Page 43 - TODAY magazine Issue 1 2021

not being paid out for accessories and credit shortfalls. Accessories, in this case, do not refer to sunglasses and jewellery but to extras that you had installed, such as a topnotch sound system, mag wheels or even a tow bar.
If you haven’t notified your insurer that you had it installed and added the item to your policy, you won’t be able to claim for it. For example, when someone smashes your window and steals your expensive sound system, you will only be able to claim for the window.
Credit shortfall insurance, or gap or top-up insurance, is not included in standard insurance policies. It covers the difference between your car’s insured value and the amount you still owe on it. If you don’t have it and your car is stolen or written off, you will still have to pay off the loan amount in full yourself.
Being reckless and negligent
Reckless and negligent driving refers to a range of transgressions that could see you landing up in criminal court. The top two examples in South Africa have
to be speeding and driving under the influence of alcohol. Others are driving under the influence of drugs, overloading, driving with a fake licence or without a driver’s licence or licence disk, not having number plates or having fake number plates, and being unable to control the vehicle.
Last but not least is not focusing on the road. Research has shown that you’re 20 times more likely to cause an accident when you text while driving. Eating, drinking, looking for something that fell into the footwell and combing your hair or putting on lipstick all count as, and are, distractions.
Driving under the influence
Roughly speaking, two drinks in an hour will put you at the legal limit in South Africa, says Arrive Alive. It’s important to know what is considered one drink: one glass of wine, sherry or port; a single 25ml tot whisky, gin or brandy; 275ml beer or cider (a can of beer typically is 330ml) or 330ml sorghum beer.
If your blood-alcohol level exceeds the legal limit
of 0.05g/100ml, your claim will be rejected if you
had been in an accident, even if you did not cause it, says Colman. What’s more, the South African Medical Research Council has found that 40% of drivers who die in accidents have a blood-alcohol level that is above that.
South Africa is moving closer and closer to the day when driving with any alcohol in your blood will become illegal and as soon as it does, says Colman, all claims by drivers who had alcohol in their blood will be rejected.
SAVE UP TO 30% ON VEHICLE INSURANCE PREMIUMS
If your car is insured with OM Insure, you can enjoy ‘tailor-made’ premiums based on how much (or how
little) you drive it.
How? Save 087 240 6402 in your contacts, say ’Hi’ via Whatsapp and follow the prompts. Then send a photo
of your odometer before the 15th of each month to save up to 30% on your premium.
Unroadworthy vehicles and
poor maintenance
Broken windscreens and wipers or tyres that are too smooth – the legal tread limit is 1.6mm – can all cause accidents and result in your claim being rejected. If anything on your vehicle wasn’t working properly and led to the accident, your claim could be rejected on the basis that the vehicle was not roadworthy.
Not having safe overnight parking
If your policy requires your car to be parked safely at night, check what they consider to be safe overnight parking. Some may be happy with off-street parking while others may want it to be inside a closed garage. If you can’t meet the requirements of your policy, it’s important
to let your insurer know where your car will be parked and to ask whether you will still be covered if it is stolen or broken into. Be upfront and don’t try and fool them by saying you have a locked garage when you don’t.
Allowing unnamed drivers to drive your car
A ‘named driver’ is someone you have indicated in your policy, such as your partner, who is allowed to drive your car too. You do not have to name every single person who may perhaps on the odd occasion drive it, such
as your mother, a colleague or the mechanic who is servicing it. Provided they had a driver’s licence and there isn’t a valid reason why the claim should be rejected, you should be covered.
Do not list yourself as the regular driver when the real driver is your son or daughter. This is done to save on premiums, as an experienced 40-something driver will pay less than an inexperienced 18-year-old. In these instances, claims will be rejected.
Skipping premiums
When you have unexpected expenses such as doctors' bills, it’s easy to be tempted to skip an insurance premium or two. That is never wise, as it could result in your claims being rejected.
// 41 // ISSUE ONE 2021