One of my bosses always told me that insurance companies are in the business of paying claims. A lot of people in Zimbabwe assume vehicle insurance is just a step to enable you to get ZINARA licencing but that is not the case. Insurance is there to help you when you are in an accident. So if you are in a car accident you might want to make a claim on your motor insurance. This post is about what you need to do when you are in an accident up until your claim is paid.
Pic: T. Mugabe
1. If you are in an accident never admit that you were at fault especially if you are not completely aware of every road rule there is. Move out of your car and leave it at the exact spot of the accident until the police arives. Call the police. Call your insurance provider just to inform them of the accident. If there are any injured people try to rescue them. If you own a camera phone, take a picture of the scene of the accident. I am not a fan of people who share pictures of injured or dead people from accident scenes so I have to mention the photos you take should only be for use by the police or your insurance company as evidence not random people in your whatsapp groups. Take note of other drivers number plate and their other details like name and phone number. If they refuse you'll probably be able to trace them using the number plate. Get numbers of witnesses around the accident too. When the police arives, make sure you the other driver and the police are not alone together. There's been instances of drivers on the wrong bribing the police to change the outcome of the police report. After the police writes the police report, take a picture of it and keep it safe.
2. If you have comprehensive insurance, you are entitled to claim from your insurance company regardless of if you were at fault or not. You can claim from the other driver's insurance company if they were at fault or if your policy does not cover all the damages to your car. However, it illegal to profit from an insurance claim so you can't get double claim settlements for the same damages. You can also claim the excess you paid from the other drivers insurance company. Are you still with me? I hope this is not confusing you with this one.
So to make a claim, you can contact your agent, broker or insurance company to get a claim form. It is basically a form you fill in giving details of your car, insurance policy and the accident. Make sure you mention all the witnesses and any details that might help the insurance company to investigate the accident. Keep a copy of these documents and send the originals back to the insurance company. You're usually also required to provide repair quotations for the damages on your vehicle. Make sure you go to professional repairers and not repairers who tempt your with undercut quotations. Good insurance companies will recommend the best repairers fojr you. Once all the documents are submitted, wait for the damages to be assessed and for repairs to be authorised by your insurance company before you send it for repairs. There's an extension in your insurance policy that allows you to repair your car up to a certain limit without the insurance company's authorisation. This means you will pay for the repairs and later claim for the money you used. Make sure you keep all the receipts if you go through this route.
3. If you have third party insurance, your insurance does not cover your car but the other driver in the accident, that is, only if you're at fault. However if you are not at fault, you are entitled to claim from the other driver. Never fall for the "I have money to repair you car lets not involve the insurance and police" trick. I know quite a lot of people who failed to get their cars repaired because they trusted a stranger would fix their car after an accident. Every car in Zimbabwe should have insurance and therefore you should use it! Let your insurance company know that you were involved in an accident. If you were not at fault the good insurance companies can assist you to recover from the other party even if you have third party insurance. Make sure that the other driver has also reported the accident to their insurance company. If you were the one at fault, you will probably receive a letter of demand (claim) from the other driver and his insurance company. Simply forward it to your insurance company and they will take care of it.
Other tips
A car can be considered a total loss (write off) when your insurance company decides that it can not be economically repaired. This does not always mean the car is totally crushed. This means you insurance company will offer you the market value of the vehicle. You'll normally be required to surrender the car or be given the chance to keep it after some money is deducted from your payout for the salvage value. Sometimes you will not agree with the amount offered to you by your insurance company and you'll need your agent or broker to assist you with this (I'll write a post on the benefits of getting your insurance through an agent or broker later). You can get evidence that your car is worth more than your insurance company's offer and submit it to your insurance company for a revised offer (This actually works).
A car can be considered a total loss (write off) when your insurance company decides that it can not be economically repaired. This does not always mean the car is totally crushed. This means you insurance company will offer you the market value of the vehicle. You'll normally be required to surrender the car or be given the chance to keep it after some money is deducted from your payout for the salvage value. Sometimes you will not agree with the amount offered to you by your insurance company and you'll need your agent or broker to assist you with this (I'll write a post on the benefits of getting your insurance through an agent or broker later). You can get evidence that your car is worth more than your insurance company's offer and submit it to your insurance company for a revised offer (This actually works).
Lastly, take time to write a meanful explanation on how the accident happened because this determines if the claim will be paid or not. My friend once told me about a guy who claimed to have crushed after avoiding hitting a kangaroo! An actual kangaroo in Zimbabwe? Really?