Uninsured Drivers Cost SA Millions

March 5 - The recession and rising unemployment have exacerbated an already unfortunate problem in South Africa - that of uninsured drivers on the road.

Out of the 8.5 million vehicles out there, a pathetically low 35% are insured. This means that there are a staggering 5.5 million uninsured drivers on South Africa's roads.

Those who land up paying for this problem, are - unfortunately - the law abiding citizens who pay for car insurance and don't venture out onto the road without their vehicles having appropriate cover.

"The burden of compensation for the high accident toll falls heavily on insured drivers and their insurance companies who are mostly not able to recover costs from uninsured drivers," said the Managing Director of Alexander Forbes Insurance, Gari Dombo.

"This burden is, in turn, reflected in ever increasing vehicle insurance premiums," he said.

Many car owners have had to downgrade their car insurance policies due to poor economic conditions, and - while this may save them money - they may not have the best cover overall.

Reducing cover to third party fire and theft still means that the driver has to pay for damage caused to their own car if they are involved in an accident with an uninsured driver.

Dombo offered words of advise for South Africans who may become involved in an accident with an uninsured driver.

These include noting the driver's name and address, listing all car details (make, model and registration number) and recording the accident details.

Experience shows that uninsured drivers try to put the blame of the accident on the other driver, even if they were clearly at fault, so that the other driver's insurance will pay out.