Flood Victims' Cars Will Be Covered by Insurance, But Conditions Apply

KatadataOTO – Overnight rain in Jabodetabek has caused flooding in several areas. The incident happened so quickly that a number of vehicles could not be moved to a safe location.

This situation is certainly very detrimental because repairing vehicle damage due to flooding requires significant costs. Therefore, filing an insurance claim can reduce the losses.

“Flood-damaged cars are indeed covered, but first ensure that the unit is equipped with an extended warranty for natural disaster events,” said Laurentius Iwan Pranoto, Head of PR, Marcomm and Event at Asuransi Astra to KatadataOTO.

If the car does not have an extended warranty, the claim can be rejected. This is in accordance with article 3 paragraph 3.2 of the Indonesian Standard Motor Vehicle Insurance Policy which states that this coverage does not guarantee loss, damage and/or costs to the Motor Vehicle and/or legal liability to third parties directly or indirectly caused by, resulting from, or arising from earthquakes, volcanic eruptions, typhoons, storms, tsunamis, hail, floods, inundation, landslides or other geological or meteorological phenomena.

Photo : Antara

He also emphasized that if a car has been flooded, do not carelessly start or move the vehicle. This is to prevent additional damage that might void the insurance.

“Don't force it to start because it is already covered if you have the extended warranty. Just wait for the insurance team to arrive to evacuate or re-check its condition for proper handling,” he later said.

However, he still emphasized that if the car is carried away by the current and obstructs the road, the owner is still allowed to take some action.

“If it is pushed and parked in a safer place, that is still allowed because it is an emergency. But make sure not to start the engine to avoid more severe damage,” he then stressed.

Photo : Antara

To get the vehicle evacuated, the owner simply needs to contact the insurance company. After that, the car will be placed in a safe location or taken directly to a partner workshop for repairs.

“Since this morning, quite a few people have contacted us to evacuate their vehicles. But we have not yet calculated the total number,” he concluded.