The festive season is a time of joy and celebration, but it’s also infamous for seasonal increases in traffic accidents and vehicle related crimes.
Whether you are planning a long road trip, a relaxed drive to a nearby destination or celebrations with friends and family in your home city, it pays to be prepared.
Ernest North, co-founder at digital car insurance platform, Naked, discusses the most common festive season insurance claims trends and how to protect yourself and your car.
1. Car accidents
Increased traffic volumes, drunken driving and unroadworthy vehicles all contribute to a spike in accidents over the festive season.
Tips
- To improve road safety and ensure a hassle-free claims experience if something bad happens on the road, make sure that your car is roadworthy. Ask a tyre fitment centre to check that your tread isn’t worn out. Ensure your indicators and brake lights are working. Get your brake pads checked if they have not been replaced for a long time.
- Keep your insurer’s roadside emergency number on hand or install its app so that you can call for help if you have an accident or engine trouble.
- Obey the rules of the road. The most important of these, which traffic police (and your insurer) will scrutinise the most, is to never drink and drive. Plan ahead and arrange alternative transport if you are going to have a few drinks.
- Get a good night’s sleep before a long drive and take regular breaks. Share driving duties with someone else if you can.
- Never overload your vehicle: Do not exceed the size or weight limit of the roof rack, bike rack or storage mechanisms like a Thule.
2. Motor vehicle theft
Car theft numbers are rising and criminals are becoming more sophisticated in the techniques they use to steal keyless cars.
Tips
- While a fob (the small handheld remote control device that controls a remote keyless entry system) is convenient because most of us don’t have to bother with physically locking and unlocking our cars, they do create risk. Criminals keep getting more sophisticated in how they hack the signal on your fob to get access to your car. A faraday pouch or fob guard helps to block key fob signals. You could also consider deactivating the keyless entry function.
- Double-check that your car is locked when you park it. Manually try the door to ensure that a criminal hasn’t used remote jamming to prevent it from locking.
- Park in a safe place, such as a mall parking garage when possible. If you must park on the street, park in well-lit areas at night and in areas with a lot of foot and vehicle traffic.
- Consider installing a vehicle tracking system. If your car doesn’t have a factory-fitted immobiliser and alarm, consider getting one.
- If you have added expensive accessories and extras to your car – such as a roof-rack, bull bar, xenon lights, or extra sound equipment – update your policy to ensure they are covered.
3. Spiking and hijacking
The number of hijacking victims more than doubled from 64,000 in 2020/21 to 134,000 in 2021/22. Criminals are using tactics such as placing spikes on the road or dropping rocks and bricks from bridges onto cars to force drivers to stop.
Tips
- Avoid driving through known crime hotspot areas if you can use a safer alternate route, even if it’s a bit longer.
- Minimise driving at night when visibility is limited and crime risks are higher.
- Watch for people on the side of the road or on top of bridges, especially when driving through known hotspots or travelling at night.
- Keep within the speed limit to spot potential road hazards sooner and control your car better.
- If your tyres are damaged when driving near a crime hotspot area and your car is still drivable, drive slowly to a petrol station or other place of safety before you stop to change them.
- Should you be involved in an accident or crime incident, the Naked Insurance app lets you request emergency assistance such as an armed guard for these situations.
Not driving these holidays?
With Naked’s mobile app, you can pause your accident cover on the days that you’re not driving your car. You can instantly save 50% of your premium on the days you use CoverPause.
Your car remains covered for theft, fire and Mother Nature. It’s a great way to save a little more money if you’re going away and your car is staying at home or at the airport.