Insider info about house robberies

Dr Rudolph Zinn from UNISA’s School of Criminal Justice has conducted intensive research into understanding house robberies in South Africa, based on interviews with convicted criminals. He found that robbers will monitor a home for as long as a fortnight beforehand, and that most attacks take place between 7am and midnight, when people are relaxing in front of the TV, making supper etc, and security beams and alarms are not activated. Major deterrents include a dog, especially one that sleeps inside the home (to prevent it being silenced by poisoning etc), regular changes in routine and the presence of CCTV cameras.

Don’t risk their lives

Children and animals should NEVER be left unattended in a vehicle. Even with a window left partially open, the heat inside a parked vehicle can reach 38° within 10 minutes, and 48° within 30 minutes. This extreme heat interferes with a child or animal’s cooling system and brain damage can result from heatstroke within just a few minutes. Numerous pets and children die each year across the world through ignorance or neglect. If you see a child or animal left in a car, take down the vehicle make, registration number and colour, and go immediately to mall security or car park personnel for them to page the vehicle owner, or call the local SPCA or police.

Avoid road rage

Most of us believe that we drive responsibly, but sometimes, especially when we are tired, stressed or preoccupied, another driver can trigger a negative response in us. Irritating behaviour such as tailgating, cutting others off or deliberately preventing someone from merging into a lane, flashing of lights, rude hand signs and yelling can result in road rage, leading to roadside arguments, assaults and even deaths. Remember that your vehicle is potentially a lethal weapon, and you should handle it responsibly and calmly. Some tips to avoid becoming involved in road rage incidents include:

• Stay calm and be forgiving of mistakes made and the bad manners of others on the road.
• Avoid eye contact so as not to provoke the other driver.
• Do not respond to their behaviour, no matter how aggressive.
• Let them pass and hang back to avoid further interaction.

By staying out of potentially dangerous driving situations you can keep yourself steady and relaxed. Give yourself plenty of time to get to your destination, and try to not drive when angry or over-tired. It could help you avoid becoming a road rage or accident statistic.

Plastic nightmare

Our emphasis on only drinking bottled water is part of the nightmarish global problem of plastic pollution. In the past two decades, bottled water has become the world’s fastest-growing drinks sector, with the global market estimated at £120-billion or R2.3-trillion in 2013 and is expected to reach £215-billion by next year. In the UK alone, about 38.5 million plastic bottles are used every day, with over 15 million of these bottles (used for water, fizzy drinks and fruit juice) being incinerated, dumped in landfills or discarded rather than being recycled. New research shows that our bodies are becoming polluted with plastic as well as the planet and the oceans, because we unknowingly eat, drink and inhale micro-plastic particles. At Safire head office, glass bottles that can be recycled are used in meeting rooms and we have introduced reusable water bottles for our staff to use at their work stations.

Only a few days to go!

That's Life

In this month of love, we hope you were showered with affection and attention. Although at Safire Insurance, you have our full attention every day! ;-)

Economic snippets

The Insurer newsletter and the content of any article published herein, should not be construed as forming part of any insurance contract or policy nor as constituting any form of advice. It is aimed at providing an informal and informative read to the readers thereof. Whilst every effort is taken to attempt to ensure the accuracy and correctness of the information contained herein, Safire Insurance Company Limited does not give any assurance regarding such accuracy or correctness and accordingly does not accept any liability whatsoever for any loss or damage, whether direct, indirect or consequential, arising from any reliance placed in the information contained herein.