We all read the newspapers, listen to the radio and watch the television and hear about all the nasty things that happen to people every day of our lives. However, we are told over and again by those imparting this news, that the chances of anything similar happening to us is so unlikely that we should not send all our time worrying about it. Having had a career in insurance, I have to admit to some trepidation whenever I go to large gatherings like football matches or concerts, simply because insurance is based on chance or probability. It may be a mathematical calculation for the underwriter, but it is a real life event for the person experiencing the event. That is why people take out insurance on all sorts of belongings including mobile insurance.

I mention mobile insurance because a few months ago, my eldest daughter had a particularly traumatic experience.

She had gone to the local supermarket for some last minute food items. She was in a rush, so was not taking in what was going on around her. It was dark She got her items and made for her car. It was in a particularly badly lit area of the car park. She leaned in to put her shopping bags into the passenger side of the car and turned round to face a hooded figure.

“Give me your bag and you wont get hurt!” the figure whispered. Fortunately, she remembered all those television programmes telling people how to react in these circumstances. She handed over the handbag and the assailant ran off into the darkness.

It all happened so quickly that she did not have time to think. A passer-by called the police and she gave them a statement. The officer asked if she had mobile insurance. Yes, she did.

Once she got her crime number, she called the insurer and arranged for a replacement handset. She had also made sure that this insurer had a facility to save her precious numbers. She never heard from the police and never got the phone back. Just another statistic!

On reflection, she found the experience traumatic, but was reassured that she had insurance to cover the loss of the mobile phone.