Tragically, highway deaths throughout this time are 25–30% larger in December than in different months. Elevated visitors volumes, fatigue, and seasonal festivities additional improve the dangers, underscoring the important significance of protected driving and correct automotive upkeep.
To assist guarantee a safer festive season, Ernest North, co-founder of digital insurance coverage platform Bare, shares important automotive upkeep and protected journey suggestions forward of the vacation season.
1. Examine your automotive’s roadworthiness
Conserving your automotive roadworthy will assist scale back your probabilities of being in an accident and guarantee a smoother claims expertise. Right here are some things that it’s best to test:
- Tyres: Go to a fitment centre to test your tyre tread depth. It is best to rotate your tyres each 10 000–12 000km to make sure that your automotive doesn’t pull to 1 aspect.
- Lights and indicators: Take a look at all indicators, brake lights, reverse lights, and headlights.
- Brakes: Get your brake pads checked in the event that they haven’t been changed shortly. Brake pads usually want alternative each 75 000km, however some brake pads already must be changed after 25 000km.
2. Guarantee all of your paperwork is updated
Your car licence disc must be renewed every year. Additionally, test that each one potential drivers on your automotive have up-to-date driving licences. The licence must be renewed each 5 years, which incorporates an eye fixed take a look at.
3. Get the correct insurance coverage for cross-border journeys
Heading past South Africa’s borders? Examine in case your automotive insurance coverage covers journey in neighbouring nations. Most South African automotive insurance coverage insurance policies present cowl for injury to your personal automotive in neighbouring nations throughout Southern Africa. Nonetheless, some insurers would possibly restrict how lengthy they cowl your automotive while you’re in a foreign country.
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In some neighbouring nations, you might be legally required to have third-party insurance coverage. That is to guard you from folks making claims towards you for bodily harm or property injury you may need precipitated. Most insurers don’t supply this cowl when you cross the South African border, so, remember to purchase this cowl earlier than you go.
4. Cowl your extras
Should you’ve added pricey equipment like roof racks, bullbars, or sound techniques, replace your insurance coverage coverage to incorporate them.
Equally, in case you are travelling with costly gadgets like golf golf equipment, laptops, or jewelry, make certain they’re insured for his or her full worth by taking out single gadgets insurance coverage or specifying the gadgets underneath your property contents insurance coverage to make sure full protection whereas travelling.
5. Be ready and plan for emergencies
Save your insurer’s roadside emergency quantity in your telephone to be able to rapidly name for assist when you’ve got an accident or engine bother. Bare clients can contact them through their app. Assessment accident protocols, reminiscent of this information of dos and don’ts on the scene of an accident.
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6. By no means overload your car
Exceeding your car’s load limits can result in tyre injury, decreased braking effectiveness, and compromised management. Stick with weight and dimension limits for roof racks and different storage tools.
7. Stick with protected driving habits
Keep rested and have a superb night time’s sleep earlier than an extended journey. Take breaks or swap drivers on lengthy journeys to forestall fatigue. Whereas it’s the season to be jolly, by no means drink and drive. Plan forward and prepare various transport if wanted, and at all times obey visitors legal guidelines.
8. Be alert and keep protected
Bare claims stats present that it’s a false impression that crime principally occurs at night time and that we really see a spike at noon. So, bear in mind to stay alert and conscious even whereas on vacation. At all times attempt to park in safe, well-lit areas, and, double-check that your automotive is locked earlier than strolling away.
9. Pause your automotive insurance coverage for non-driving days
In case your automotive will keep parked at house or the airport in the course of the holidays, use Bare’s CoverPause characteristic to pause accident cowl for non-driving days, saving you as much as 50% on premiums whereas remaining protected towards theft, fireplace, and pure disasters.
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