GENERAL INSURANCE BLOG

As winter marks its arrival in India, planning trips with your friends becomes exceedingly essential. India is a country with diverse landscapes, sceneries, and cultures. This makes it exciting for bike trips, and there can be no better season than winter to explore. Bike trips give travellers a chance to discover the unknown.

The lush green surroundings, mountain passes, or scenic landscapes are perfect for exploring via bike. These trips become fun and safe if you've good company and reliable bike insurance.

Can you imagine where to set off this winter? Here's a list of the best biking destinations in India during winter to get you started.

1. Guwahati to Tawang:
Renowned as one of the most beautiful biking tours in the northeast, the Guwahati to Tawang route is a thrill in itself. The route is stretched over 500 km and becomes all the more scenic during winter for biking. Tawang is famous for its Buddhist monasteries and distinctive culture. On the other hand, Guwahati is beautifully cuddled between the Shillong Plateau and the Brahmaputra River.
The surroundings are breathtaking, with mesmerising valley views. The lush green landscapes of Tawang form a beautiful yet intricate contrast with snow-covered mountains encompassing the biking route.

2. Mumbai to Goa:
Goa always tops the winter bucket list of travellers and adventure junkies to explore its vibrancy, especially during the famous Goa Carnival and Christmas. And there can be no better way to travel to Goa than a bike trip with friends. The route through the Western Ghats and the scenic roads of the Malvan region is a delight to experience.
The gentle wind softly kissing the cheeks and mesmerising views taking your breath away are some common experiences you will enjoy on your trip to Goa. The distance from Mumbai to Goa is nearly 590 km, and it may take around 12-14 hours to reach there. If you love nature and beaches, this biking trip in winter will touch your heart and soul.

3. Bengaluru to Kolli hills:
The panoramic hill station will take your breath away while moving from the Western to Eastern ghats. The road from Bengaluru to KolliMalai is both adventurous and heartwarming, with around 70 continuous hairpin bends and the serene sight of the Agaya Gangai waterfalls and historic temples on the way. The distance from Kolli hills to Bengaluru is roughly 287 km, and the journey is worth experiencing.

4. Jaipur to Jaisalmer:
A bike trip to Rajasthan during winter can be a good exploration. The weather is favourable for the bikers to drive continuously for hours without any fatigue. One such route to explore in Rajasthan is from Jaipur to Jaisalmer. From the heart of the Pink City to the charm of the Golden City, this bike ride offers various offbeat experiences that are one-of-a-kind.
The distance is roughly 558 km, and the time taken is around 11 hours. From surpassing beautiful local villages, expansive desert views, and long roads to discovering the colourful Rajasthani culture along the way, this bike journey should be on your wishlist for winter travel.

There are myriad options to consider if you want to take a biking trip during winter in India. These trips become all the more fun when you are in the company of your friends. With India's diverse landscapes, you will surely have the best time of your life.

You must take the journey only if you are an expert driver, as these roads can be tricky. Additionally, you should also have bike insurance so that you have it all covered even if things go wrong. Ensure that your bike is serviced thoroughly before setting off on your trip. The bike’s performance gets impacted, and the mechanical parts jam in extreme winter conditions. Regularly check your bike’s condition during your trip to ensure its smooth working. Also, invest in good quality safety gear and helmet to stay safe while touring rugged terrains. Lastly, enjoy every bit of the journey and conquer new milestones.

Click HERE to buy bike insurance before planning your next winter trip.

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.

India is a diverse nation with many beautiful surroundings, sceneries, and landscapes. Due to this spellbinding canvas of experiences, it has a flourishing tourism industry to make every occasion come alive. People from far and wide visit India to witness its monuments, lakes, forts, palaces, mountains, valleys, and cultural bliss.

Many terms are going the rounds for Gen Zs and Millennials who have a zest for travelling in and around India. The words like backpacking and flashpacking are thrown around like confetti. But what exactly do they mean? More and more travellers are turning towards flashpacking with time. If you're also one of them, this article is for you.

Amidst all this, you must have personal accident insurance India to help you stay secure and safe when you travel to explore new destinations and discover rare experiences.

What is flashpacking?

