Road safety is very important in South Africa , especially with our very high accident rate. Keeping your car in a roadworthy state is not only important for road safety, but also for your insurance.
The Ombudsman for Short Term Insurance in South Africa warns that insurers might reject your claim if your car was not in a roadworthy state at the time of the accident.
There has been a case before the ombudsman where a man's car was damaged after he swerved to avoid hitting a pedestrian. The claim was rejected because the tread on both rear tires were below the legal limit.
Even though the worn tyres were not the cause of the accident, it might have been avoided completely if the tyres were in a roadworthy condition. Even if the accident could not have been avoided by newer tyres, the damage to the vehicle could have been less severe.
The ombudsman was unable to help the policy holder in this case.
So take note and make sure your vehicle is in a good, roadworthy condition to avoid your insurance claims being rejected, as the ombudsman will not always be able to help you.
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