- 29
- Sep
While many new students may be excited about living away from home, it is important to keep security in mind while at university. LV= has claimed.
Statistics from the insurance group have shown that the chances of becoming a victim of burglary or car crime can differ substantially from one campus to another. Those heading off to Birmingham, Bristol and Manchester were urged to be particularly mindful of such occurrences as these cities topped the list in terms of overall exposure to crimes such as possessions and vehicle theft. Meanwhile, Lancaster undergraduates may feel slightly safer as this was found to have the lowest incidences of such crime. Meanwhile, Durham and St Andrews were also said to present a low level of risk, with Aberdeen and Cambridge closing the top five safest university destinations.
In terms of both car crime and burglary, Manchester was found to be the most dangerous place for students and their possessions. As such, students in the north-west city may wish to pay particular attention to LV=s calls to be proactive in taking out insurance to cover belongings. For those who fail to do so, it may be possible that they have to dip into their loan to pay for the replacement of stolen items.
Doing so may be of particular importance for other city-based undergrads after the insurer warned that many major destinations such as London, Bristol, Cardiff, Sheffield and Birmingham fared little better than Manchester in the burglary and car crime stakes.
Commenting on the report, Emma Holyer, spokesperson for LV= home and car insurance, said: “When you are starting university its easy to overlook sorting out insurance when there are so many other things to think about but students can become victims of crime like any other person. Students should put insurance cover in place for their possessions and also update their car insurance if they are moving away from home. Some home insurers include cover for students going off to university, so parents should check their documents to see if their policy includes this cover, otherwise a separate policy can be taken out.”
She went on to state that it was important that students with cars informed their insurance provider if they change address. Failing to do so could leave motorists with an invalidated policy should they need to make a claim. In such an event, people could find themselves paying for a new vehicle out of their loan or savings.
Making sure their car insurance policy is up to date may be of particular importance for those living in Birmingham after data showed that residents here were most likely to have their car stolen.
Students may also like to remain vigilant when walking the streets of their new setting after figures from Zurich showed that that the average Briton carries more than 1,000 pounds on them in personal belongings. The financial services provider warned people to use devices such as mp3 players and mobile phones surreptitiously in order to reduce the likelihood of being targeted by muggers.
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