With the announcement that the South African Insurance Association (SAIA) will formally open its Vehicle Salvage Database (VSD) to the public, there will be fewer written-off vehicles finding their way back into the market and being bought by unsuspecting consumers.
The Retail Motor Industry Organisation (RMI), welcomed the recent announcement by SAIA confirming it will formally open its Vehicle Salvage Database (VSD) to the public. Jakkie Olivier, Chief Executive Officer of the RMI, says the announcement follows four years of intense lobbying by the South African Motor Body Repairers’ Association (SAMBRA), a proud association of the RMI, for the South African Insurance Association (SAIA) to release more information to the market with regard to the status of written-OH vehicles.
“We know that without a register to refer to, which importantly also includes written off code 2 (second hand) Vin numbers, there is no way of stopping these previously written off cars from finding themselves back into the system,” Olivier said.
He agreed with SAIA that there were still important discussions to be held. He did however stress the urgency of the process. “Every day lost in discussion is one in which a potential life-threatening vehicle is making its way back onto the second-hand market, only to be purchased by an unsuspecting and poorly advised consumer. Up until now, the industry and consumers,” Olivier said.
