Enjoying the monsoon? Good, but do make sure that your car is in good shape to handle the downpour.
According to a recent study, India accounts for about 9.5 per cent of the total 1.2 million fatal accidents in the world. About 19 per cent of these are known to occur during peak monsoon season. The primary reason is that there is very little awareness on vehicle maintenance and the driving precautions to be taken before and during the monsoon. There is even less awareness on how to mitigate the losses arising out of vehicle damage due to rains and floods.
Maintenance
A few precautions can help us navigate the bumpy ride smoothly. Ensure that your car parts are serviced and well-maintained before the monsoons hits. These would include checking that your tyres and spare are in good shape, your wiper blades are new and all electrical parts including lights and horn are in good working condition. Ensure that all leaks within the car are fixed and no metal part is exposed to the rains which might result in body rust. Making sure that your car is in pristine working order will ensure that you are not stranded during flood-like situations while driving.
Car Insurance
While maintaining your vehicle, as part of vehicle protection during monsoons, it is essential to have car insurance in place too. By car insurance we mean not just third party liability, which is mandatory, but insuring your car against the losses caused due to fire, theft, explosion, burglary, riots, strikes, earthquakes, flood, cyclones, accidents, malicious acts and terrorist activities. Important, but often overlooked is opting for one or more add-on covers which cover parts such as glass, fibre, plastic, rubber parts and even loss of keys, which are otherwise excluded in the standard motor insurance policy.
If, despite care taken by you, your car does get damaged, insurance will come to your rescue. Ensure that your insurance policy is renewed and updated so that in the event of damage to the vehicle, your loss will be covered. Ensure that you have adequate car insurance cover for damages arising during monsoon. It is important that all car owners understand their policy exclusions. Being aware of expenses that will not be covered is as important as knowing the admissible ones. A close look at the list of exclusions will eliminate disappointment later.
If you do need to make a claim, consider availing the cashless option in your car insurance policy. Your insurer will help you locate the nearest network garage that has been authorised to repair vehicles on a cashless basis. After the surveyor examines the extent of damage, the expenses are settled with the garage directly, thus relieving you of immediate financial burden.
If you choose the reimbursement option, you will have to file a claim later along with the required supporting documents. Most insurance companies sanction the claim within seven days of submitting the mandated documents. In both cases, it is recommended to not get your vehicle repaired before the surveyor inspects the damage.
The essential points to remember, not just during the monsoons but always, are – one, always carry a copy of the policy document in your car ; two, note down toll free number of the insurance company ; three, keep the contact details of your insurance agent handy and four, register your claim at earliest.
Lastly, always consider opting for a car insurance policy from an insurance company which is reputed has a good claims settlement record.
( The writer is Senior VP, Consumer Lines, Tata AIG General Insurance)