Wow, I had certainly never considered those factors! Thanks very much for clearing that up.

Thanks Northern, you beat me to it on this one, I'm getting that happening a bit lately I must get quicker at replying on here!!

the reason for this loading is due to what insurance companies call "risk of association". essentially this means that when an insurance company is calculating risk, it is also calculating the cost of having to pay out to third parties that your son may injure in a crash. third parties can claim unlimited damages (as per the RTA 1986). as your son is playing for england u21 etc, the insurance company will assume that your son will associate with other players as well. sports people often have a short playing career and also have a good earning potential. the insurance companies take the view that it is probable that at some point your son will have passengers in his car that will be other sportsmen. if he was to crash and seriously injure any of these sports people they can claim unlimited damages if you son was at fault. taking into account potential earnings of sportsmen, professional care for the rest of their life due to injury, pyshio etc, this could run to millions of pounds. as insurance is all about risk assessment, this is why they've loaded the premium. it's not just sportsmen either, agents, journalists, models, they all get loaded as well.

Hi

I am curious to find out why the insurance companies load premiums for professional sports people. My son is in a Premiership Rugby Club aAcademy (which means he is an apprentice for all intents and purposes) he is only 20 years old and being able to drive to and from his training ground is essential, as there is no other means of getting him there. He has also represnted England at the u18, u19 and u21 levels and without his car, he would have been excluded from the squads, being unable to get to the training facilities, which are based all over the UK. He has now purchased his own car, and the minimum insurance we can find ins in excess of £1500, if he was unemployed. But if we say he is a professional sportsman, the premium goes up to over £2500! His £300 that he gets for learning to be a professional sportsman does not cover this!

Help!