If you're planning to cash in faking a crash, you won't be paid

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The Road Accident Fund (RAF) says it won’t pay out to people who intentionally throw themselves in front of a vehicle, hoping for a quick pay out.

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“This behaviour is dangerous and adds unnecessary pressure on the Fund which must assess and investigate claims of rightful claimants efficiently,” the RAF said.

Socio-economic challenges

It added that the RAF does not pay out those who purposefully cause a car crash, even if it results in them being seriously hurt.

“In the event of death, the RAF further does not compensate beneficiaries of those who are the authors of their own misfortune.

The RAF Act requires that the respective degrees of fault, blame or negligence, amongst other things, must be determined upon receiving a claim.

We acknowledge road users may be faced with socio-economic challenges.

However, road safety and road crash prevention efforts must remain a priority to all as they contribute towards the reduction of accidents,” the RAF said.

In a statement, the RAF added that it declined over 49 000 claims between 2021 and 2024, where claimants were responsible for causing the road accident, where a person died before the claim was finalised, where a person sustained minor injuries or where claims were lodged fraudulently.

The Fund added that in the last five years, 7 987 road fatalities were recorded over the festive season.

“A total of 84% of these fatal road crashes resulted from human conduct. Pedestrians and passengers were the most affected road users at 40% and 33% respectively, followed by drivers at 26% and cyclists at 1%,” the Fund said.

The Fund added that it does not compensate for the death itself but only pays for the actual costs to cremate the deceased or bury them in a grave.