- First and foremost, always be honest with your insurer or broker if you do not know the answer to any question they ask, always check it out and get back to them with the correct answer. 1st For Women recommends keeping an insurance history record, to make sure you never forget important historical insurance details.
- Make sure you understand the value for which your vehicle is insured. There are three options: market, trade and retail. Market is usually the best value to insure your vehicle for.
- Make sure your home contents are insured for their replacement value (keep an inventory of your home contents). Update this value every year to provide for the rising price of goods and for goods that you may have bought in the past year.
- Make sure that items like sunglasses, jewellery and cellphones, that you usually carry with you when out and about and driving, are also insured.
- Carefully read and understand all your policy terms and conditions when you get your documentation.
- Make sure you know what your excess is when you take out your policy.
What to do after an accident
- Do not leave the scene, unless your personal safety is in danger.
- First and foremost, determine whether there are any injuries as a result of the accident and call emergency services if necessary. If it is a minor accident with no significant injuries, move the cars out of the way of traffic.
- If there are any injuries, do not move the vehicles. If the vehicles have to be moved before the police arrive, mark their positions on the road before moving them.
- Do not move an injured person until standard first aid measures have been applied.
- Switch on your hazard lights to warn other motorists that there is a problem.
- Exchange names, telephone numbers, addresses and insurance information with the driver of the other vehicle involved in the accident.
- If your car is not drivable, safeguard any valuables by removing them if possible and locking the doors of your vehicle before it is towed from the scene. If you have access to a towing assistance service, you must ensure that you don’t let an unauthorised towing operator tow away your car. Otherwise, you are at risk of paying exorbitant towing fees, plus you might have to pay to get your vehicle released. This could also significantly delay the start of the repair process.
- Do not accept responsibility or otherwise discuss the accident with anyone except the police and your insurance agent.
- Do not accept any monetary settlement at the accident scene as this may prejudice your insurance company or broker.
- If you have a camera with you, take photographs of your damaged car and the accident scene in general, or draw a picture of the accident scene. In the diagram, show the position of all vehicles before and after the accident — plus location of signs, streets and traffic lights. Also, note any apparent damage to all vehicles involved in the accident.
- Check with the authorities before you leave to make sure you are no longer required at the accident site.
- Report the accident to the police within 24 hours to get a case number which you will need for your insurance claim.
- Contact your insurer as soon as possible.
What to do if you think you have post-traumatic stress
With today’s high accident rates, hijackings and armed robberies, many women are at risk of suffering from post-traumatic stress, an insidious side-effect of trauma that can be debilitating at best and life-threatening at worst. Post-traumatic stress disorder is an emotional condition that usually occurs after direct or indirect exposure to a terrifying event in which physical harm was threatened, witnessed, or actually experienced. It can occur in individuals of any age, and can occur immediately, or develop gradually, after an incident has occurred. The symptoms of post-traumatic stress disorder are often easy to identify, being similar to those of depression. But, it is not the same as depression and must be treated differently. Here are some guidelines for dealing with post-traumatic stress:
- Keep abreast of any information about the incident that may be available to you, such as progress with a prosecution. This can be extremely helpful, as it helps to keep the trauma real, which is vital for coming to terms with what you have experienced.
- Always seek professional help from a psychologist or counsellor who is skilled in dealing with such matters.
- Express your emotions — avoid bottling up your feelings.
- Talk about the incident — discussing it, not avoiding it, is part of the healing process.
- Allow yourself time to rest, sleep and spend time with loved ones who can offer strength and support.
- Try to keep doing as many of your normal day-to-day activities as possible, in order to retain a feeling of control.
- Communicate with your friends, family and colleagues about what you need from them and how they can support you.
- Be aware of what is happening in your life — if your work performance or your relationships (personal, sexual or professional) are suffering, you need to take action.
- Watch your habits — if you are smoking, drinking or taking medication more than usual, you probably are not coping as well as you may think you are.
Brought to you by 1st for Women Insurance Brokers (Pty) Ltd: 0860 10 49 20