Flashpacking is one of the most travel-related terms in fashion and making the news right now. You may be familiar with backpacking which deals with travelling to far and wide places on a budget. It is usually done solo to explore more areas of the country. Backpackers mostly stay at hostels and enjoy the local street food. Everything is done keeping a tight budget in mind.

On the other hand, flashpacking is described as backpacking on a better budget. It refers to solo or independent travellers with more money to spare on their travels. Unlike backpackers, this expenditure is spent on the best food chains and boutique hotels. They want to explore every nook and corner of the country with added luxury and comfort.

What are the pros of flashpacking in India?

There are a variety of advantages of flashpacking in India. Since you will not have a tight budget to adhere to, you can enjoy it to the fullest. Some of the widely known advantages are:

● You can stay at the best, most comfortable, and luxurious hotels that offer magnificent views. For instance, if you're in Udaipur, you can book a hotel overlooking Lake Pichola.

● You will get a peaceful sleep in your comfortable bed. You will not share a room or stay in the dormitory, which can disrupt your sleep and cause other distractions while you try to enjoy your solitude.

● Since you'll be exploring the best food joints in the place, you'll never sleep on an empty stomach. Further, the options are deemed to be delicious as there is no shortage of funds.

● You can also travel comfortably in cabs or motorbikes without having to hitchhike or wait for your next ride.

Tips to make flashpacking trips memorable:

There are many tips and tricks that you can consider while flashpacking as an independent tourist in India. These are:

● Make sure you research and plan before embarking on your flashpacking trip to India. You can consult a travel agent or company that has enough resources for the same.

● Book your flight or train tickets in advance to avoid problems later.

● Do not force too many places in a single day. With no budget limitation, you can prolong your trip as long as you want without any worries.

● Ensure that you have enough information about the entry time, fees, and mode of travel for a particular place you want to go to.

● Carry all the essentials like medications, sunscreen, masks, sanitiser, snacks, and so on.

● Book the best hotels with a view well in advance, so you do not have to worry about having a luxurious stay.

● Choose the best and most well-researched places to stay in the city.

You should consider many things before you plan a flashpacking trip in India. You should take all the necessary precautions and also have personal accident insurance India to cover the medical expenses in case of emergency. India welcomes several once-in-a-lifetime experiences and moments you can cherish by setting out on tours to the country's diverse retreats.

Click HERE to buy personal accident insurance 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.

Directors and officers of a company are vulnerable to being sued by several disgruntled entities, such as shareholders, employees, vendors, creditors, investors, etc., due to wrongful acts or misdeeds while managing the company. Directors and Officers (D & O) liability insurance protect against such lawsuits. The legal environment is complex, and such insurance helps to cover the high cost of lawsuits.

The policy protects the personal assets of the Directors and their spouses. It also protects the company by covering the legal fees, settlement costs, and any other costs that the company might incur while defending the lawsuit.

Reason for suing:

The directors and officers can be sued for several reasons while performing their company duties. Some of the common reasons are:
● Misuse of company assets and funds

● Misrepresentation

● Financial loss to a stakeholder due to a breach of fiduciary duty

● Errors in reporting

● Violation or theft of Intellectual Property Rights

● Lack of corporate governance

● Poaching of customers/ employees of the competitor

What acts are not covered under the policy?

Such policies generally do not cover acts of fraud, criminal activities, and illegal profits made by the directors and officers while performing their duty and acting on behalf of the company.

The process:

An unhappy person or company may decide to sue the director or officer of the company in court if they fail to perform their duty. This will generally happen when someone suffers losses due to their conduct or action.

The company's manager and legal/ risk department will be informed of the case, which they will forward to the insurer. The insurer will cover the claim if it meets all the terms and conditions of coverage. The defence costs, as well as the financial losses, will also be covered if they lose the case.

Exceptions:

The insurer will deny settling the claim if the company does not disclose material information or provides inaccurate facts.

Most of such policies contain a clause known as 'insured vs. insured exclusion'. Under this clause, the insurer will not settle a claim if the directors and officers sue the company. This ensures that the company cannot profit from deceit or conspiracy.

