JEDDAH: Insurance company specialists have said that 90 percent of vehicles damaged in the Jeddah floods of over two weeks ago will not be covered for compensation. Official statistics put the number of vehicles affected by the rains at approximately 15,000. Insurance specialist Abdul Rahman Al-Rasheed said that around 90 percent of car owners were not covered for natural disasters such as floods and rain, and that most had only third-party insurance cover. “We don't have the required ‘insurance culture' to realize what we need to cover against losses from rains,” he said. “Insurance companies usually leave it up to the client to take out an additional policy for an extra sum to insure against dangers threatened by changes in climatic conditions.” Abdul Qadir Al-Sh'aban, another insurance specialist, said that most insurance policy holders took out third party insurance which only covers damage suffered by others, and not the car owners themselves. “People should take out full coverage and not just be content with a third party policy,” he said. “The difference between the two in cost is not that great.” He also said that the number of cars damaged in this year's flood were higher than last year's by about 2,000.
