claims for medical problems on holiday were received by the UK travel insurance industry, costing a total of £240 million.
Lost and stolen baggage was the next most common with 430,000 claims made in 2007, followed by lost or stolen money (115,000 claims).
Individual medical assistance claims averaged at £480, claims for flight cancellations £400 and the average claim for lost or stolen bags and money was around £80.
This cautionary tale was highlighted by onlyfinance.com head of business development Ian Durrell.
"The fact that 1.4million claims were made during 2007 should serve as a warning to Britons jetting off for their summer holidays that they need to ensure they are adequately covered by their insurance policies," he warned.
"Unfortunately accidents will happen and to make sure your summer break is as relaxing as possible consumers should shop around for a travel insurance deal that suits their specific needs."