GENERAL INSURANCE BLOG

As per the Motor Vehicles Act, every vehicle owner in India is legally required to purchase insurance. It is a compulsory prerequisite that serves as a preventive mechanism to protect the owner from losses from accidents and damage to the bike. Despite the mandate, many two-wheeler owners shy away from purchasing a policy due to the lengthy process and inspection.

While it may seem like an additional step in the process, inspection is an essential part of the conventional insurance procedure that makes the insurer fully aware of the bike’s condition before accepting to insure it. However, two wheeler insurance online India has become a popular and convenient alternative that facilitates comparison between different policies and allows one to skip the inspection altogether.

Why is an inspection necessary?

Buying an insurance policy is a prudent move on the owner’s behalf. It protects them from any financial losses due to accidents or damages. However, insurance companies also require comprehensive information about the insured vehicle. A physical inspection helps identify the present state of the two-wheeler and whether it complies with Government issued legal guidelines.

The process scrutinises the physical condition of your bike and its documents like PUC certificate, service records, etc., to prevent insurance fraud. This helps the insurer gauge its value and expected life, which helps determine whether they should insure your vehicle and the premium amount.

The inspection may also discover unnoticed issues with your vehicle that you can resolve before it leads to an accident.

Is inspection before insurance mandatory?

Although important, inspection is not a mandatory process. If you buy two wheeler insurance online India, you can skip the inspection by providing basic details of your twowheeler on your preferred insurance company’s website. Usually, it takes a little while postapplication for them to send your bike insurance policy.

Requisites for an inspection-less insurance.

When applying for two wheeler insurance online India, you may notice that different insurance providers have different procedures. While some may use factors like brand, period of use, model, etc., others may only ask for registration details. Typically, the process involves declaring details such as:

● Period of use

● Place of registration

● Record of previous claims

● PUC certificate

● Vehicle registration number

● Maintenance records

● Previous policy details

Circumstances when an inspection is unavoidable.

While two wheeler insurance online India is convenient, requires minimal effort, and eliminates the need for inspection, in some situations, it is inevitable to go through a check, such as

● When your previous policy lapses:
2-wheeler owners need to renew their insurance before the policy lapses or the 30- day grace period expires. During this time, when the vehicle is not insured, accidents or damages may have gone unrecognised, due to which insurers compulsorily inspect the vehicle before approving its insurance.

● When modifications are made:
Ideally, the vehicle should be left untouched without any aftermarket modification to its factory-fitted components. When modified, it becomes necessary to inspect the 2-wheeler to ensure that the additions do not adversely affect the basic functionality of the bike, which can lead to mishaps in the long run.

● When the 2-wheeler is second-hand:
Second-hand vehicles, while being cheap, are essentially weathered vehicles. They possess greater risk than new bikes and therefore need to be inspected after the ownership is transferred before altering the existing policy or purchasing new insurance.

● When the 2-wheeler has been in a recent accident:
For vehicles that have recently been in an accident, it becomes necessary to survey the extent of damage to determine its cost of repairs, current value, and insurable value.

Two wheeler insurance online India is a hassle-free way of protecting your 2-wheeler without having to go through an inspection. By following the general guidelines for safe driving and renewing your policy in time, you can easily avoid the inspection procedure

Click HERE to purchase two wheeler insurance online India.

Disclaimer: The information provided above is for illustrative purposes only. To get more details, please refer to policy wordings and prospectus before purchasing a policy.

There are many instances when people overload their cars. It might be a fun road trip, a once-in-a-lifetime hike, or helping a relative or friend move. From clothes, shoes, and other accessories to the amenities like bicycles, coolers, mattresses, and more, it seems necessary to pack our whole house up before leaving for a road trip.

Similarly, when moving or helping a friend move, you try to take more and more stuff on one trip to reduce the number of rounds taken, often leading to overloading your car unnecessarily. This may result in car accidents and injuries, sometimes fatal for the passengers.

This blog tries to give you an argument against overloading your vehicle in the future.

1. Stress on the suspension:
When steering an overloaded vehicle, there's a high possibility of the weakest point giving out, thus resulting in a crash that endangers the passenger's lives and those with them on the road. It becomes increasingly difficult to steer the car in the right direction and turn safely on bends due to overloading. Your vehicle might face serious suspension issues, resulting in an unpleasant driving experience, especially on bad roads.

2. Instability:
Every vehicle is unique in how it reacts to excess weight. However, most vehicles become highly unstable as a result of excess weight. It becomes difficult to steer, and the stopping distance increases drastically, which can hamper the smooth running of your car. Sudden steering or manoeuvring is highly discouraged when a car is overloaded because it can result in a spinout.

