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GENERAL INSURANCE BLOG

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How pollution can affect riding two-wheeler?

One of the most important questions asked these days is, “Do the health benefits of riding a bike outweigh the bad effects of air pollution on the health of the rider?” If this question was asked a few decades back, the answer would have been yes, but if you ask this question to someone in the present time, the answer would most probably be a big fat NO. The rising pollution levels are a very big concern in most of the important cities of India with the worst case being in Delhi where the pollution levels crossed the level of 1000 in the Air Quality Index of measurement of air pollution during the period after Diwali.

Even if you cycle to work or use a cycle to go to different places thinking of cause less pollution then also you are faced with a lot of pollution that is caused by other vehicles. Heavy smog and low visibility are some of the biggest dangers for someone riding a two-wheeler because they breathe this harmful air directly. People inside closed vehicles have their windows closed and they zoom away from the heavy smog areas while contributing to the pollution that affects the two-wheeler riders. In Delhi alone, nearly 85 lakh private vehicles are registered of which around 55 lakh are private two-wheeler vehicles. All these vehicles contribute to the heavy pollution that affects the whole of the city, making it one of the most polluted cities in the world.

One of the most prominent reasons for air pollution caused by vehicles is the usage of more than a decade old vehicles on the road. Such vehicles have old engines and generally do not undergo proper maintenance which makes them unsuitable for plying on roads. Most of them are running on dirty and old BS4 engines and fuels and some even older, thus contributing a lot to the pollution of the air. Most of these vehicles do not have any insurance and the owners do not even make an effort to buy two wheeler insurance online for their vehicle. The pollution that is caused by such two-wheelers or four-wheelers or any other vehicle is faced by none other than the two-wheeler riders. The two-wheeler riders are constantly exposed to such high levels of pollution which have a detrimental effect on their health. Walking, biking or using public transport to your destination are some of the best alternatives to protect the environment but each of these comes with the risk of high air pollution.

Along with the severe levels of pollution that are shown by the extremely high levels on the AQI, heavy smog and haze also reduce visibility which makes it very difficult for riders to ride two-wheelers. One of the most common problems that are faced by people due to air pollution is respiratory problems such as asthma, emphysema, chronic pulmonary diseases among numerous others. Not only respiratory problems, being exposed to constant high levels of poor quality air affects the internal body of people as well and affects different organs of the body that can lead to cancer, especially of the lung. While riding through this highly polluted air, the riders may face headaches, anxiety and may even feel exhausted while riding through places with high levels of pollution. This not only affects the lungs, which are an internal body part but also irritate the eyes, nose, and throat. These pollutants settle on water bodies and the ground and they may even reach the food chain through one way or the other. If consumed in such a process as liquid water or as food, they harm the body and can lead to many severe diseases.

Air pollution affects the two-wheeler riders at a massive scale but it also affects the other people on the roads as well. No one is safe, and people must start taking care of the environment and one of the best ways to do so is to take proper care and maintain the vehicles that they use daily to commute to and fro.

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Is it preferable to buy a house or rent one?

A home is something every individual requires and aspires for. A place you can come back to after a long and stressful day but purchasing a house is no child's play. It requires a certain degree of commitment and a lot of financial resources. In case you do not have adequate financial arrangements to buy a home, you would rather want to take a house on rent. But if you do have the required resources but are indecisive about buying a new home or renting it, then the following factors determine whether you should buy your own how or rent one: -

Total income - The basic requirement for buying a house is a steady income. If you wish to buy your own house, you definitely need a high level of income to pay for it. On the other hand, if your income is quite less or irregular, you can opt to rent a house instead of purchasing as rent amount is always less than instalments of the house.

Loan repayment - The above point brings us to a loan and is quite similar to this one. Let's say you obtain a loan from a reputed bank to buy a house. But would you be able to pay the EMI along with the amount of interest? Do you have enough loan repayment capacity while meeting other necessary expenses? If the answer is yes, then go ahead and buy your house. If no, then renting a house can be the best option.

Duration of time - A huge factor in the decision of buying a house is the time you plan to live there. If you know that you want to settle in a particular city or region, you can buy a house. However, if the case is not so, you should stay in a rented property to avoid any extra costs.

Security - If you wish to have a stable base instead of constantly looking for houses or being under the fear of having to empty the property you are currently living in, you should buy a house. You can ensure that your children too would have a strong backup plan if they long for their own house.

Job certainty - If you have a job that requires you to travel from one place to the other or is not stable, you should avoid buying a house as real estate is not a current form of asset. It might hold you back from changing cities or changing jobs. You cannot predict the growth of downfall of real estate. Thus, buying and selling might not go as per your wish. In such a scenario, renting a house is the best choice as it does not bind you.

Maintenance expenses - If you own a house, the responsibility of maintaining it falls upon your shoulders. No doubt, you can buy the best home insurance in India, but the damage occurred cannot be undone. Other than that, repairs of leakage inside the house, renovation, repainting and other maintenance expenses would have to be borne by yourself. However, if the house is rented, you need not worry about any such things as the owner will take care of them all.

 Other expenses - If you intend to buy a car, travel extensively, spend on your children's education, make strong retirement plans, or have any sort of other long or short term expenditures, you should take a house on rent. That way you would save some money by not paying instalments of the house and be able to fulfil all other expenses.

Whether you plan to buy a house or rent one is completely your call but do make sure that in either case the property is secured with the policies of best home insurance in India. This way, you can be stress-free and live life peacefully.

