Cape Town - The impact of load shedding on the city’s roads has contributed to an increase in car crashes, and some insurance companies have cited a spike in claims since load shedding took effect last year.
Mayoral committee member for safety and security JP Smith confirmed there had been a rise in collisions at intersections affected by load shedding, but said the city did not have the resources to deploy traffic officials at all of these areas.
As time was a factor, Smith said the city would be exploring the option of deploying pointsmen at the most problematic intersections affected, who would use motorcycles to get to these points sooner.
Provincial transport and public works spokesman Byron la Hoe said accidents related to load shedding could be mostly attributed to driver behaviour, visibility of road users and common errors of judgement.
PROCESSING CLAIMS
With the effect also felt by insurance companies, MUA Insurance Acceptances managing director Christelle Fourie said that since the start of load shedding in 2014 the company had experienced a R20 million increase in household and car claims nationally.
When it comes to accidents that occur during load shedding, there is also a question of who the guilty party is when there are no traffic lights.
Santam head of corporate affairs Donald Kau said the company processed claims resulting from crashes at defective traffic lights in the same way as any other vehicle insurance claim.
“We will assess the available information (details of the incident) and evaluate the claim following our rigorous claims process,” he said.
With the prospect of load shedding affecting South Africans for the next few years, it’s advisable for to check whether your insurance does include cover for power outages.
Cape Times