letters and opinions
How do I claim from a personal
accident insurance policy?
It is the responsibility of the insured
or the beneficiary appointed to comply
with the conditions set out in the policy
document.
The usual conditions are; providing
notice of the accident to the insurance
company within a specified period and
providing proof of all matters upon
which a claim is based. The insurance
company expects that a claim form
will be filled by providing details of the
accident; indicating the nature of the
injuries; the name and address of the
attending doctor and a medical report.
Insurance companies are required
by law to settle claims within 90 days
of the insured providing all necessary
documentation.
Who can apply for PA insurance and
what is required?
Anyone between the ages of 16 to 65
years can apply for personal accident
insurance. The cover can be structured
to cover a nucl ear famil y; that is
father, mother and children. Insurance
companies can waive cover for those
below 16 or above 65 in line with set
terms and conditions.
A group of people (emplo yees,
chama etc) can also be covered under
Group Personal Accident insurance.
To sign up, you will need to share
your personal and health status details,
occupation, hobbies and other leisure
activities, previous accidents or ailments
as well as previous insurance information.
You will also select the benefits and
sum insured. This information should
be provided with at most good faith
and honesty, you will be required to
sign a declaration that the information
provided is truthful.
Who is a beneficiary and why is it
important to nominate one?
Beneficiary is a person who
receives the benefits following death
of the insured. The person applying for
insurance is required to nominate a
preferred beneficiary or beneficiaries
and the percenta ge allocation of
benefits.
If a child below 18 years is appointed,
then a responsible guardian who will
administer benefits upon sudden death
should also be appointed. Choosing a
beneficiary ensures that the benefits go
to the right people.
September 2017
There is need to remove
all illegal road bumps
on the roads
By Mwaura Njoroge
S
peed bumps are essential in reducing road
carnage. However, haphazard erection of
bumps on our roads has now become a
recipe for disaster. This is especially so in the
rural areas.
Makeshift road bumps, erected by locals,
are now a common feature on the roads. While the intention
to erect them may be triggered by errant driving, their
existence on these roads sometime end up causing deaths and
accidents- the same thing they are erected to avoid.
It is for this reason that the government, through Kenya
National Highways Authority (KENHA) and all other government
agencies, must focus attention on removing these speed
bumps. But irregular speed bumps are not a reserve of the
roads constructed in the rural areas. In December last year,
over 40 people died in Karai, Naivasha, after a lorry driver
carrying inflammable material hit an unmarked road bump.
The lorry caught fire and spread it to other vehicles that had
slowed for the bumps.
Some people termed the accident as the most horrific
road disaster in recent times. Shells of burnt vehicles remained
as hallmarks of the inferno.
Unmarked bumps have not only become a source of
accidents but also increased vehicle damages. The bumps
have also increased crime as criminals waylay motorists,
especially at night, and especially at deserted places.
Some motorists have damaged vehicles after hitting the
unmarked bumps.
It is for this reason that we need to laud efforts by KENHA
to standardize bumps on the roads and erect road signs on
the roads.
Two months ago, KENHA Director General Eng. Peter
Mundiania said the authority had set aside Ksh 40 million to
standardize bumps on ma jor highways.
But it is the roads leading to market places away from
ma jor towns that are dotted with soil bumps. In some extreme
cases, rocks are used to make the bumps. About a month ago,
a friend remarked to me how his visit to parts of Murang’a
almost aborted after he encountered what he described as “a
ridiculously high” bump near a shopping centre. Most of the
private cars on that road could not go over the soil moulding
erected as a road bump. Most of the motorists had to find an
alternative route to avoid the bump, he said.
Such are the inconveniences motorists go through on the
roads. As I mentioned earlier, increased illegal speed bumps
are nothing but a manifestation of the driving habits in the
country.
However, road signs are an important feature of road safety.
Having unmarked bumps, some bigger that recommended
sizes, is a bigger disaster than their absence.
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