BCA membership caving insurance

[NigR]

Thanks to Nick for taking the time to at least provide a partial answer to my questions.

Does this mean some form of no claims discount might be forthcoming in sixty years or so?

 

[Bottlebank]

I spend well over ?1000 a year on various forms of insurance, for less than ?20 I get the comfort of knowing that if a farmers ?100k shiny new tractor ends up at the bottom of our latest dig I'm covered. Or at least I think I am.

Decent value for money in my book.

 

[Robert Scott]

I spend well over ?1000 a year on various forms of insurance, for less than ?20 I get the comfort of knowing that if a farmers ?100k shiny new tractor ends up at the bottom of our latest dig I'm covered. Or at least I think I am.

Decent value for money in my book.

Or even if his ?4 million (in stud fees) ram falls down a dig.
A job well done Nick.

 

[cap n chris]

I spend well over ?1000 a year on various forms of insurance, for less than ?20 I get the comfort of knowing that if a farmers ?100k shiny new tractor ends up at the bottom of our latest dig I'm covered. Or at least I think I am.

Decent value for money in my book.

Your BCA insurance is free. Free with your membership. It doesn't cost you owt.

 

[Robert Scott]

I spend well over ?1000 a year on various forms of insurance, for less than ?20 I get the comfort of knowing that if a farmers ?100k shiny new tractor ends up at the bottom of our latest dig I'm covered. Or at least I think I am.

Decent value for money in my book.

Your BCA insurance is fr
ee. Free with your membership. It doesn't cost you owt.

Obviously not from this side of the Pennines.

 

[SpeleoTrog]

Thanks to Nick for taking the time to at least provide a partial answer to my questions.

Does this mean some form of no claims discount might be forthcoming in sixty years or so?

I suspect we're already getting our no claims discount. Jsut sit back and watch the premiums go orbital if someone ever does make a claim!

 

[Bottlebank]

"A Yorkshireman with a Scottish father" and the generosity squeezed out

 

[Hughie]

I think the BCA insurance is very good value for money - especially the "caver to caver" element.

Graham makes a very good point (not sure if it was in this thread, or another) regarding solicitors will chase the money, and the long term lack of any claims on the BCA insurance facility. It's worth pointing out (as a farmer), that our public liability cover is a minimum of ?10million - probably rendering a claim on the BCA stuff uninteresting. NFU Mutual are also excellent when making a claim.

 

[Jenny P]

Worth noting that the BCA insurance also helps in arranging and maintaining access - at least we've found this here in Derbyshire.  Landowners worry (or at least, their solicitors tell them they should worry) about being sued if an accident happens in a cave on their land, so if the regional council is able to reassure them by providing a BCA Insurance Landowner Certificate, that makes it more likely that the landowner will agree to access.  This will work even if the cavers on their land are not, themselves, covered under the BCA scheme - though it obviously helps if cavers are able to produce their own BCA insurance membership card as well and some landowners do insist on this as a condition of entry.

In fact, under current law, the landowner is not liable if the person having the accident has freely and of their own volition decided to take part in what may be called "a dangerous activity", even on private land.  However, there can still be a "try-on" (as per the Scout in the accident at Gaping Gill a few years ago) but at least if there is, the landowner knows that the cost of defending such an action will not fall on him.

 

[DavidGibson]

Worth noting that the BCA insurance also helps in arranging and maintaining access

Arguably, this is the real purpose of the insurance.  I think when NigR says ...

[quote author=NigR]
So precisely what does it mean?
That we have all been conned and ripped off from the very outset, having totally wasted lots of money over the years?[/quote]
...that is, I venture to say, possibly missing the point.  A significant reason for providing the insurance is not to allow cavers to make (unlikely) claims, it is to convince landowners to let you on their land. I get some cave scientists complaining to me "why should I pay this? I dont go caving" but they still benefit from all the people who do go caving and who gather the data, produce the surveys etc. Personally, I tend to think of the insurance as "caving tax" All armchair cavers benefit from cavers being able to go caving; and "caving tax" is what you pay to allow this to happen.

I think the BCA Insurance Policy has actually been a great success. It has not cost anyone an unreasonable sum of money and it has had a number of hidden benefits to UK caving.

 

[graham]

Nice analysis, David, and yet one which is even less likely to please the "no such thing as society" brigade.

 

[Bottlebank]

Oh Dave, I was fine with it until you called it a tax

 

[bograt]

OK, consider it a levy, at least the payers can see some benefit to themselves, unlike a lot of other taxes we are compelled to pay! 

(That is if they care to look further than the end of their own noses!! )