Motoring

In the spotlight this month are car insurance claims and how to make sure you get your money’s worth

You’ve been diligently paying your car insurance premiums every month, and yet when you make a claim, it’s rejected. Is there something wrong that you did? Did you fail to present all the relevant information to your insurer correctly? We turned to Santam’s underwriting managers Marius Neethling and Marius Steyn to explain to us the main reasons why insurance claims are turned down: You let other people drive your car.

When you’re getting car cover, one of the questions you’re asked is who’ll be the regular driver. If you declare yourself as the person who’ll be behind the wheel most of the time, an insurer will rate you according to your risk profile. This doesn’t mean that authorised people aren’t allowed to use your car. You are, however, required to give your insurer the correct information. If your son, who happens to be a student, helps himself to your ride, he must be noted as a secondary driver so the insurer can rate the car according to his risk profile. Should an insurer at the time of a crash or damage find that the information you provided was purposely mis-represented or not stated, it could have an impact on the way the claim is dealt with.

You didn’t install a tracking device. Some insurance companies will not cover your car unless it’s fitted with a tracking device. If this information is incorrect and the tracking device was never installed in the vehicle, it could negatively influence the settlement of your claim, either by being paid out less than what’s due, or depending on the circumstances, having your claim totally rejected. You use your car to run your side-gig.

Now, there’s absolutely nothing wrong with making extra cash on the side – in fact, these tough economic times call for it. But, using your car for business is a no-go if your insurer is not aware of it. If you rely on your whip to deliver goods, store stock or anything of that kind, inform the insurance company immediately in order for them to reevaluate your risk profile. You drive in a compromised state.

Drinking alcohol and getting behind the wheel is very dangerous. However, what you may be unaware of is that certain medications can also affect your driving ability. Stuff like anti-depressants, anesthesia (if you’re coming from the dentist, for example) and even dagga

(yes, it’s now legal to smoke it only at home) really does affect how you drive. Should anything happen, your claim could be dismissed.

You claim for mechanical use. Basically, insurance companies want you to keep your car in a roadworthy condition at all times. While there’s no need to let them know when you change your tyres or lights, you have no grounds for claiming for the repairs of any mechanical or electrical breakdowns. If an accident happens due to your ride not being roadworthy – if your tyre tread depth is less than the legal limit, for example – the damage caused will not be covered. You sneak in previous problems.

Say you have old damage to your car, like a few dents and scratches, and then you take out insurance. Should you be involved in an accident, you can’t expect the insurer to fix those pre-existing dents and scratches as they’re not covered.

At the end of the day, the onus is on you to answer all questions asked by your insurer truthfully before signing on for car insurance. This will save you lots of time – and frustration – when you submit a claim.