----- Original Message -----
From: "Benjamin Fincham" <[log in to unmask]>
To: <[log in to unmask]>
Sent: Thursday, August 12, 2004 12:24 PM
Subject: Conference/Symposium/Gathering and help
>
[snip]
> Also I need a bit of assistance. I rather glibly wrote in a piece
> that there is a general perception that roads are increasingly
> dangerous without qualifying the statement. Somebody then said that
> this wasn't the case and they thought that the perception is that
> roads are getting safer. Can anybody point me towards media
> articles
> or campaign (CTC?) materials that might indicate that people do
> present conditions on the roads as deteriorating in terms of
> safety.
>
> Many thanks
>
> Ben
-----------------------
Has anyone checked on how the attitude to risk correlates with the
Bank of England discount rate?
One input to one's views on riskiness of a given activity might be
how much hassle from an insurance company results from mentioning
that activity. I don't think that has much of a direct impact on
individuals, but it does onto local authorities and schools. They
both invariably have tight, and very fixed, budgets, and a sudden
change in the attitude of insurance companies can cause them real
problems.
Insurance companies get only part of their income from premiums.
Much of their income comes from interest on the large pots of cash
they have to hold. Thus, if interest rates go down, insurance
companies start feeling very poor. They start demanding large premium
increases, and getting very sticky about payouts, and exactly what
one must do to remain safe. The insurance companies start hassling
the schools, or whatever, the schools hassle the teachers, and the
teachers hassle the parents. Everybody has to fill out risk
assessment forms for which one must invent every semi-possible kind
of accident one can conceive of. The village fete gets unaffordable,
because of a huge fee increase to use the grounds, and so on.
Interest rates have been low recently, so insurance companies have
been particularly obnoxious. Supposedly rates are now trending up.
Lets hope insurance companies start being more reasonable.
Jeremy Parker
Borough Coordinator, Barnet, London Cycling Campaign
Right to Ride Representative, Barnet, Cyclists Touring Club
9 Langley Row
Hadley Highstone
Barnet EN5 4PB
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