![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.innov8fs.co.za\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/Simple-tricks-insurers-use-to-spot-drunk-driving-and-reject-claims.jpg\")
<\/p>\n<\/p>\n
The National Financial Ombud Scheme has warned motorists that their insurers will refuse to pay out their claims if they\u2019re involved in an accident while under the influence of alcohol.<\/p>\n
This is regardless of whether motorists are breathalysed or have their blood tested at the scene, as insurers use various techniques to determine if a motorist had been drinking before an incident.<\/p>\n
Speaking to SAfm, National Financial Ombud Scheme head Reana Steyn warned that just being under the influence of alcohol is enough to reject a claim, even if a motorist is under the legal limit.<\/p>\n
\u201cIn the contract that you\u2019ve signed and that you\u2019ve agreed to, you\u2019ve agreed to certain things as the insured,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n
One of the agreements is that the insured won\u2019t drive under the influence of alcohol, and she clarified that this doesn\u2019t only apply to insured parties driving over the legal blood alcohol limit.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s not only exceeding the limit, but it\u2019s also just a general statement under the influence, and that\u2019s what you\u2019ve agreed to,\u201d said Steyn.<\/p>\n
\u201cIf you drive under the influence, you will not be paid for your claim.\u201d<\/p>\n
Moreover, she added that this could also apply to motorists involved in accidents where their blood alcohol levels were never tested at the scene.<\/p>\n
\u201cThey will look at the totality of all the evidence. That is where the evidence of tow truck drivers, or paramedics and other witnesses at the scene will come into play,\u201d said Steyn.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe insurance company will gather information as to your whereabouts. They will investigate where you were, what you were doing, to try and see: were you under the influence?\u201d<\/p>\n
She explained that this is because insured parties frequently lie to their insurers, shifting the responsibility onto the insurer to prove what really happened.<\/p>\n
This can include the insurer investigating the insured\u2019s bank statements to determine where they were and what they were doing before an incident.<\/p>\n
![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.innov8fs.co.za\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/Cracking-down-on-drunk-driving-in-South-Africas-richest-city.jpg\")
<\/p>\n
Motorists driving under the influence have been a major contributor to road fatalities in South Africa, particularly over the festive season.<\/p>\n
Transport minister Barbara Creecy alluded to this while announcing the road fatality statistics for the 2024\/25 festive season.<\/p>\n
\u201cI think part of what has surprised us is that these drivers have been extremely under the influence of alcohol both day and night,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n
Major metros, particularly Johannesburg, increased the frequency of traffic stops during the 2025\/26 financial year to try to crack down on the trend of drunk driving.<\/p>\n
In November 2025, the Johannesburg Metropolitan Police Department (JMPD) told MyBroadband that it had aligned with the national \u201cSafer Festive Season Campaign\u201d.<\/p>\n
To tackle driving under the influence (DUI), the JMPD said it planned to set up sobriety checkpoints across the metro\u2019s major arterial and suburban routes.<\/p>\n
\u201cDUI arrests remain a core metric of our enforcement success in preventing road carnage,\u201d it said.<\/p>\n
The JMPD\u2019s efforts also focused on nailing motorists guilty of speeding and other infringements through a combination of speed traps and multi-disciplinary roadblocks over the festive season.<\/p>\n
\u201cJMPD will implement a high-density, integrated operational plan across all regions of Johannesburg, focusing heavily on visible policing, especially during peak travel times and high-risk periods,\u201d it said.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe JMPD plans to significantly increase the frequency and duration of multi-disciplinary roadblocks.\u201d<\/p>\n
The JMPD stated that its roadblocks, or vehicle checkpoints, will be conducted in collaboration with the Road Traffic Management Corporation, the Gauteng Traffic Police, and the South African Police Service.<\/p>\n
\u201cRoadblocks will be strategically positioned on key national routes (N1, N3, N12, M1) and central urban arteries to ensure maximum impact on both compliance and crime prevention,\u201d the JMPD said.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe presence of these roadblocks will serve as a strong deterrent to crime and irresponsible road behaviour.\u201d<\/p>\n
It added that it planned to tackle speeding and reckless driving with fixed-point and mobile speed traps and that it adjusted its deployment schedule to ensure 24\/7 enforcement on high-volume routes.<\/p>\n
\u201cThis includes dedicated units focused on manned speed enforcement to immediately address and process drivers caught for excessive speeds,\u201d the JMPD said.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
The National Financial Ombud Scheme has warned motorists that their insurers will refuse to pay out their claims if they\u2019re involved in an accident while…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[4],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-2121","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-innov8ions"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.innov8fs.co.za\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2121","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.innov8fs.co.za\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.innov8fs.co.za\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.innov8fs.co.za\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.innov8fs.co.za\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2121"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/www.innov8fs.co.za\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2121\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":2124,"href":"https:\/\/www.innov8fs.co.za\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2121\/revisions\/2124"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.innov8fs.co.za\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2121"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.innov8fs.co.za\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2121"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.innov8fs.co.za\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2121"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}