Car-rental clients often take out comprehensive waivers to ensure they will be covered in case of an accident. Most clients, however, are unaware that if they break the law by, for example, speeding or drunk driving, they forfeit the waiver they have bought and will be liable for the full value of the car in case of an accident.
According to statistics compiled by Avis Car Rental, car-rental companies especially consider Namibia a high-risk destination. “One in ten car rentals have a serious accident when driving in Namibia and the deaths on roads in Namibia are fifty times what they are in Europe. The number-one reason is that clients exceed the speed limit,” says Lance Smith, Executive Sales for Avis Rent a Car.
The great number of accidents and resulting deaths has prompted Avis to put trackers in every vehicle. Smith says that, thanks to these trackers, Avis has caught customers speeding at over 160kph on dirt roads hours after disembarking from a long-haul flight. Avis then phones the clients warning them they are in breach of the law and will no longer be covered by the waiver they have bought. “In most cases, we won’t invoke breach, but where there is gross negligence or clear recklessness, we will invoke breach.”
Europcar has also started tracking vehicles for speeding in Namibia. Dawn Nathan-Jones, Europcar CEO, says: “In terms of Europcar’s standard rental terms and conditions, should a traveller break the law i.e. break traffic rules and, as a result, have an accident, their waiver would no longer be valid. In terms of this stipulation they would be responsible for the full amount of damage caused.”
