GENERAL INSURANCE BLOG

With the onset of the winter months, the mercury drops, and so does the efficiency of your car if you do not maintain it well. Considering, you have invested a lot of money in buying your car and have chosen the best company to buy private car insurance in India and what not? So why neglect it during the chilly time of the year?

Cars require year-round maintenance to provide a smooth driving experience to the owner. After all, who wouldn't want that, right? Therefore, the following guidelines are prepared to guide you on how to take care of your car during the winter season:

● