#TrafficWrap: Dealing with tow trucks when involved in an accident
Getting involved in an accident can be a traumatic situation, and it doesn't help when you have insistent tow truck drivers who pressure you to choose their service.
Listen as Jayshree chats to an owner of a tow truck company about choosing tow trucks when in an accident below, or read the details under the podcast.
Wendy Knowler had previously done this on Consumerwatch. It still applies and is certainly worth a read.
Typically, people who’ve been in an accident are suffering from shock, and thus are fair game for unscrupulous tow truck operators. They don’t read the form they are asked to sign and fail to protect themselves.
The big problem is that once their cars are towed to a tow truck company’s yard, they are charged a hefty daily storage fee. So they need help fast but seldom get it.
Tow truck operators on the scene of an accident tend to employ some rather creative methods to get your damaged car onto their trucks. So, if you’re insured, save your insurance company’s accident number in your cellphone, and make that call yourself to find out which tow truck operator is authorised, and therefore covered, by them.
Read - #TrafficWrap: SANRAL's advice ahead of the long weekend
If you’re not insured, you’re fair game. Before you consent to your car being towed, find out where it is being towed to - the closer the better, and get the exact address - what the rate per kilometre is, and what the admin, security, and daily storage fees are. Make sure all this information is noted on the form you sign, and get a copy of it. Then get your car moved from their yard as soon as possible to avoid a massive storage bill.
Here are a few things to remember when you're involved in an accident:
- If you have insurance, programme the name and number of your insurer’s towing hotline into your cellphone, and call them when you’re in an accident and your car needs towing
- Never let anyone phone your insurance company on your behalf. What many do is pretend to call your insurer and then tell you they have approval, when they don’t, and you end up paying for the tow as a result
- Get all the tow-truck company's details before they disappear with your car - full name of the driver, the company's physical address and landline number, and the registration number of the truck
- Never put your signature above the terms and conditions on the form. Many companies state this on their forms: "By signature hereto, you agree to the terms and conditions on reverse hereof.” Motorists who don’t read the back of the form get a fright when they release their vehicles due to the high costs
For more information contact South African Towing and Recovery Association's 24-hour line on 0861 072 872.