True_Love 2019-10-01

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HOWTO DEAL WITH TOW TRUCK VULTURES

Whenstuck on the side of the road, seeing a tow truck might feel like a guard-

ianangelhasjustlandedbutbeforecommittingtoanything,herearea few

thingstonote:

Always ensure that the vehicle is being towed to the address as in-

structed by the insurance company. Some tow truck operators strike

dealswithcertaincompaniestotakeoverthevehiclerepairsorcharge

additionalstoragefees.

Thetowing industry is not regulated, so there are no set rates. The

towing associations have agreed on preferential rates with their part-

ners, so it’s advisable to use a truck that’s affiliated with the United

Towing Association of SA (086 118 8272), Natal Towing Association

(086168 2682) or the South African Towing and Recovery Association

(086 107 2872).Ensurethetow-truckoperatordisplayshisassociation’s

sticker.

Neverallowthetow-truckdrivertocallyourinsurerunlessyou’reinjured.

Know who your insurer is and display “do not tow” stickers, if you have

them. Know what your policy covers and what you’re liable for.

Whattodowhenyou’restuck

AccordingtoRobynneFarrell,managing

directorat1stForWomenInsurance,the

firstthingyoushoulddowhenyourcar

breaksdownistoswitchonyourhazard

warninglights,sothatyou’revisibleto

othermotorists.Ifpossible,rollyour

cartotheyellowlane,orasclosetothe

shoulderoftheroadaspossible.When

it’ssafetodoso,getoutandplaceyour

warningtriangle 50 mbehindyourcar.

Whenconvincedofthesafetyofyour

vehicle,returntothecarandlockall

doors.Ifyou’rescaredthatyourvehicle

mightgethitfrombehind,don’tstay

inside—ratherstandata safedistance

awayfromthecar.

What’snext?

Oncesettled,contactyourinsuranceora

roadsideassistancecompany,aswellas

a familymemberorsecuritycompany.

Callandcheckifyourinsuranceprovides

roadsideassistanceaspartofyourplan,

andrequesttheirhelp.Rememberto

alsophonea familymemberorafriend

tonotifythemofyourwhereabouts

andifpossible,askthemtocomekeep

youcompany.Don’taccepthelpfrom

strangersandwhentheroadassistance

companyarrives,don’tgetoutofthecar

immediately.Askforidentificationfirst.

Vehicletowing

AccordingtotheAutomobileAssociation

(AA),youhavetherighttochoosewho

towsyourvehiclebutyouneedtoensure

thatthetowtruckcompanyispartofan

accreditedassociation.Ifyourvehicleis

insured,yourinsurancecompanywill

makearrangementsformovingyourcar.

Ifanindependenttowtruckarriveson

thescenebeforeyourinsurancedoes,be

carefulnottosignanydocumentsyou

don’tunderstand.Callyourinsurance

companyyourselfandconfirmthatthey

willcoverthetowingcosts.

Getthetowoperator’sdetailsincluding

thecompanyname,physicaladdress,

contactdetailsandthenameoftheperson

helpingyou.Alsoaskupfrontaboutthe

coststostoreyourvehicle.Ifyoucan’t

affordit,it’sbesttotowthecartoyour

premises.Readthetermsandconditions

ofanycontractanddon’tsignanyblank

documents.Lastly,makesureyouremove

yourpersonalbelongingsfromthecar

beforetowing.

By MBALI SOGA

Being stuck on the side of the road is

every woman’s worst fear. Here’s a

quick guide to navigate this, possibly,

life-threatening scenario!

HANDLING

A VEHICLE

BREAKDOWN

120 |^ OCTOBER^2019 | WWW.TRUELOVE.CO.ZA

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