Claims roll in after flashflood hit parts of Ekurhuleni and Johannesburg

Major parts of Ekurhuleni and Johannesburg were hit by heavy rain yesterday afternoon with vehicles on the R24 westbound submerged in floodwaters.

Although there’s not much you can do if you’re stuck in rush-hour traffic, we strongly advise you to rather abandon your car if you find yourself in a dangerous situation and to let us sort out the rest, afterall that is why you have car insurance.

We cover flood damage as standard and we’ll do whatever it takes to recover your vehicle – it’s our job to assess the damage and to arrange to have your vehicle repaired as soon as possible. 

Our advisors are working around the clock to assist with any claims. If there’s anything, we can do to help, please do give us a call or visit our claims page to have one of our expert advisors call you back as soon as possible. 

Driving in heavy rain

Of course, the best thing to do is to avoid any situations where you need to drive in bad weather. However, we understand that sometimes you do not have much of a choice, which is why we’ve put together a few tips to help you reach your destination safely:

1. Slow down gradually, and avoid sudden movements such as sharp steering or braking that may cause the car to skid.
2. Turn on your headlights.
3. Increase your following distance to at least six seconds.
4. Increase visibility by switching on your air conditioning and/or your front and rear screen demisters.
5. Use your fog lamps if your visibility drops below 100m.
6. If your car starts to ‘aquaplane’ (i.e. when your car’s tyres lifts from the road surface and you have little or no grip on the Tarmac), do not brake, but rather take your foot off the accelerator gently, and let the car slow down by itself. Chances are that the tyres will come back into contact with the road
7. If the road conditions worsen to such an extent that you do not feel safe driving, rather pull off the road and put your hazards on, but obviously only when it’s safe to do so. In severe circumstances – and for your own safety - it may be better to abandon your car and to find a place of safety.
8. We strongly advise you not to drive through a flood, unless you’re 100% certain that it’s safe to do so.  Even so, first watch other cars drive through the flooded area to get more or less an idea of how deep the water is. If there are no other cars around, do not risk it under any circumstances. If you are following another car, make sure that the car in front is safely on the other side before you make attempt to drive through. The car in front may stop suddenly which will leave you stranded. Always keep a slow, steady speed in a low gear, as slowing down may cause water to flow back into the radiator grille and to be ingested into the engine.
9. The bottom line is that if you’re in any doubt – to rather turn around and try another route.