Clearly, if you’re working as a chauffeur, you know that you need motor insurance as it is a legal requirement for anyone using a vehicle on the public highway.
However, there are a number of other risks that chauffeurs face. All of these risks can potentially lead to unexpected costs, and chauffeur’s insurance means you do not need to worry about these costs affecting your business.
Liability insurance
Because chauffeurs deal with members of the public on a daily basis, public liability insurance is vital. This type of insurance covers you if a member of the public claims compensation from you because they feel that they have been injured or their property has been damaged due to something that you have done.
Your public liability insurer will also have a specialist team that can handle such claims and the insurance will cover the legal costs incurred in handling such compensation claims. This means you do not need to worry about dealing with complex legal issues.
Compensation claims can be expensive. A claim for a broken leg would cost in the region of £20,000 and more serious injuries can cover over ten times that amount. The associated legal fees can also be costly.
If you have any employees, you’ll also need employers’ liability insurance. This is similar to public liability insurance but it covers compensation claims made by employees rather than compensation claims made by members of the public. Employer’s liability insurance is a legal requirement.
Property insurance
Your office building could be damaged, or its contents could be damaged or stolen. Property insurance protects you if this happens. You might think that your office contents aren’t worth much, but it can come as a nasty surprise to find out just how much they are worth in the event of them being damaged or stolen if you aren’t insured.
Personal accident & sickness insurance
You could find yourself unable to work due to injury or sickness. Self-employed people don’t get sick pay when that happens, but they still need to pay their mortgage/rent, their utility bills, car loan, school fees, put food on the table and so on.
Personal accident & sickness Insurance pays a weekly benefit while you are unable to work. If your injury or illness means you will never be able to return to work as a chauffeur, it pays a lump sum. This could be used to pay to retrain so you can take up an alternative occupation.
Legal expenses insurance
Legal expenses insurance covers the legal expenses that you would incur if legal action is taken against you. It covers a number of different types of legal action, including employment tribunals and tax/VAT inspections.
Legal costs can mount up at an alarming rate. Without legal expenses insurance you could find that you have to make a payment to settle any legal action because you couldn’t afford to defend yourself. Knowing that your legal costs are covered means that you don’t have to worry if you find yourself facing legal action.
