Steps to take when involved in an accident

SWIMMING through the word soup of your vehicle insurance policy can be truly frustrating.

Let’s face it, it’s not exactly riveting stuff having to trawl through the jargon and definitions of what exactly you are covered for, and more importantly, what you are not covered for. Ideally, you want to know and understand these details before you need to submit a claim.

Insurance brokerage and risk advisors, Aon South Africa, indicates that 70 percent of all motor insurance claims are accident-related whilst 55 percent of all accident claims have no third party involved, comprising of incidents such as a gate closing on a car or a driver reversing into their spouse’s car in the driveway, or the unseen ditch in the parking lot. The average claim value on a motor insurance policy ranges between R15 000 to R17 000.

It is estimated that only 40 percent of vehicles on the road are insured, creating a real dilemma if you are involved in an accident where the other party has no insurance.

“Never accept liability in an accident – it is the job of the insurance assessors to work out who is responsible,” says Mandy Barrett of Aon South Africa.

“Your insurer and broker will handle all third party dealings in order to recover your excess and reinstate your no-claim bonus if the accident was not your fault. You don’t want to compromise this process by accepting liability that is not yours,” she explains.

At the scene of an accident, make a note of the following information straight away as it is often much harder to obtain the information afterwards:

Make sure you are safe from passing traffic.

Take down the registration and license disc number all the vehicles involved.

Detail the make, model and colour of the car.

Ask for the other party’s driver’s license and/or ID book and take down the details.

Get the other driver’s insurance details.

If there are any witnesses, obtain their names and contact information.

Take photos, where possible, of the damage and scene, as well as important documents such as the license disk and driver’s license. Cellphones with built in cameras are very handy in such a situation, but also make hand written notes, just in case.

Write out a detailed recount of how the accident happened before you forget any details – include things like the lighting, weather and road conditions.

It is essential for both parties involved to report the incident to the police within 24 hours and to obtain a case number.

In the event of a third party not being insured, your insurer will honour your claim.

“If you have insurance but get into an accident with someone who doesn’t, different scenarios apply depending on your insurer. You are most likely going to have to pay the excess for any repairs to your vehicle, and your premium could also increase as a result of the claim due to the loss of your no claims bonus,” says Barrett.

“Make sure you discuss these finer details with your broker so you know exactly what would happen if you are involved in an accident.”