In the wake of numerous accidents occurring in the streets of Wa, the Upper West regional capital, the Wa Branch manager for State Insurance company (SIC), Lambert Abatanie has bemoaned the lackadaisical attitude of owners of motorbikes and tricycles in the region towards insurance.
He was emphatic that most motorbikes and tricycles in the region were not under any form of insurance.
“Anything with an engine which moves on our roads ought to be insured but unfortunately in the Upper West region only those with cars opt for insurance policies but the users of tricycles and motorbikes do not usually these policies.”
The acting Wa Branch SIC manager also emphasized that the laws of Ghana makes it mandatory for owners of any type of vehicles to at least go in for a Third-party insurance policy to offset medical bills of the injured during accidents.
Mr. Lambert Abatanie demonstrated to Albert Dapare of Home Radio news that it is not expensive to insure either a motorbike or tricycle but revealed that it is only in the case of comprehensive insurance that the cost might be a little high.
“It isn’t expensive because for motorbikes it is One Hundred and Forty Cedis (Gh 140) and with tricycles One Hundred and Seventy Cedis (Gh 170) even with that we have flexible terms which we can break the payments quarterly for the convenience of our clients.”
He described as misleading views that insurance companies are unwilling to pay claims to parties in times of eventualities and according to him, accessing claims do not usually delay despite the fact that there are bureaucratic processes to follow.
“In the event of an accident we usually require a police report before we can pay claims. Most often, our clients find it difficult from getting the police form when such a situation arises which delays the payment process. In addition, clients who are entitled to huge amount of money are refer to either Tamale or Kumasi but even with that, it does not unduly delay to have the Cheque.
He however admonished all road users to adhere to road traffic regulations and urgently have their vehicles insured.
