Insurers know we differ
http://personalfinance.iafrica.com/insurance/2595880.htm

Gender, like age or smoking, is used by financial services companies to predict risk profiles and set the price of premiums.

For instance, we know that women visit their doctors more frequently and, of course, they have babies. Some health-insurance providers therefore charge women more for their medical policies. Back in 2008, the National Women’s Law Centre in the US published a report on health-insurance companies that found that, in that country, the average 25-year-old woman could thus pay almost 45 percent more for her health plan than her male counterpart did.

Having Your Car Roadworthy Clear For Insurance Purposes
http://www.articlelisted.com/Art/51683/226/Having-Your-Car-Roadworthy-Clear-For-Insurance-Purposes.html

When we see road accidents involving taxis or old buses, we normally contribute it to driver error. In a lot of cases, this is not always the only factor. Nearly all these vehicles are not roadworthy. But what is roadworthy? Roadworthy implies that the vehicle isn’t fit to be driven on public roads and motorways. In South Africa, it is a full legal requirement to have your motor vehicle roadworthy before you drive it. To be able to obtain a roadworthy certificate for your vehicle, you have to go to the registered authorities in your city.

Not only is a roadworthy vehicle required by law, but insurance companies will and do refuse to pay out claims if the vechile was not roadworthy at the time of the incident. 

Motor Insurance For Under 25s
http://www.articles2win.com/Art/143230/226/Motor-Insurance-For-Under-25s.html

All insurance packages are based on risk. The greater your risk to the insurance company, the higher your premium will be. This goes without saying that under 25s are the highest category risk for car insurance. No matter how good a driver a young person is, they will also have the statistics against them.

There are many insurance statistics which prove that the most amount of road deaths are amongst youths under the age of 25. Youths under the age of 25 are also more likely to disobey traffic rules and conduct themselves in reckless manners such as driving under the influence of alcohol or drugs. Males younger than 25 are even more likely to take risks whilst driving, and will therefore have to pay a higher premium than females under the age of 25.

With all these collisions due to drivers under the age of 25, the insurance companies take a huge financial knock. Due to the proven statistics, it can be very hard for under 25s to obtain affordable motor insurance. Driving without auto insurance is not a choice, so there have to be methods of under 25s acquiring good, solid motor insurance that protects them and other motorists on the road.

If you’re an under 25 obtaining motor insurance, you should also take into consideration that your premiums won’t only be higher, but the cost of your excess too. There are some small ways to lower your premium if you are an under 25, ways of making the premium lower than it has to be. Remember that the motor vehicle you drive has a huge determining factor in your insurance premium. If you drive a flashy sports car, or a modified vehicle, you will pay an even higher premium. Firstly, this is because these vehicles are made to go faster, and couple a youth with a fast car and you have the highest insurance risk possible! Try to get a list of cars that are on insurance companies’ blacklists so that you’re not buying a vehicle that is known to be too fast, notorious for being in accidents, or highly targeted by thieves.

Having good security on your motor vehicle helps a lot with the cost of motor insurance. Installing a good alarm system and keeping the vehicle in a locked garage overnight will help greatly with car insurance premium cost.

The last thing you need to do is shop around. Compiling a lot of quotes and seeking as much information as possible will only help you to find the lowest premium possible. There are some insurance companies who offer discounted premiums to youth drivers who have taken an advanced driving course. There are even some insurance companies who will offer a lower premium to an under 25 who has a degree, as that could portray them as being more responsible.

Author Resource:->  For the best general auto insurance in South Africa visit http://www.payasyoudrive.co.za.

Article From Articles 2 Win 

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Increase in SUV and 4×4 sales – but are they correctly insured?
http://carinsurance.arrivealive.co.za/increase-in-suv-and-4x4-sales-but-are-they-correctly-insured.php

SUV/ 4X4 and insurance risks

Many SUV owners might not buy the vehicle for its 4×4 ability, but having these capabilities at hand, might provide additional safety concerns. We have referred to purchasing considerations as including the ability to go “anywhere” and the perceived “tough guy image”. This is exactly where the additional vehicle insurance risk can be found!

Owning and driving a 4×4 vehicle does not mean that the driver is capable of driving off-road safely. Without proper training a 4×4 could be dangerous in the hands of the inexperienced driver. Too many 4×4 vehicle roll-overs occur when drivers drive these vehicles at incorrect speeds and without the proper technique on gravel roads!

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Vehicle sales rise in June
http://moneyweb.co.za/mw/view/mw/en/page295043?oid=494216&sn=2009+Detail

JOHANNESBURG (Reuters) - South Africa’s total industry new vehicle sales increased by 20.7 percent year-on-year in June to 39,931 units, the National Association of Automobile Manufactures (NAAMSA) said on Friday.

This must be good news for car insurance companies in South Africa after a very slow 2009. 

From iAfrica

Compulsory basic damage insurance on vehicles is being considered by the government, but appears to be a long way from becoming a reality.

“It’s going to take a while… we’re still in the very early brainstorming stage on this,” transport ministry spokesperson Logan Maistry told Sapa on Friday.

He was responding to questions after Transport Minister Sibusiso Ndebele’s announcement on Thursday, in a written reply to a parliamentary question, that the government was “considering making third party insurance a requirement in South Africa”.

With over two thirds of 8.5 million vechiles on SA roads uninsured, this might be a good idea. We've all heard stories and complaints where you have to pay for accidents, even if it is not your fault, and the insurance companies fail to reimburse you for the excess.