YOU may have heard that some motor insurance policies have a so-called airside risk exclusion clause and wondered if this affects you and your family. Forces insurance specialist Keith Frampton explains…
Simply put, an airside risk exclusion means that you are not insured if you use your car in an area designated for activities involving aircraft. This can mean the airfield and all areas involved in the maintenance and storage of aircraft parts, such as airstrips, hangars and workshops.
The exclusion protects insurance companies from catastrophic claims expense if your vehicle comes into contact with equipment, or if it was to cause an aircraft-related incident. However, most insurers’ policy wording means that all types of incidents are not covered, even if it’s just two private cars bumping into each other.
It’s not only RAF stations that are affected; in fact, anywhere helicopters are used would also constitute an airside area. This could affect your family if you have to travel across designated airside areas to get to and from work, or when travelling to leisure activities.
Some insurers have even added extra exclusions to their wording and have expanded the area to include the whole of the military base.
What can I do?
A number of the specialist British Insurance Brokers’ Association (BIBA) insurance brokers providing cover for HM Forces have identified this problem and provide the necessary cover to ensure that you are properly covered to drive your vehicle on the base.
However, not all insurers do, so it is vital that you check with your motor insurer that you are properly covered. Visit biba.org.uk for more information.