The RAF will not compensate people who deliberately get themselves injured by vehicles

SOUTH AFRICA -The Road Accident Fund (RAF) is aware of a trend where people throw themselves against moving vehicles, to enable themselves to claim from the Fund. Apparently, such people wait for the vehicles to slow down enough that they don’t get killed on impact before throwing themselves. This behaviour is dangerous and adds 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. In the event of death, the RAF further does not compensate beneficiaries of those who are the authors of their own misfortune. The RAF Act requires that the respective degrees of fault, blame or negligence, amongst other things, must be determined upon receiving a claim. We acknowledge road users may be faced with socio-economic 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 2021/2022 to 2023/24. The reasons for this include: cases where a claimant was solely responsible for causing the road crash; claims where the claimant died before finalisation of the claim; where injuries sustained were so minor that no claim for damages arose; and claims that were lodged fraudulently.

Over the last five years, South Africa recorded a total of 7,987 road fatalities during the festive season. Festive season road crash statistics cover a 42-day period, from 01 December to 11 January 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 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 a devastating one for the family. We want to contribute to making your holiday and travel experiences more peaceful and meaningful by highlighting 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.