A funny but true cheap car Insurance story
Back in 1981 when I lived in Georgetown, Penang (which is an Island of Malaysia) it was the eve of Chinese New Year and I wanted to get some banking done before the holidays for Chinese New Year. For anyone who knows Georgetown at that time, will know that car parking space was always difficult (or was at that time anyway) hard to find.
My bank was the Chartered Bank of Malaysia and just around the corner from it was the best place to park. They had car attendants there who would keep an eye on our car if we offered them a small payment incentive for doing so and would place a piece of cardboard box over our windscreens to keep the car cooler. It was more to get an extra bonus than effective, but that is beside the point and I appreciated their efforts.
For those in the world who are unfamiliar with the Geolocation of Malaysia, it is a hot tropical country bordered by Singapore, Thailand, and Indonesia. 
Anyway, on this particular morning it was mid-morning and already extremely busy. I picked up my girlfriend on the way into town from Tanjong Bungah and we finally found a park at the back of the parking lot. The car park attendant saw us drive in and came over and promised to look after my old-beat-up Reno car for me and we walked towards the bank corner through the car park.
We saw this car driving around looking for a car park and then he swung into a park as the previous car drove out. The car park space was a narrow one the driver got out and slammed his car door into the car parked next to him. We could hear the damage done from where we were walking.
The driver got out of the car, inspected the damage, closed his door and sauntered off about his business. We were walking that way so we stopped and inspected the damage for ourselves. The paint had been scrapped off and there was a large dent in the car door that had been hit but no damage done to the offending driver’s car door. This made me mad as the inconsideration and care-less attitude of the offending driver was one of pure arrogance!
So, I dragged out my handy little notepad and pen (I always carry a notebook and pen….many people didn’t speak English very well but most people in Malaysia could read it very well) and made a note to the driver whose car had been damaged stating the time; licence plate of the car that did the damage along with my name and contact details. I also said I would be happy to appear as a witness should it be necessary.
My friend was horrified that I should do this because she said that the person may come after me with a gang. By this stage though I thought it unlikely because even ‘the arrogant’ driver looked like a semi-professional and the car that had been damaged was a newer model so probably belonged to a person of similar stature. I was so mad anyway at the display of carelessness exhibited by the offending driver that I would still have involved myself. Some things in life just have to be stood up for and to me, this was one of them.
Car insurance may have been cheap in Malaysia but this was a ridiculous act of negligence.
Anyway, to cut a long story short, my girlfriend and I had a lovely day shopping and eating and thought no more about it.
My husband and I had to go out that night and I forgot to tell my Amah about the incident. The next morning my poor sweet Amah Devi, was very concerned about a man’s visit the previous evening thanking me for my kindness. He said he would come back the next day to thank me in person.
True to his word, the owner of the damaged car returned in the morning to tell me that he had located the offending driver. Now, here’s where the story gets “funny”.
The offending driver turned out to be a friend of his Brother. And between them, they decided not to make an insurance claim so ‘the arrogant’ driver wouldn’t lose his no-claim bonus. To my way of thinking, this is an example of cheap car insurance and ‘the arrogant’ driver didn’t deserve the courtesy he received. But I won because we made a new friend and all because I stood up for what I believed in.
Do You Need More Auto Insurance?
Do you need more auto insurance to cover your vehicles against the changing climate in your area?
This year has seen record floods in many countries; extreme cold and snow-falls in others and landslides still in others. People everywhere are experiencing extreme weather conditions that were once in 100-year events or previously never recorded ever. Tornadoes have hit parts of the US and have destroyed towns and cost lives. People in Australia, who have never experienced tornadoes, have now had their homes and cars destroyed by “mini-tornadoes” and still others by mini-cyclones in areas that are not in any recorded cyclone area.
So do you need more auto insurance to cover for these previously unrecorded events? My answer would be “it would be advisable” to have full insurance cover for a replacement vehicle.
The reason I suggest buying replacement vehicle in your auto insurance policy is quite simple really. Once one of these extreme events has got hold of your vehicle they are usually either destroyed or battered beyond repair and even if it was repaired, would you feel safe putting yourself and your family into a metal box and hurling along at speed? No, I suspect that you wouldn’t and neither would I.
These extreme weather events are occurring in areas that have never previously experienced anything like them so how can you guarantee that they won’t happen in your area? The thing is that you can’t and neither can anyone else. Even with all today’s technology that is used to predict weather changes and the climate, these unforseen tragedies simply can’t be seen until they happen.
What can Insurance do for you?
People take out insurance cover to protect their property and valuables against any number of events that will either damage or cause loss of the said insured property. No one can stop this damage or loss from occurring so insurance is taken out to mitigate the cost of loss or damage.
If you live in a high crime zone for example, you would be quite foolish not to have an auto insurance policy that covered you for vehicle theft. Car theft is higher in some post codes (zip codes) than in others and these statistics can be found simply by talking with an insurance company representative. Or alternatively, you can check on the Internet for your post code area either through Neighbourhood watch or your local city council.
Most towns around the world today have an active Neighbourhood watch and they provide updated information and are free to use. I encourage you to join them and help look after the safety of people and property in your area.
A comprehensive auto insurance policy will cover all your likely and unlikely needs and give you peace of mind in the event that you are affected by extreme weather or theft.
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