Ensuring carefree soccer fun

For the lucky ones who have tickets – better check your car and travel insurance. If you are driving to Poland or Ukraine, you will be spending a long time on the road: the distance between Munich and Warsaw is 1,138 km and between Munich and Kiev it is 1,781 km.

Make sure you drive safely – take plenty of breaks, let the co-pilot drive part of the way and be especially careful when crossing different countries – the speed limits are different and so are the driving styles. Always stay alert!

Before heading off to a distant destination, make sure your car is road-worthy. You don't want to look for a garage when the other fans are already off to the stadium. In case an accident should happen or you need assistance: check the details for driving to and in Poland and Ukraine with your insurance office or agent. They will tell you for example, that you need the international Green Insurance Card for Ukraine. And while you do not need it for Poland, some will still recommend it.

Your agent should also provide you with a European Accident Report, which you can use at the site of an accident, fill it out, have it signed and bring it back with you. They will also have all the telephone numbers for quick assistance for you.

Make sure you take out a travel insurance policy, which ensures a repatriation in case of emergency. While your local health insurance may cover you in the EU-country Poland, things might be more complicated in Ukraine.

Remember, when traveling or leaving the house to go to a public viewing venue: while most of the city is glued to the TV screen, this is a perfect time for burglars. Make sure you take the right precautions, like locking your doors, windows and the garage.

Check your household insurance policy if you are off for a longer period. Make sure vari-ous risks are covered and that you have taken all the necessary precautions to give you peace of mind while away.

And have you thought about how much value you are carrying in your handbag or placed inside your car when you leave it in a parking lot? There is probably a lot of clutter there which you don't need.

According to an Allianz UK survey the average value of a woman's handbag in Great Britain is more than GBP 450, thanks to designer labels, electronic devices, make-up and sun-glasses. Worryingly, 24 percent of women report that they have either lost or had their purse sto-len, leaving them to face a significant outlay to replace the bag and its contents.

At the same time, British motorists regularly leave an astonishing GBP 3.2 billion worth of belongings in their cars overnight, according to another Allianz UK survey. The research showed that despite the ever present risk of car crime, motorists appear to be content to leave expensive items in their cars and hope the vehicle will not be broken into. The most common high value items left in unattended cars overnight include portable navigation devices, MP3 players, golf equipment, mobile phones, sun glasses, cameras, handbags and wallets.

Go through your bag and your car and remove items that you don't need all the time, like unnecessary cash cards, the engagement ring that you never wear but always carry with you, your tennis equipment or a car seat for the baby that is staying with the grandparents.

When your soccer team wins a match, people in the streets go crazy. Amazing amounts of energy are released in singing, flag waving, dancing and drinking. Fans get in their cars, roll down the windows and drive through the streets – honking, screaming and having fun.

However, the fun can quickly turn into a nightmare: even when driving at low speeds, an accident will create bodily injury to someone who is not wearing a seat-belt (or who is look-ing on in the street).

Experts at the Allianz Center for Technology (AZT) imitated a fan driving event and simulat-ed a crash at a speed of 40 km/h. Of the three dummies in the car, only the driver was cor-rectly buckled up. The two others, leaning out of the side and top window, would have suffered from serious injuries to the skull and chest area as well as to the internal organs. The crash test dummy leaning out the side window flew to the pavement, dramatically increasing the likelihood of fatality.

"Buckling up is so important - even with fan driving and when in a festive mood! We want everyone to celebrate their team's victory – but safety should always be the first priority!" explains Christoph Lauterwasser, head of the AZT.

 
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