THE INSURER | NOVEMBER 2018
Tyre safety: claim repudiation
Defective tyres contribute significantly to fatal collisions on our roads. By August 2018, 61% of tyres tested this year were illegal or had been repaired. Poor tyres may extend stopping distances, increase the risk of skidding and aquaplaning, and, if under-inflated or worn, also increase fuel consumption and harmful carbon monoxide emissions. There is another risk: road accident claims may not be covered. The Ombudsman for Short-Term Insurance says, “When the un-roadworthy condition of tyres and/or brakes can be shown to have caused or contributed to the accident, the insured will have no defence to the insurer’s rejection.”
A mobile app that could save your bacon!
Too busy to read about it? Take 60 seconds to watch this quick, simple-to-understand video about the new Safire Assist app. If you are a Safire policyholder, you can use the app to call for help, get advice on whom to contact for home or medical problems and record road accident details. You can even submit your claim while at the scene! Download the Safire Assist app free from the relevant Apple or Android app store. It could save your bacon!
Supporting security measures
Safire recently sponsored a bass fishing competition and golf day to raise funds to install a licence plate recognition camera system for the greater Umvoti district, to be co-ordinated through Umvoti 911. This organisation supports the entire district, where many community members are insured with Safire. We see this as a proactive risk management measure and are happy to add our support to this community drive. The Umvoti Agricultural Society Association fishing competition took place at all local dams, with Alan Knott the winner with his 60cm bass. The Kranskop community also held a golf day, and for those who didn’t play golf, an Annie Sloane chalk paint workshop was held. Seen here (from right) is Piet Nel, owner of St Cathryn’s where the golf day was held, with Dieter Meyer, Safire Team leader and the other team members. Well done to all who took part and supported these events.
Safe driving at night
Year-end functions, heading off early on holiday, and working overtime, all mean we have to be on the road after dark. Driving at night is more dangerous than driving in the day, says the Automobile Association, as depth perception, peripheral vision, and the ability to distinguish colour are affected by low-light conditions, and, if combined with poor weather or fatigue, can increase risks significantly. Here are the AA’s tips to stay safe after dark:
- Ensure that windows, especially front and rear windscreens, are clean. Dirty windows increase glare from other vehicle lights and are more likely to steam up.
- Similarly, dirty mirrors reflect lights from cars behind you, resulting in glare.
- Have your eyes checked regularly to reveal any problems with your night vision.
- Make it easier for others to see you by turning on your headlights before sunset and keep them on for an hour after sunrise.
- Dip your lights for an oncoming car to avoid dazzling them with your high beams. If you're not given the same courtesy, avoid looking into the headlights.
- Don’t get too close: the closer your headlights are, the brighter and more distracting and intimidating they can be. Also, at night, with limited sight distance, you're increasing the risk of a crash.
Celebrating 40 years of fire-making
Charka is part of the Safire group, and this year celebrates its 40th anniversary. Charka was the first manufacturer to introduce briketts to SA and for a long time its bricketts were the only such product available. In 2015, the company became Safire Charka (Pty) Ltd when Safire and a syndicate of timber farmers and existing Charka management acquired the business from the Suiderland Group. The Charka-Safire relationship is a synergetic one (appropriately, as symbiotic relationships in nature form the basis for Safire’s marketing). Safire has a strong co-operative base of timber-growing clients countrywide, and Charka is able to use wood from burnt plantations in charcoal production, thereby reducing the ultimate net loss from timber fires through the maximisation of salvage recoveries. Plus, the Charka production process is sustainable and is good news for the environment as invasive alien Black Wattle (amongst other woods) is used. Charka was the first SABS approved charcoal product in the country, and is F.S.C. (C.o.C.) certified as required by the export market to prove that sustainable wood supplies are used. Happy 40th Charka, let’s light up the braai to celebrate!
Online fraud risk
NEVER reveal banking or other passwords to an email, telephonic or SMS request. Safire will never ask for banking details or personal info via social media. Contact your broker if you are unsure about any correspondence/request.
Double aces
An Australian golfer recently defied incredible odds of more than 60-million-to-one by recording two holes-in-one in a single round on a Melbourne golf course. The odds of an amateur golfer carding a hole-in-one are around 12 500/1.
NASA ads
The National Aeronautics and Space Administration is considering allowing the sale of naming rights for rockets and spaceships as part of a ‘commercialisation’ drive, seen by backers as a way to reduce costs while promoting space exploration.
Be safe this summer
Planning on doing some fishing or boating this summer? Be careful, stay alert, and always wear your life-jacket! This is why...
ECONOMIC TIDBITS
#1 – New York has overtaken London as the world’s most attractive financial centre, according to a recent survey, as Britain’s departure from the EU looms.
75% - millennials (those born between 1981 and 1996), prepared to pay more for sustainable goods, despite earning about $10 000 a year less than their counterparts in 1989.
200 litres – milk to be produced daily by 40 cows aboard an innovative floating dairy and multi-level agricultural hub being tested in Rotterdam.
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.
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