Sending a child off to college is a big life event, one that could impact your insurance needs.
For families with children away at college, consider the following risk factors to help ensure you have the right coverage in place to properly protect your child and your wealth.
Liability risks are prevalent throughout the college environment: borrowed or loaned vehicles, alcohol consumption, careless social media interactions, and cyber bullying – to name a few – can all increase your risk of a lawsuit and threaten your net worth. Be sure you and your children understand these risks as well as their schools' policies and any legal implications. In the event of an incident, a Personal Excess Liability policy can protect your financial wealth. This article from PURE can also help you assess your liability risks and guide you in selecting the proper Personal Excess Liability limits.
Young drivers pose a unique set of risks: about 60% of teenagers admit to hazardous driving habits such as texting. It is therefore unsurprising that the same percentage of teen crashes involve distracted driving. Whether your student is bringing a car to campus or not, your Automobile policy likely needs to be modified. Any time a car’s primary location changes, you should update your policy information to ensure proper coverage and accurate rates. On the other hand, if your student isn’t bringing a car and will only be driving at home during holidays, you may be eligible for an “away at school” or “occasional use” policy discount.
According to the U.S. Department of Education, there were 14,000 burglaries on U.S. college campuses in 2014, plus thousands of motor vehicle thefts and robberies. Help your student understand this reality and identify ways to keep their possessions safe, such as locking away computers and never leaving property unattended. If theft does occur, PURE’s Homeowners policy does provide coverage up to a certain threshold for personal possessions stored off premises. Check your policy or contact your Broker for additional information on this coverage.
Because they often have clean credit and are less likely to monitor their credit report, students are frequent targets of cyber attacks, from phishing emails to identity theft and more. In fact, the U.S. Federal Trade Commission reports that 29% of identity theft victims are between the ages of 18 and 29. Be sure your student is educated regarding cyber safety, especially as they are likely to use the school’s public Wi-Fi. PURE’s Cybersafe Knowledge Center has additional information and educational materials on this topic, including a comprehensive whitepaper, and our cyber risk partner Concentric Advisors is available for further consultation and services.
PURE members who would like to learn more about this topic can contact a PURE Member Advocate® at memberadvocate@pureinsurance.com or 888.813.7873 (PURE) for assistance.
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