But if somehow this logic fails to set in, which is evident by the number of road signs driven over and the perfect tire spin marks on some of the intersections, painting an eerie picture of some dude who just discovered the “Fast and Furious” franchise, we strongly feel that you stand a very high chance of fender bending on a Friday night instead of having your mate pat you on the back telling you how cool your doughnuts are, especially if for some reason you think that a N$20 brandy and coke special at Boomhuis is a good idea.
So here are a couple of things that could lead up to, and what you should and should not do if you are in a prang:
Firstly, if you had one too many “lang arm sappies” and spent a good 30 minutes trying to find your car, at which point you do, and for some reason climb into the passenger seat expecting your childhood imaginary friend to drive you home, you might want to Dial A Cab.
So you end up losing the argument with your imaginary friend and drive yourself home. About halfway there you amaze yourself at your almost superhuman ability to follow the white line on the road, but this awe-inspiring moment comes to an abrupt end as the front of your car politely says hello to the Stop sign pole on the corner of Ester something and that other street name you can’t remember. You wonder how this happened, and slowly the realization sets in that instead of following the white line on the road you in actual fact followed the white lines on the sleeves of your awesome Adidas jacket. First tip, don’t drink and drive!
If you are the unlucky guy on the receiving end of an accident, there are a couple of things that should cross your mind before the overwhelming desire to karate the guy who crashed into you kicks in, namely:
- Phone the Police and ambulance if it’s necessary!
- Get all the relevant details of the other driver, such as name, address, phone number, vehicle registration number, and make and model of the car.
- Record details such as date, time, location, accident description and injuries suffered.
- If at all possible, obtain insurance details.
- Keep all records, copies of accident reports, statements or any charges laid against yourself or other parties.
Having all of these details will help you in the event of settling a claim!
There is one other vitally, crucially, unbelievably, undeniably important thing to remember… Insure your car, as the guy who hit you might be under the influence at the time of the accident. This means that even though he had insurance, they will not pay any damages at all, including yours.