Rolling the dice on quake insurance
Siobhan Grimshaw of Christchurch, New Zealand, created Quakes and Ladders after speaking with neighbours about the frustrations they were feeling when dealing with post-quake insurance issues, she said in a recent news report .
“This game symbolises the way it feels to deal with these insurance issues,” said Grimshaw. “So often, with the insurance side of things, it feels like we’re making progress. They make lots of promises, and then we find ourselves back at square one.”
Aside from the real-life implications of earthquake and disaster recovery, the game, which is similar to the popular board game Snakes and Ladders or Chutes and Ladders, is a fun way to deal with difficult situations, according to the game’s website.
Have any of your clients required the following kinds of coverage? Would you know where to turn if they did? Here are a few bizarre coverages, as supplied by Daily News Dig.
What is keeping your clients from keeping their eyes on the road?
The Insurance Bureau of Canada (IBC) notes that driver distraction is a factor in eight out of 10 – or about four million – car crashes in North America each year.
The chief culprit is cell phones, which have frequently been the target of legislation in Canada. But several surveys by insurers – and even photographic evidence taken by fellow highway drivers – can tell you that the industry has far more ridiculous distractions to worry about.
Here are a few driver distractions you don’t see every day (thank goodness):
• A man playing a saxophone in the car
• A motorcyclist texting using both hands on his mobile while cruising along the highway
• A man doing bicep curls with weights during stop-and-go traffic
• Reading a newspaper or a book
• A woman with her foot hanging out of the driver’s side of her car, so she could paint her toes in stop-and-go traffic
• A cop shaving while out on highway patrol
• A man changing into his team’s soccer jersey while on the way to a recreation league match.
• The rebuilding effort following the earthquakes in Christchurch has spawned a new board game about the difficulties of making insurance claims in the aftermath of a quake.
Wacky Coverage for Clients
Twins Insurance
If you have clients who are expecting, they may be interested to know about the existence of twins insurance. It insures against additional costs with having more than one child. The catch is that you have to act fast: most insurers demand the insurance be in place before you reach 12 weeks or have a scan.
Alien Abduction Insurance
If your clients believe everything they see on X-Files, you may be able to sell them on alien abduction insurance. Some insurance companies have offered to pay out to policyholders who can prove they have been abducted by extraterrestrials and returned to earth. Bonus coverage: for an extra premium, you can even get coverage for being impregnated by aliens.
'Conceiving Immaculately' Insurance
Several years ago, three religious sisters from Scotland insured themselves against “conceiving immaculately,” Daily News Dig wrote. A British Insurance company provided £1-million worth of cover the cost of raising a second Jesus. At the urging of the Catholic Church, the insurance policy was withdrawn.
