When we see road accidents involving taxis or old buses, we normally contribute it to driver error. In a great deal of cases, this is not always the only factor. The majority of these vehicles are not roadworthy. But what is roadworthy? Roadworthy means that the vehicle isn't fit to be driven on public roads and motorways.
In South Africa, it's a full legal requirement to have your automobile roadworthy before you can drive it. In order to obtain a roadworthy certificate for your vehicle, you need to visit the registered authorities in your city. They will then check over your automobile, and see whether it is roadworthy or not. Once the authorised person is doing their check up on your vehicle, they will take a number of different factors about your car into account. To begin with, the vehicle will be checked through the engine number to make sure it is legitimate. All the electrical systems in your vehicle will be checked over, such as your indicator lights, and all your car lights and brake lights. The tires and steering and most aspects of the body of your vehicle will also be checked over. In case your vehicle fails this roadworthy test, you will usually have a time period of a number of days or weeks in which to repair all defects. If you do this, then you will be responsible for a free re-test which could then award you your roadworthy certificate.
Whenever you buy a new car, you won't be allowed to register the vehicle in your name if you do not have a new and updated roadworthy certificate. In South Africa, you will not be allowed to renew your vehicle license each year if you don't have a new and updated roadworthy certificate.
To bring up the key matter of car insurance, you will not be allowed to take out car insurance without a valid roadworthy certificate. The motor insurance company does not itself will not check whether your vehicle is roadworthy or not, but if you have a collision and it is discovered that your car was not roadworthy at the time of the accident, then the insurance company will not have to pay out. This is even more so if the fact that the car was not roadworthy is what caused the accident in the first place! Regardless that it is seen as reckless to drive without an up to date roadworthy certificate, you need to remember that it is ILLEGAL to drive without a roadworthy certification on your vehicle.
To conclude, it is very easy to understand how imperative it is to have an up to date roadworthy certificate for your car. If you are unsure of where to go for a roadworthy certificate, take a look on the internet. You should be able to easily find testing sites and a copy of the testing sheet on the internet. The testing sheet can be of great use to you, because you can test and fix any problems you think could arise before you even go for the check.
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