What to do if your car has been stolen
It’s any drivers worst fear – what do you do if your car has been stolen? In 2020, criminals were recorded to have stolen about 300 cars per day in South Africa . Should you ever experience this unfortunate situation, first make sure you haven’t made a mistake in assuming your car has been stolen. Then take the following steps. 1
Report the vehicle as missing
It’s comforting to know that police manage to recover most stolen cars. Report the car as missing at the nearest police station and complete all the forms. The police can alert their units in your vicinity with your car’s details and try to locate it. The chances are better if not much time has lapsed since the incident happened. 1
Inform your car insurer
It isn’t very pleasant to lose your car, but hopefully, it’s insured. It’s best to get peace of mind by buying good cover for your car so that you can recover from such a loss. So, report the loss of the car to your insurer, quoting the police’s case number for reference. The insurer will usually require a description of what happened, as part of your claim. They will then make sure the submission is correct before paying out the car’s value. 1
Check websites selling cars
Monitoring websites that sell vehicles could be worthwhile , in an effort to potentially recover a stolen car. It could be that the thief is inadvertently trying to sell your car on one of these websites. It is important to never try and recover your vehicle on your own, but report any findings to SAPS should you think that you have relocated your car. 1
Car theft has returned to pre-pandemic levels.
During the pandemic, the Government understandably restricted the movement of people, including criminals and car owners. The car theft rate thus dropped, but unfortunately, it has now returned to pre-pandemic levels. As their new modus operandi, criminals target vehicles with keyless entry capability.2
People can again go the office
Just as it was in pre-pandemic days, people are once again able to go to the office. The result is significantly more traffic to and from work, as motorists again find themselves in need of buying a car. 2
Vehicle theft is on the increase
According to a November 2022 article by Business Day, vehicle theft has increased by 7% in South Africa. This statistic tells you only one thing – buy car insurance without delay. 2
Keyless access to your car
Every innovation comes with advantages and disadvantages. Once of those innovations means that it’s great not having to worry about carrying car keys. But, tech-savvy thieves can now capture the signal transmitted when locking, opening or driving off with your keyless car. 2
Disclaimer
The point of this article is to inform you about car theft, and what to do if you become a victim.1,2
You can’t afford to lose an uninsured car, as it is difficult to recover from such a financial setback. So, buying adequate car cover is the best way to protect yourself. This is where we at PMD come into the picture with our affordable car insurance products that cover car theft. Contact us and find out more about our products based on our world-class expertise. They have special benefits such as fixed premiums* and a reduce-to-zero excess* T’s and C’s apply.
Contact a certified financial advisor for professional advice so that you will choose the correct car insurance product.
Sources:
1https://carzar.co.za/what-to-do-if-your-vehicle-is-stolen/
This article was prepared by Eric Sandmann in his personal capacity. The views and opinions expressed in this article are the author’s own. The views and opinions in the article should not be attributed to anyone but the author unless expressly stated. Nothing in this article should be relied upon as advice, this publication is presented for informational purposes only. No person should act or refrain from acting in reliance on any information found in this article, without first obtaining proper financial advice from the appropriate professional. The author makes no claims, promises or guarantees about the accuracy, or completeness, of any information linked from, referred to, or contained in this article. The author reserves the right, to edit and change the content of this article.