3. Chance of blowing a tyre:
One of the biggest concerns while driving an overloaded car is that the tyres heat and blow up when they come across high degrees of pressure. There are increased chances of bursting, and at the very least, there will be increased wear and tear on the tyres, bringing maintenance issues.

4. Penalties:
You might be fined solely for the safety and well-being of fellow drivers and vehicles. After increased accidents in India due to overloading, stringent laws are being applied all across the country, and hefty fines are being imposed.

5. Compromised safety:
With an increased number of people and items in the car, it is improbable that any of the passengers will be able to put their seatbelts on. This is highly dangerous and can result in the compromised safety of everyone in the vehicle, especially if the car meets an accident.

6. Harder to apply brakes:
Brakes will take longer to stop an overloaded vehicle than a regular vehicle. This, in turn, makes it harder for the driver to react in case of emergencies and makes it highly unsafe for passengers due to the possibility of car crashes

7. Acceleration loss:
Acceleration is highly compromised when a car is burdened beyond its carrying capacity. It makes it harder for these cars to move smoothly between vehicles on a busy road, which can result in mishaps.

8. Reduced visibility:
Your rear vision will be impaired if items are packed on top of each other in the backseat. This reduces driver control and can lead to hefty fines if caught. Also, the cramped space that comes with riding with so many passengers aboard can severely hamper driver control.

9. More petrol consumption:
The engine demands more consumption of petrol to generate the power to drive the load in the car. While this may not seem like a high cost, it adds up to be a lump sum with time.

10. Discomfort:
Driving with such heavy equipment increases discomfort, and there's a high probability of a heavy object hitting your head if you apply the brakes too hard.

Although insurance rarely covers damages resulting from overloading a vehicle, it's best to research the best car insurance in India to be safe from heavy expenses if your car faces damages due to an accident. We advise you to avoid overloading your car in any case. It is not worth damaging your valuable asset and putting your life at risk for saving time and stuffing your car with excessive items. Safety should be your top priority. Therefore adapt to healthy driving practices to keep yourself protected throughout your journey.

Click HERE to know more about the best car insurance in India.

Disclaimer: The information provided above is for illustrative purposes only. To get more details, please refer to policy wordings and prospectus before purchasing a policy.

Crowded places are a feast for pickpockets. They can easily pick our pockets while we move in cramped surroundings such as a busy market amidst the constant crowd nagging of people around us. Pickpockets do this so skillfully and swiftly that we are left unnoticed and outwitted. Losing our wallet can be frustrating, especially when it is loaded with important documents such as the driving licence, Aadhar card, voter id card, and even credit or debit cards. Moreover, the loss of money can be very harsh and painful for most of us.

So how can we deal with such situations? Here are some tips for outwitting pickpockets and staying safe in crowded places.

1. Move your wallet to your front pocket:
Never keep your wallet in the back pocket in crowded surroundings. Pickpockets can easily pick your back pocket, and you will hardly know it amidst the crowd. Therefore, use the front pocket of your trousers to keep your wallet. Outwit the pickpocket by keeping only those articles in the back pocket that are not very valuable.

2. Multiple wallets and pockets:
You can keep two wallets/handbags rather than just one. Keep your valuables and documents in a wallet in your front pocket or a handbag that you can keep close to you. Keep the lesser valuable products in the 2nd wallet in your back pocket. The pickpocket will be outwitted when he finds that he has taken away some useless items from your back pocket while your valuables are safe. Also, you can use multiple pockets in your bag to hide your valuables and divide your risk.

3. Do not show off:
Do not flash your expensive laptop, phone, jewellery, cash, camera, etc., in a crowded public place. Take them out only when it is necessary.

4. Lock your bags:
Carry small locks with you and lock your bag while moving in a crowded place. The pickpocket will not be able to open it in the middle of the crowd, and you will be safe.

5. Hidden pockets:
Nothing better than a hidden pocket in the front of your trousers or jeans. Pickpockets cannot reach there, no matter how much they try. Also, buy goodquality backpacks and purses with multiple hidden pockets and good build quality. The pickpocket will not be able to determine which pocket carries your valuables.

6. Disguise and hide:
Use smart hacks and disguises to outwit the pickpocket. If you need to carry valuable jewellery while going through a crowded place, hide them in your bag inside a small cardboard box. A ring can go inside a matchstick box. You can take a used burger box if you need a bigger box! Moreover, you can use a file folder to hide your laptop.

