According to SAPS annual crime stats, almost 128 cars and motorcycles were stolen a day in 2019/2020. On average, 45 cars are hijacked every day in South Africa. In this article we proved steps on what to do after your car has been stolen or hijacked, the claims process and some FAQ. The most important thing is ensure you have the following information on your phone or written down: 1. Insurance and car tracking company contact number 2. Broker contact & emergency number Here are steps to follow after your car is stolen or hijacked:
First Stage 1. Remain calm and put safety first: Always lock your doors while driving or even sitting in the car in the parking area, avoid driving late at night and in high-risk areas, roll up your windows before stopping at a stop sign or redlight. Always be vigilant. In the event of a hijacking never argue with the hijackers, remember your life is more important than your car. The main goal is to get all the passengers out safely and without injury. Once everyone is out of the vehicle check if anyone has been hurt or needs medical attention. TIP: Take a photo of the area where incident occurred, take down the details of any eyewitnesses 2. Activate tracking device: Depending on your type of device, you could activate it yourself or you might need to call your tracking company to get it done. Either way, give them a call to make sure they are aware of the theft / hijacking. Remember to also ask for regular updates so that you can let the police know the status of the search. 3. Check with shopping centre security car guard and CCTV: Contact the centre management and ask for them to view the CCTV footage which may give more insight into the culprits and even the direction the vehicle may have gone or even the car they were driving to assist the police. Also try to see what information you can get from the security guards in the parking lot. 4. Report to the police: Go to the police station within same day and open a case and flag your car on their stolen vehicle database. Border crossings and roadblocks have access to this database and your insurance company should be able to access it as well. You’ll need to give the police specific details like your license plate number, VIN (Vehicle Identification Number, which you can find on your vehicle registration documents), the make, model, colour of your car and details of your tracking company, if you have one. They will also ask you details of the incident and more details about the car. Whether it has scratches, dents, marks, or any other unique features that may help them identify your car on the road. TIP: Take a photo of your police report. It’ll come in handy in the next step. 5. Report to your insurance company / broker: The sooner you let your insurance company know about your car being stolen, the better. This will set the claims process into motion and get you back on the road as soon as possible. Your insurance company will usually need:
After your insurer has received all of the information about your car, they will start processing the claim. Unfortunately, without a tracker installed, the chances of getting your car back are slim. The current recovery rate of stolen vehicles without trackers in South Africa sits at 5-10%, according to Tracker’s Ron Knott-Craig, whereas 80% of cars with trackers are recovered. Either way, getting these steps done as soon as you can improve your chances of getting back on the road ASAP. Remember: If you have car hire added to your policy, your insurer will set you up with a hired car to help you get around for the time being. Second stage Insurer to settle the outstanding amount on your car loan Once your claim has been given the “all clear”, your insurer will ask you if you have an outstanding loan with a finance house. If you do, you will need to request a settlement letter from your bank and forward it to your insurer. From there, your insurer will prepare the agreement of loss document which tells you how much will be paid to you and/or your bank. You’ll need to sign the agreement of loss document and send it back to your insurer along with your car keys and the original registration documents. Please bear in mind that your insurer legally as to settle the loan first before paying any remaining amount to you. The amount paid out will be the value of your car minus your excess. The amount you receive will depend on whether your insurer has insured your vehicle for trade, market, or retail value. TIP: It’s important to know what value your car is insured for. If the amount you owe the bank is more than what your car is insured for, you will need to pay the difference if your car gets stolen. This can easily be avoided with shortfall cover. When first insuring your car, you should always check if you might have a shortfall. Please speak to one of the brokers at Daberistic to find out more about credit short fall cover. FAQ for when a car is stolen or hijacked 1. What if the car is found during the claims process? Sometimes, cars are found and recovered whilst you’re in the process of claiming. If this happens, either the police or the tracking company will let you know and you will then have to let your insurer know. You will need to get a clearance certificate from the police to get your car taken off of the stolen vehicle database. Otherwise, you might be pulled over in your own car and have the police think you stole it! TIP: Never pay anyone for your vehicle clearance/information on your vehicle. Scammers often request money for information about your vehicle to get it released. It’s quite common for stolen cars that are recovered to come back damaged as they are usually stripped. If this happens to your car, report the damages to your insurer. The claim should then proceed as a damage claim rather than a theft claim. TIP: When you get your car back it’s important to go through your car with a sharp eye as it might’ve been used to commit other crimes – you wouldn’t want to be pulled over and have the police find something dodgy in the boot. If you do find anything suspicious let the police know about it ASAP. 2. What if the car is found after the claims process? If your stolen car is recovered after you have received your pay-out, the car will belong to your insurer. However, if any of your property was found in the car, it will be returned to you. 3. You can try to take things into your own hands to increase the chances of recovery (to a certain extent) Some thieves are not as clever as others, and you might just get lucky by looking for your vehicle on online marketplaces such as Gumtree and OLX. Social media can also be a good place to hunt for your car. If you do get lucky and find something, alert your insurer and the police immediately – they will take it from there. 4. Your car insurance doesn’t cover other valuables like your laptop that were in your car. You’ll need either home contents or single item insurance for that Having your car stolen is horrible but it can be even worse if your brand-new laptop and leather bag are stolen along with your car. Car insurance generally doesn’t cover these items so you would need to specifically insure these items under contents or single item insurance. If you have cover and important valuables were stolen along with your car, tell your insurer ASAP. Your insurer will ask for the usual details about your belongings as well as a picture of the police report. If other important documents/information like IDs or credit cards were inside your car, notify your bank and other providers as soon as possible. TIP: Also call a locksmith and have the locks to your home changed if you left your house keys in the car. 5. What do you do if the stolen car isn’t your car? (i.e. it’s a rental car/family/friend’s car) If you’re using someone else’s car and it is stolen whilst in your possession, the first thing to do is alert the police. Next, contact the owner as soon as you can, and they can help you alert the tracking company. The owner will then be the one to contact the insurance company. Source: Wheels 24, Business Insider
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AuthorKevin Yeh Archives
January 2025
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