{"id":880962,"date":"2026-10-24T07:00:00","date_gmt":"2026-10-24T05:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/businesstech.co.za\/news\/?p=880962"},"modified":"2026-10-23T15:35:57","modified_gmt":"2026-10-23T13:35:57","slug":"warning-for-people-with-a-driving-licence-in-south-africa","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/businesstech.co.za\/news\/motoring\/880962\/warning-for-people-with-a-driving-licence-in-south-africa\/","title":{"rendered":"Warning for people with a driving licence in South Africa"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Experts have warned South African insured motorists that factors such as expired licence discs, worn tyres, and neglected vehicle maintenance can increase the risk of insurers rejecting claims after an accident.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Traffic accidents in South Africa result in costs of about R180 billion each year, and a significant number of uninsured drivers pose a risk to insured drivers.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Almost 70% of all vehicles on South African roads are uninsured. This means that if a driver collides with another vehicle, there is a two-in-three chance that the at-fault driver will be unable to cover the damages.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Vehicle insurance policies in South Africa require drivers to hold a valid driver’s license, and experts have warned that certain factors that may seem unrelated to insurance may affect whether a claim is approved or denied.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Miway Insurance Executive Head of Claims, Youlon Naidoo, urged motorists to disclose the changes in how they use and maintain their vehicles to their insurance providers.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

He said that common oversights by motorists can affect how a claim is assessed, which could greatly impact the cost of repair after an accident.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

He said that any changes in the designated driver must be reported to the insurer, as this is a crucial aspect of the risk assessment.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

This is because if a spouse, child, or another person becomes the regular driver, their age, driving experience, and claims history may affect the premium or policy terms.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cIf someone else starts using the vehicle more frequently than the declared regular driver, whether for a limited period or permanently, contact your insurer to check whether the change needs to be recorded,\u201d said Naidoo.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Naidoo said that if the way a vehicle is used changes, such as when a car insured for private use starts to be used for business travel, deliveries, or longer daily commutes, it may impact the insurance policy.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cBusiness or delivery use may require different cover from ordinary private use. If the insurer has not been told about a material change, the policy may no longer reflect the actual risk.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Missed car services and damaged tyres can compromise an insurance claim<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
\"\"<\/a>
Miway Insurance Executive Head of Claims, Youlon Naidoo<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Naidoo urged motorists to monitor their tyres regularly and look out for tread wear, cuts, bulges, and incorrect pressure, as driving on worn or damaged tyres can contribute to a collision.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

“Tyres with inadequate tread depth can compromise road safety by reducing grip and increasing stopping distances, particularly in wet conditions.”<\/p>\n\n\n\n

He explained that if worn or damaged tyres contributed to a collision, the vehicle\u2019s roadworthiness may become relevant when the claim is assessed.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Another factor that can affect how a claim is assessed is if a vehicle has not completed regular inspection and maintenance, such as regular services.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Naidoo explained that poor maintenance increases the risk of a breakdown or accident and may become a factor in a claim if a mechanical defect contributed to the incident.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

“Insurance protects motorists against unexpected events, but vehicle owners also have a responsibility to keep their cars safe and roadworthy,” he said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Naidoo said that while expired driver’s licence cards or vehicle licence disks do not automatically lead to a rejected claim, they can cause unnecessary delays.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

“Even where expired documentation was not material to the loss, it can lead to avoidable questions or administrative delays.”<\/p>\n\n\n\n

He explained that keeping licences and vehicle documents up to date helps demonstrate compliance and can make the claims process much smoother.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Naidoo said that ensuring regular driver and vehicle use is correctly recorded, keeping the vehicle roadworthy, and renewing all required documentation on time can make the claims process simpler.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

“Insurers assess whether information was withheld, policy conditions were breached, or a vehicle defect contributed to the loss,\u201d Naidoo said. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

He said the closer the connection between an issue and the accident, the greater the risk that a claim could be disputed or rejected.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Experts have urged insured motorists in South Africa to understand their responsibilities before making a claim, to avoid it being rejected.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":127,"featured_media":874140,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"","sticky":true,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_sma_x_autopost_status":"posted","_sma_x_autopost_error":"","_sma_x_post_id":"2113859289836093641","_sma_facebook_post_id":"191437357620492_2247297846090614","_sma_instagram_post_id":"18106639292617996","_sma_x_attempts":1,"footnotes":""},"categories":[11119],"tags":[11053,19858,22158],"class_list":["post-880962","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-motoring","tag-car-insurance","tag-drivers-licence-2","tag-miway-insurance"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/businesstech.co.za\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/880962","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/businesstech.co.za\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/businesstech.co.za\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/businesstech.co.za\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/127"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/businesstech.co.za\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=880962"}],"version-history":[{"count":4,"href":"https:\/\/businesstech.co.za\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/880962\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":881242,"href":"https:\/\/businesstech.co.za\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/880962\/revisions\/881242"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/businesstech.co.za\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/874140"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/businesstech.co.za\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=880962"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/businesstech.co.za\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=880962"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/businesstech.co.za\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=880962"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}