In South Africa, it is reported that around 300 vehicles are stolen every day. Below is a list of actions to take if you ever find yourself in the unfortunate situation of getting back to the place where you left your car, only to find it missing.
- Check that you haven’t made a mistake
- Report the vehicle stolen
Report it missing and fill out the necessary paperwork. In most circumstances the police will come to your house to make things easier for you during the unpleasant experience. The cops are able to put out an alert that informs the police force in your city that your vehicle is missing. They will use the description to try and make sure they recover it. If not much time has elapsed since you last saw your vehicle, this alert could work. A high percentage of cars that are stolen are recovered.
- Call your insurance
All South Africans should have insurance. Due to the rate of theft and hijacking, you can save yourself a lot of stress and anxiety by taking a policy that covers your vehicle comprehensively. If you had the foresight of getting a policy, whether it be comprehensive cover or “3rd party, fire and theft”, then you will be able to call your insurer and submit a claim. They will investigate the situation but if all is above-board then your insurer will pay you out for the value of your vehicle.
- Check the Classifieds
It may be a good idea to check that the thief has not made the error of placing your car on a car-selling website that could make it easy to find. This is highly unlikely but you never know. You could get lucky. - Make plans for your new ride
Start making plans for your next car. If your car was brand new then you may want the exact same model, but if you had had it for a while then you may want to go out and spoil yourself, and why not? You deserve it.