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What is no claim bonus in Car insurance?

Car insurance is all about cutting your losses in case of an accident or theft. You will pay the premium annually or more frequently as per the guidelines of your policy. You need to pay the premium regularly to keep the policy active. Car accidents do not happen that frequently, but they do occur quite a lot. This makes having a proper car insurance policy extremely important. Though at the time of purchasing a car insurance policy, it is important to look up new car insurance rates, so you do not end up shelling an unnecessary amount of money. You will also be rewarded for driving safely and responsibly by No Claim Bonus.

No Claim Bonus is essentially a discount over the own damage premium component. It means that you would have to pay less in the forthcoming premium if you do not raise any claim in the entire year. You generally start with zero NCB (except in the case of NCB transfer) and accumulate discounts over the years. It is often misinterpreted, so here are few features you need to be mindful of: -

  • NCB is available only on policy renewal. It is a reward for not making any claims during the entire year. It is earned by keeping a claim-free record. It starts at 20 percent after one claim-free year and accumulates steadily with each subsequent claim-free year and can reach up to a maximum of 50 percent.
  • NCB belongs to you and not the car. It is essentially a reward to the driver. If you decide to change the car and get an insurance policy for it, you will retain your NCB discount from the first premium on your new insurance policy. So, in essence, NCB is transferrable between cars. However, NCB is not transferrable between two people.
  • Transferring NCB is a simple procedure. After the purchase of a new vehicle, you have to submit Form 29 and Form 30 along with a letter requesting your insurer for NCB transfer. Your insurer will issue an NCB certificate which will be valid for three years after the date of the issue. You have to submit this certificate to your new insurer to retain your NCB benefits.
  • NCB is only valid over the own damage component of the premium. This means NCB is not valid over the third-party liability component of the premium.
  • NCB must be kept in mind before making small claims. NCB is reset to zero, no matter the magnitude of the claim. It is therefore important to make calculations before making any small claims. You can end up losing more than you gain. In addition to NCB be set to zero you will also lose any accumulated discount and will have to start over to reach a 50% discount earmark.
  • You can purchase an NCB add-on cover that will allow you to make a limited number of claims without affecting your NCB. This can help you if you are stuck in the decision to make a small or moderate claim.
  • Maximum NCB discount is 50% though some insurers allow higher discounts in their policies for driver's clean records.

Insurance is nothing but risk management. You buy insurance just so you do not fall into a financial burden in emergencies. Insurance is all about saving money. At the time of purchasing a new policy, you must always check up new car insurance rates, so you don't end up paying more. NCB too is a step towards saving money, you must always drive safely, and NCB ensures you will be rewarded for it.

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Road safety rules for citizens of India

A lot of people become victim to unfortunate road accidents. Merely witnessing an accident can leave a huge impact on the mind of an individual. Imagine the situation of those who have to go through such misfortune. That is why the Indian government always insists on following road safety rules.

It is very important to have car insurance for your vehicle to reimburse you for the losses suffered due to an accident. But as someone has wisely said, prevention is better than cure. Therefore, following road safety rules should be the topmost priority of every single person driving a vehicle. Road safety rules are made by the government for the safety of those on the road - be it people driving vehicles or pedestrians.

The given road safety rules are for the safety of Indian citizens and must be understood as well as followed by everyone: -

Use of indicators - While changing directions or taking a turn on either side of the road, using an indicator is very important. If you wish to turn left, keep left with your indicator light on and turn when there is no vehicle following too closely to avoid a collision. Similar is the case while turning right.

Overtaking - A lot of people are in a hurry to reach somewhere, that's why they keep on driving past the other vehicles. If you are in such a situation, always remember that if you want to overtake the vehicle driving ahead of you, it needs to be done from the right side. Never overtake in a curve as it might lead to obstruction of the view of the other driver. Also, if the vehicle ahead does not slow down, overtaking might end up in an accident.

Helmets and seat belts - You all must be familiar with this rule! The government lays special emphasis on the use of seat belts in cars and wearing helmets while driving two-wheelers. If any accident happens, the damage to your car can be covered through policies issued from the best car insurance company in India, but your safety is not guaranteed by any means. That is why you should make sure that you undertake all safety measures like wearing helmets and seat belts while driving.

Noise- Unnecessary honking can be very irritating to other drivers as well as pedestrians. Thus, you must use the horn only when required. Avoid using it in prohibited places like hospital areas, school areas and others. Also, ensure that the horn in your vehicle does not make a loud and blaring noise.

Following distance - Maintaining a safe distance from the vehicle ahead of you is also a very important thing. In case the driver applies his brakes all of a sudden, you might not be able to engage your brakes at the same time, and this might end up in a collision.

Documents - All required documents ranging from RC book of your vehicle to the car insurance papers, your driving license, PUC (Pollution Under Control) license and others, should be kept inside the vehicle so that you can access them whenever required.

Traffic signals - Traffic lights are present at junctions or intersections of four roads. If not, there might be traffic police officers or authorized persons giving directions to the vehicles that must be followed. At such crossings, move carefully so that no inconvenience is caused to any other vehicle. You should always allow vehicles to turn right and avoid blocking the right side of the road.

Emergency vehicles - Certain vehicles like ambulances and firetrucks work for saving the lives of people and it is your duty as a responsible citizen to give way to them.

If you have purchased a new vehicle, make sure that before everything else, you contact the best car insurance company in India to reap the benefits of their policies and also enjoy superior protection against possible incidents.