CAR INSURANCE

NO PAYOUTS When you drive under the influence, you’re committing an offence and your insurance company is under no obligation to honour your claim. Even if you’re just fractionally over the legal alcohol limit and you drive your car and are in an accident, your insurance company doesn’t have to pay out your claims. Even if the accident wasn’t your fault.

This also applies to third-party insurance, says Dawie Loots of MUA Insurance Acceptances. Although you’re insured for damage to the other person’s car, your insurance isn’t obliged to pay out.

You might have to pay for the repairs to your own vehicle and be held liable for the damage to the other vehicle. You might also have to pay legal costs and both parties’ medical expenses.

HIGHER PREMIUMS The insurer might agree to pay your claim, but can still increase your monthly premium because you’ve become more risky to insure as a result of the drunk-driving incident.

CANCELLATION If you’re convicted of drunk driving, your insurer could cancel your vehicle insurance, Loots says. In that case you might struggle to get vehicle cover elsewhere.

KNOW THIS The insurer isn’t responsible for conducting the blood test to check if the legal alcohol limit has been exceeded. The police are in charge of blood tests, and refusing to take the test is a criminal offence.

You can't rely on a Road Accident Fund payout; this fund can also decline to pay out in the case of a drunk-driving accident.