The Road Accident Fund (RAF) is aware of a trend where people throw themselves against moving vehicles to enable them to claim from the fund. People allegedly wait for vehicles to slow down enough to avoid being killed on impact. This behaviour puts unnecessary pressure on the fund, which must assess and investigate claims of rightful claimants efficiently.
The RAF does not compensate someone who intentionally causes a motor vehicle accident, even if this results in serious injuries. Furthermore, in the event of death, the RAF does not compensate the beneficiaries of those who are the authors of their own misfortune.
The RAF Act requires that the respective degrees of fault, blame or negligence, among others, must be determined upon receiving a claim. It acknowledges that road users may be faced with socioeconomic challenges. However, road safety and road crash prevention efforts must remain a priority to all as they contribute towards the reduction of accidents.
A total of 49,631 claims were declined from 2021/22 to 2023/24. Reasons included:
- Cases where a claimant was solely responsible for causing the road crash;
- Claims where the claimant died before finalisation of the claim;
- Cases where injuries sustained were so minor that no claim for damages arose; and
- Claims that were lodged fraudulently.
Over the past five years, SA recorded a total of 7,987 road fatalities during the festive season. Festive season road crash statistics cover a 42-day period, from December 1 to January 11 each year. A total of 84% of these fatal road crashes resulted from human conduct. Pedestrians and passengers were the most affected road users at 40% and 33% respectively, followed by drivers (26%) and cyclists (1%).
Road users are urged to also remember that the fund does not compensate for the death of a person itself, but only pays for the actual costs to cremate the deceased or bury them in a grave.
The RAF values all road users and understands that in the unfortunate event of death in a road crash due to poor human behaviour, the experience can be devastating for the family. To contribute to making your holiday and travel experiences more peaceful, it shares the following road safety tips:
- Wear bright-coloured clothes when walking after sunset.
- Don’t run when crossing the road. Be alert and walk.
- Cross the road only where it is safe to do so.
- Do not drink and drive.
- Do not text and drive.
- Make sure that you inflate your tyres to the correct tyre pressure recommendation.
- Keep a safe following distance.
- Do not drive or walk on the road unsupervised if you are not feeling well.
How to contact the RAF
In the unfortunate event of being involved in a motor vehicle accident, the RAF Contact Centre is reachable on 087 820 1111 from Monday to Friday, 7.45am to 4pm.
Claimants may also contact the RAF’s Contact Centre on the WhatsApp number 071 605 4707, via SMS on 44930, or by email on contactcentre@raf.co.za.
In addition, the RAF is reachable through its offices countrywide, details of which are available on its website.
This article was sponsored by the RAF.
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