STUDENT CARS
Students have long complained about their cars either being stolen or being involved in small accidents which are either too costly to repair out of their own pockets or not covered by insurance companies. We shall discuss the 'campus car theft' later but lets first look at the insurance topic.
Vehicle Insurance
Most students have problems when it comes to car insurance companies. We end up being overcharged when it comes to premiums and under compensated when it comes to insurance claims. I really think it is unfair to charge students a high insurance premium merely based on our age and car model preferences. I've noticed that the cars students drive are the cars considered to be 'risky' to insurance companies (risky my foot...VW Golf I and Toyota Tazz are the only decent cars we can afford).
Like they say; ITS NO USE COMPLAINING. There are criminals out there who happen to also 'prefer' VWs and Toyota's so its better for us to take precaution when it comes to insurance companies .
The two ways i can think are:
1) Buy cars less wanted by criminals
2) Make sure we are not under insured
Vehicle safety
Here are a few tips provided by the University of Johannesburg to assist students with VEHICLE SAFETY
Vehicle theft, hijackings and theft from vehicles have become an everyday reality. Irrespective of whether it is your vehicle or you neighbour’s vehicle that is stolen, everyone pays for this type of crime through increased insurance premiums. The following measures could help to prevent vehicle theft.
Vehicle hijackings(armed robbery of a vehicle)
Before you get in:
- Be aware of any activities near your vehicle.
- Pay attention to your immediate environment.
- When approaching your vehicle, have your keys ready, check the backseat for hidden persons and check whether the doors that you locked are still locked.
- If anyone is loitering in the area, do not get into your vehicle.
After you have climbed in:
- Keep your doors locked and the windows closed.
- Avoid high risk areas, especially after dark.
- Be aware of people approaching your vehicle to sell flowers, hand out flyers or beg at stop streets or traffic lights.
- When driving in traffic or stopping at a stop street or traffic light, leave enough space between you and the vehicle in front of you so that you can escape/drive away if necessary.
- if another vehicle hits your vehicleand the circumstances seem suspicious, keep your doors locked and windows closed and drive slowly to the nearest police or petrol station.
- if you are threatened/attacked/hijacked, do not resist. Get out as quickly as possible and hand over your keys.
- Report the hijacking at the nearest SAPS as soon as possible.
Vehicle theft
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Lock your vehicle and keep the key in a safe place.
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An alarming number of vehicles that are stolen were left unlocked. In some cases, the keys were even left in the vehicle. When leaving your vehicle, always make sure that all the doors are locked, the windows are closed and the keys are in a safe place. An anti-theft mechanism is a deterrent. A car thief will rather steal a vehicle that has no anti-theft mechanism or alarm/immobilizer.
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Look after and protect your keys.
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Keep your house and vehicle keys on separate key rings. Do not use any identification or address plates on your key rings. This would help a car thief to track your vehicle down if you lost your key/s. Do not hide your spare keys in your vehicle. Thieves know where to look.
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Keep your registration certificate in a safe place.
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Do not leave your vehicle registration documents in your vehicle. Keep them in a safe or any other safe place.
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Park in well-lit, busy areas.
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This is important for your personal safety and the safety of your vehicle.
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Report suspicious people or vehicles.
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If you notice suspicious people or vehicles, contact your nearest police station.
Theft from vehicles
Do not make it easy for a thief to steal your property. Mark all the items that are usually stolen. This facilitates the identification thereof. Use an engraving machine that makes it difficult to remove your identification mark. Valuable items, money and packages in your vehicle attract thieves and must be avoided. The serial numbers of radio cassette players and other valuable items could also help with the identification of items if you become a victim of theft. The SAPS require the following information if your vehicle is stolen:
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Trade name
- model
- Year of manufacture
- Colour
- engine size
- engine number
- bodywork number
- registration number
- Any obvious characteristics or secret identification marks
- radio, cassette, CD player and serial numbers
- Other items in the vehicle
- Insurer
- policy number
- Make yourself a card with this information on it and keep it in your purse/wallet.
General points regarding vehicle safety
Make sure that your vehicle is always in good working order with safe tyres and sufficient petrol. If you are threatened while in your vehicle, hoot until you get help. Never pick up hitch-hikers. If a tyre starts losing air in an unsafe area, keep driving until you feel it is safe to stop. If you become aware of someone following you, drive to the nearest police, fire or open petrol station.
Never leave children or animals unattended in a parked vehicle. With an open window, there is a risk of theft and with closed windows, there is a serious risk of suffocation.
Do you want to buy or sell something?
Why not auction online?
