This is according to Helen Szemerei, chief commercial officer at Europ Assistance South Africa, who says during the holiday season socialising events often involve the intake of alcohol. “Pair this with the increased volume of cars on the road due to holiday travellers and the likelihood of accidents occurring increases significantly, both during the lead-up to and in the actual holiday season.”
She urges South Africans to practice responsible behaviour and make use of driver assistance services to avoid driving under the influence of alcohol. “As we are approaching the ‘silly season’ where year-end functions, Christmas parties and general get-togethers are more frequent – more people need to ensure that they have a Take Me Home service in place.”
According to Szemerei, it is positive to note that since stricter measures have been introduced by authorities to increase awareness around the risks associated with drunk driving, more people are opting to use driver assistance services. “These services provide motorists with the opportunity to be driven home in their own vehicle by a pre-approved driver.”
She says the benefits of having driver assistance in place includes personal safety and the significantly reduced risk of being involved in an accident due to driving under the influence of alcohol. “If a drunk driving accident occurs it does not only affect the person who caused the collision but often innocent lives are affected too.”
“Most motor insurance companies could also reject an insurance claim as insurance policies do not cover drunk driving. Another risk associated with drunk driving is the major possibility of imprisonment and a conviction – as driving under the influence is against the law,” explains Szemerei.
It is important that people find out whether or not they have this service readily available to them through existing service providers, as most insurers or banks offer these services to their clients. She advises motorists to ascertain exactly how many times they can use the driver assistance service on a yearly basis to plan ahead for the upcoming festive season. “Those who do not have this in place through their product and service providers are also urged to ensure that they know how to get access to driver assistance for the end-of-year season.”
“At Europ Assistance South Africa we have seen a drastic increase in the number of requests for these assisted driving services and it is encouraging to see this behavioural change in South African citizens. However, the statistics show that we still have a long way to go to eliminate drinking and driving on our roads,” she concludes.
