Centurion-based private investigation firm FICS has developed a mobile app which assists motorists with collecting all relevant information at an accident scene to make it easier to claim back from insurance or the Road Accident Fund (RAF).
It lets those at the scene of an accident capture all the information necessary to process a claim. FICS says this will shorten the time frame between claim and receiving compensation.
The app was made available to download from the Google Play and Apple App stores this week.
It uses geo-location technology to pinpoint exactly when and where the collision happened, and allows road and weather conditions to be recorded.
Photographs and videos are recorded directly within the app and there is a place for witness statements and their contact details to be collected.
FICS says it owns and stores all information captured.
"Once the information is captured, it is stored on a cloud-based server, and a standard merit report is made available for purchase to interested parties. For each report sold, the person who collected the data is paid R500 (a report can be sold to more than one party)," the company said in a statement.
FICS has focused on RAF claims for the last 23 years. Founder Gerhard Becker says he saw a need to expedite the legal process in order to resolve third-party claims.
"About 14 000 motor accident claims, at an estimated cost of R3 billion, which currently runs at a shortfall, are submitted to the RAF monthly. Claim submissions to the RAF can take years but once submitted, the RAF has 120 days in which to resolve a claim to avoid prescription.
"If the RAF cannot finalise a claim within the 120-day period allowed per legislation, an attorney can issue a summons. The magnitude of the workload means most of these claims are not resolved within the 120-day period, resulting in prolonged legal disputes."
Becker says these delays meant some of his clients would only receive compensation between five and seven years after the incident. He says the app should help quicken the process.
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