Four hundred days

I have a confession but all is well now. A few days ago, I made a discovery that sent a chill through me. I realised, quite by accident, that I had completely forgotten to renew my car insurance and with it, my road tax as well. Just a small car, see, an almost 10-year-old Perodua Viva with only around 50,000 kilometres driven. Used by my wife and I mainly for mainland commutes and only occasionally straying across the bridge to the island. I tried to renew everything online, hoping it was just a small oversight, something missed by a day or two. But every attempt failed. Something wasn’t right.

So I contacted a general insurance company for help. That was when the real shock came. My insurance, they told me, hadn’t just lapsed recently. It had expired more than four hundred days ago. I could hardly believe it. I had somehow convinced myself it was only last year, or at most three months ago, that I had last renewed it. My mind had clearly been too preoccupied with other things.

At that moment, I had a frightening thought: what if there had been an accident? I dread to imagine the consequences. No insurance, no valid road tax. The financial and legal fallout would have been disastrous. It was a sobering reminder of how easily negligence, even unintentional, can lead to ruin.

What followed was a tedious stretch of procedures, forms, checks and verifications over several weeks. Each step felt like a small penance for my forgetfulness. But finally, after jumping through every requirement, the insurance company approved my application. I now have a new policy in hand, and my road tax has been safely renewed.

A wave of relief washed over me. It was a close call, far too close, and I’ve learnt my lesson well. In the rush of daily life, even simple obligations can slip through the cracks. Still, the important thing is that it was caught in time… and all is well now.