Policy wording and the detailed definition of the insured event and coverage are upfront requirements of an insurable risk. The consequences of the pandemic and resulting lockdown as well as various lockdown levels have led to discussions as well as uncertainty about whether there actually was cover under certain policies. With Business Insurance, some of these cases have landed in the South African Courts.
A question that has come up more than once is if a client’s car insurance would still pay out, even if they were driving after the curfew. Various rumours have been circulating on social media warning motorists that their claims will not be paid if the car crash takes place during the national lockdown curfew.
“At all times, not only during lockdown, each claim is settled on its own merits; all circumstances are considered. Where there are extenuating circumstances, these are taken into consideration. Normal claim procedures must be followed as advised by your insurer should you be involved in an accident,” according to Susan Walls, insurance technical advisor of SAIA.
TimesLIVE also asked a number of insurers how they would treat these claims. All of them agreed that they would treat such claims on a case-by-case basis. “Driving during the curfew hours will not in itself automatically lead to a claim rejection because of increased risk.”
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