Coverage:

A Directors and Officers liability insurance policy protects the personal assets of the directors and officers in case a stakeholder or a third party sues them. Their company may not be in a position to indemnify them if the claim amount is big and it does not have the required resources. In such a situation, the insurer will pay the litigation costs and protect the personal assets of those involved.

The insurer will reimburse the company for the legal costs if it has already granted indemnification to its director or officer. Such a policy provides coverage to the company, too, in case it is sued.

These policies usually cover the company's present, past, and future directors, managers, and officers.

The dilemmas:

This is a typical type of insurance coverage and generally comes with a long list of terms and conditions. Hence, it brings with it a lot of questions and dilemmas for the buyer. The company has to decide how much should be on the cover, what deeds of its employees are included under the cover and what is excluded, whether it is a good option for a Small-to-medium sized company (SME), etc.

A Directors and Officers liability insurance policy has become very common with big multinationals in India. Every sector is opening up to such policies- public, private, or not-for-profit. This is why public liability insurance India is gaining importance. Policies are being tailored for small and medium enterprises as well because of their huge number in India.

The cost of litigation is very high, and one court case can cripple an organisation's financial resources. However, the penetration is still low at present, and a huge potential exists in this sector.

Click HERE to buy public liability insurance 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.

Drivers and front-seat passengers must wear a seatbelt when the vehicle is running according to the Central Motor Vehicles Rules (CMVR). Not complying with this rule can lead to a fine of 1000 INR. Surpassing the fine should not be the motive for wearing a seatbelt. Other than the fine, it can be a big life saviour in times of an accident. There is also a rule that the passengers in the rear seat should wear a seatbelt. But, as per the reports, most passengers avoid wearing a seatbelt in a running car.

It is crucial to understand that it just takes a few seconds to buckle the seat belt, which can protect you and your passengers from severe bodily damage in case of an accident. Also, as per a poll, wearing a seatbelt by a co-passenger had shown a reduced risk of being heavily injured or killed by 25% and 75%, respectively. Not just this, did you know that your motor insurance company can reject your claim if it finds that you weren’t wearing a seat belt at the time of the accident?

Let us go through the details of the coverage of damages under motor insurance policies to passengers not wearing seatbelt.

1. Not wearing a seatbelt:
Technically speaking, if you are driving without wearing a seatbelt and you meet with an accident, the insurance company should not be liable to pay for any damages. One can argue that the person could have been saved or suffered much lesser damages during the accident if he had been wearing the seatbelt.

2. Lower compensation:
The main motive of all insurance companies is to make profits. Hence, if they find out that either the front-seat passenger or even the rear-seat passenger was not wearing a seatbelt, they may approach insurance tribunals and file a contributory negligence plea against the insured to lower the compensation or reject it fully.
The courts or the tribunal can lower the compensation claim to some extent. The claim is not rejected just because the insured was not wearing a seatbelt during the mishap. However, lowering the claims is possible since it is a form of non-compliance.

3. Personal accident cover:
Under the motor vehicle act, an individual must take a personal accident cover along with vehicle insurance. It also applies to third-party insurance. Even if the passenger is not wearing a seatbelt, the personal accident cover will pay for the compensation in case of death, injury, or permanent disability due to the accident.
By buying a passenger add-on cover, you can buy similar coverage for up to three co-passengers sitting in your car. This will cost you some extra premium but will provide effective cover to all the passengers in the vehicle.

Driving your vehicle without wearing the seatbelt puts a lot of lives in danger, be it you, your co-passengers, or the vehicle or person with which you have met with the accident. Passengers in the front seat and the rear seat must follow the rule of wearing seatbelts and save penalties and lives.

This is why even the Government of India has announced that it will soon be mandatory for passengers sitting in the back seat to wear the seatbelt when the vehicle is in motion. Even the motor insurance company cannot reduce your insurance claims if you start following this.

There are no shortcuts to safety, and negligence can cost you not just money but even life! Press the accelerator only when your seatbelts are on, drive under the speed limit, follow traffic rules, avoid lane cutting, and make optimum use of all safety equipment installed in your car.

Click HERE to buy insurance from the best motor insurance company.

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.