7. Carry your backpack facing the front:
While going through a crowded area or using local transport, pull the front portion of the backpack with the chain facing the front. This way, the pickpocket cannot open it from behind you.

These were some hacks you can use to outwit a pickpocket in a crowded place. Apart from these, simply go the digital way! Carry minimum possible documents with you in hard copy. Rather, carry them in soft copy format on your phone or laptop.

In case a pickpocket picks up your wallet, you lose all the important documents along with it. Do not let this happen to your bike insurance policy. Ditch those lengthy insurance papers. Buy the best bike insurance online and save yourself a fortune. You will save money on agent commissions and have a soft copy of the policy on your mobile phone. Overall, it’s a win-win situation for you and us as the insurance provider. The only loser, in this case, will be the pickpocket!

Click HERE to buy bike insurance online.

Disclaimer: The information provided above is for illustrative purposes only. To get more details, please refer to policy wordings and prospectus before purchasing a policy.

Preferred amongst different economic strata, scooters and bikes help manoeuvre through tight-packed traffic and poorly maintained roads with precision. However, the lack of an effective safety system makes them a risky option, so buying the best two wheeler insurance in India is necessary to protect your two-wheeler against damages and allied losses.

While damages from accidents and maintenance costs of the 2-wheeler are covered by insurance, does the same apply to its additional fittings of glass, fibre, silicon, etc.? Read on to find out if such depreciable parts are covered by your two wheeler insurance policy.

What are depreciable parts?

With consistent use, the value of any vehicle is bound to depreciate. In two-wheelers, the primary function is served by the engine and mechanical parts. However, there are smaller parts made using relatively weaker materials, like silicon, rubber, etc., that inevitably depreciate sooner

Are depreciable parts covered under comprehensive insurance?

A third-party insurance policy is often lacking to provide coverage for depreciable parts. You may have to purchase an add-on cover for several of its excluded items, and depreciable fibre parts are one of the many partial exclusions. Generally, two wheeler insurance only partially covers the repair and replacement costs of the depreciable parts alone. Instead, they cover a marginal percentage of the expense, leaving you to shoulder the burden of the rest of the amount.

The general depreciation cost percentage.
Most two wheeler insurance applies the following depreciated cost percentages on fittings based on their material:

● Fibre: 30%

● Glass: 0%

● Nylon, Plastic, Rubber: 50%

● Battery, Tube, and Tyres: 50%

This implies that the insurer assumes the above-stated depreciation rates to affect the part and only pays the depreciated cost percentage of the repair or maintenance cost. The remaining amount is borne by the insured, which is often a significant portion of the expense.

Additionally, the vehicle’s age also determines the following approximate rate of depreciation:

● Up to 6 months: 0%

● Up to 1 year: 5%

● Up to 2 years: 10%

● Up to 3 years: 15%

● Up to 4 years: 25%

● Up to 5 years: 35%

● Up to 10 years: 40%

● Above ten years: 50%

However, an alternative is available to ensure that your insurance provider bears the expense.

Zero Depreciation Add-on Cover.

In case you have a standalone own-damage insurance or comprehensive insurance, you are eligible to purchase an add-on zero depreciation cover for your two-wheeler. By purchasing this add-on, you can claim the entire cost of repairing or replacing depreciable parts from your insurer.

Check the inclusions of policies when comparing alternatives to find the best two wheeler insurance in India that covers fibre, glass, rubber parts, etc.

Exclusions under zero depreciation add-on. Even after purchasing the add-on to the best two wheeler insurance in India, there remain some exclusions that you will have to bear, including:

● Vehicles older than five years

● Costs of over two claims during the policy period

● Machine-driven breakdown damages

● Damages due to uninsured risks

● Depreciation due to general wear and tear

When to buy zero depreciation add-on. While it is a beneficial facility, consider purchasing a zero depreciation cover if:

● You own a limited edition or premium 2-wheeler

● You live in an accident-prone area with heavy traffic

● Your vehicle is not older than five years

● The cost of individual repairs of depreciable parts is estimated to be greater than the cost of the add-on

Depreciation is an inevitable loss of asset value. Although most insurance covers do not provide for expenses relating to depreciable parts, an add-on zero depreciation cover can convert your preferred insurance into the best two wheeler insurance in India.

Click HERE to buy the best two wheeler insurance in India.

Disclaimer: The information provided above is for illustrative purposes only. To get more details, please refer to policy wordings and prospectus before purchasing a policy.