Have you ever considered where the average Joe will find information with advice on car insurance? When we refer to this information we do not refer to car insurance advertisements or invitations to find a specific car insurance provider, but rather to advice on important aspects such as:
- How do I interpret the terms and conditions in a policy?
- What are the typical pitfalls and fine print to be aware of?
- What are my obligations in the contractual agreement with the insurer?
- When and why might the insurer refuse to make payment in the event of a claim?
- What do I do if I believe that I have a legitimate claim and the insurer rejects such a claim?
Insurance Information and advice on the Internet
It is easy to find information about car insurance on the internet. A search for the term car insurance will deliver thousands of links from insurers and bloggers. To find valuable and insightful answers to the questions raised above might however be a bit more difficult…!
Most bloggers and marketing efforts are geared towards attracting customers and convincing visitors to change their car insurance to a new provider with a unique offering. This is why we can expect to find a focus on terms such as:
- cheaper car insurance
- affordable car insurance
- best car insurance etc.
To provide advice and education are lower on the list of priorities for the marketing departments at car insurers. Providing advice and education do not bring in the money and do not pay the salaries. This does not convince a vehicle owner to submit his details and request a quote – and marketers, to put it rather bluntly, need to generate quotes –not teach vehicle owners! There are no prizes for educational efforts and for the most informed clients!
Financial websites / Study Courses on Car Insurance
To find advice and education visitors have to spend a bit more time and cross-reference between various providers. There are a few educational bodies such as the insurance institute, financial planning institute and other bodies providing courses with the information. You will however need to be a student and subscribe to a course to find all the course materials. You can also find answers to many questions through financial websites or by studying the decisions/ judgements by the Ombud for Short Term Insurance.
Another useful resource is the circulars from the South African Insurance Crime Bureau and publications such as FA News.
Road Safety Initiatives and Car Insurance
In June 2009 the Arrive Alive online road safety recognized the need for greater awareness of the link between car insurance and safety on our roads. It was decided to gain closer cooperation with the car insurance industry and assist our vehicle owners in their efforts to gain advice and information about car insurance. This is done via the platform provided by a car insurance blog at the domain carinsurance.arrivealive.co.za.
During the past year we have been able to provide advice and educational information to many online visitors. We would like to invite visitors to view the page created on the Arrive Alive website to illustrate how this was made possible:
We would like to invite visitors to raise their questions, and to email us with suggestions on aspects they would like to read about. May these efforts contribute to informed decisions by vehicle owners, more insured vehicles on our roads and greater road safety!!