[originaltext] Insurance companies provide a service to the community by pro

Insurance companies provide a service to the community by protecting it against expected and unexpected disasters. Before an insurance company will agree to insure anything, it collects accurate figures about the risk. It knows, for example, that the risk of a man being killed in a plane accident is less than the risk he takes in crossing a busy road. This enables it to quote low figures for travel insurance. Sometimes the risk may be high, as in motor-racing or mountaineering. Then the company charges a much higher price. If too many climbers have accidents, the price rises still further. If the majority of climbers fall off mountains, the company will refuse to insure them.
    An ordinary householder may wish to protect his home against fire or his property against burglary. A shop keeper may wish to insure against theft. In normal cases, the company will check its statistics and quote a premium,; if it is suspicious, it may refuse to quote. If it insures a shop and then receives a suspicious claim, it may carry out a careful investigation. It is not unknown for a businessman in debt to burn down his own premises so that he can claim much money from his insurance company. He can be sure that the fire will be investigated most carefully. Insurance companies also accept insurance against shipwreck or disaster in the air. Planes and ships are very expensive, so a large premium is charged, but a reduction is given to companies with an accident free record.