TUFF ENOUGH?

Tuff Enough?

SUVs these days are deceptively easy to drive. Join the queue outside any pleasure of reaching wonderfully scenic places that their sedan-bound private school on a weekday morning and count the number of soccer counterparts only read about in magazines. But it's tough in Africa. And moms driving SUVs. They're big. (The SUVs, not the moms.) They have dongas, land mines and flooding rivers are a real threat. Hell, we even have power steering, making them a delight to manoeuvre through traffic and, charging elephants and rhinos to worry about. And finding a mechanic with their extra height, the vantage point from the driver's seat makes rush versed in repairing those electronics, which keep your SUVs wheels from hour a pleasure … cocooning the driver into a sense of security, reinforced spinning, sliding or locking up after you've fallen into a massive pothole or by the sheer bulk of the vehicle. The reality is that the dynamics of driving a drowned your vehicle in a river during a flashflood, could be somewhat four-wheel drive SUV are vastly different from those of a normal sedan. challenging. Especially when the closest town is called Pietsonderwater-For starters, the centre of gravity is much higher in an SUV when segatsemoer and is 230 kilometres away – through the desert – and with compared to a road car and, even with electronic marvels like traction sunlight fading fast. control, ABS braking and whoknows what else, you are still 11% more That's where TUFFSTUFF insurance becomes essential for SUV likely to die in an SUV accident (according to a US study conducted in owners. Read through the following case studies (better yet, let your client 2004), than in an equivalent car accident. read them), and you'll see why the TUFFSTUFF product offering could just The problem is compounded here in Africa when the vehicle is taken turn you into your client's best friend. In fact, watch these pages for the off-road. ABS notwithstanding, your typical SUV is twice as heavy as a launch of an exciting competition, where you and your client could be typical car, and modern technology is still no match for the laws of physics. visiting some of Southern Africa's most spectacular destinations, courtesy Driving on dirt, over rocks and rough terrain might allow SUV drivers the of TUFFSTUFF. CASE STUDY 1Insured: du Preez Date of loss: 1 January 2007 Circumstances: Medical evacuation from Mozambique and quad bike damage.The insured was enjoying the last day of his holiday in Mozambique with his family and relatives. He and his brother were on their way back to camp on a quad bike when they accidentally drove into deep hole causing the quad to roll over. Both persons were flung from the quad. However, the quad bike rolled over the insured's brother, causing considerable injuries to him. As a TUFFSTUFF client, du Preez automatically has access to international medical evacuation for any life-threatening situation. He contacted the TUFFSTUFF medical evacuation desk at Netcare 911 for assistance. Medical evacuation procedures were immediately activated. Due to the approaching darkness and inclement weather, airborne medical evacuation by helicopter was not possible. Netcare 911 made alternative arrangements to have the injured party evacuated by road ambulance from Bilene in Mozambique, to Nelspruit in South Africa. He was admitted to theatre for medical attention at approximately 23h15 on the same day. Hospitalisation in Maputo was not an option. Despite the fact that the injured party did not have any medical aid at the time of the accident, TUFFSTUFF guaranteed his admission to, and medical assistance by, Netcare's private hospital in Nelspruit.The injured party has made a complete recovery.