Having Your Car Roadworthy Clear For Insurance Purposes
When we see road accidents involving taxis or old buses, we normally contribute it to driver error. In a lot of cases, this is not always the only factor. The majority of these vehicles are not roadworthy. But what is roadworthy? Roadworthy means that the vehicle is not fit to be driven on public roads and motorways.
In South Africa, it is a full legal requirement to have your vehicle roadworthy before you can drive it. Before you even start phoning around for car insurance quotes, first make sure that you have the roadworthy certificate in hand. In order to obtain a roadworthy certificate for your vehicle, you need to visit the registered authorities in your city. They will then check over your motor vehicle, and see whether it is roadworthy or not. When the authorised person is doing their check on your vehicle, they will take a number of different factors about your vehicle into account. First of all, the vehicle will be checked through the engine number to make sure it is legitimate. All the electrical systems in your vehicle will be checked over, such as your indicator lights, and all your car lights and brake lights. The tires and steering and most aspects of the body of your vehicle will also be checked over. If your vehicle fails this roadworthy test, you will usually have a time period of a number of days or weeks in which to repair all defects. If you do this, then you will be liable for a free re-test which could then award you your roadworthy certificate.
When you purchase a new motor vehicle, you will not be allowed to register the vehicle in your name if you do not have a new and updated roadworthy certificate. In South Africa, you will not be allowed to renew your vehicle license each year if you do not have a new and updated roadworthy certificate.
To bring up the important matter of car insurance, you will not even be given a car insurance quote without a valid roadworthy certificate. The motor insurance company does not itself will not check whether your vehicle is roadworthy or not, but if you have a collision and it is discovered that your car was not roadworthy at the time of the accident, then the insurance company will not have to pay out. This is even more so if the fact that the car was not roadworthy is what caused the accident in the first place! Regardless that it is seen as reckless to drive without an up to date roadworthy certificate, you need to remember that it is ILLEGAL to drive without a roadworthy certification on your vehicle.
In conclusion, it is very easy to see how imperative it is to have an up to date roadworthy certificate for your car. If you are unsure of where to go for a roadworthy certificate, take a look on the internet. You should be able to easily find testing sites and a copy of the testing sheet on the internet. The testing sheet can be of great use to you, because you can try and fix any problems you think could arise before you even go for the check. So start with the basics - Get the roadworthy certificate, obtain insurance quotes and travel safe!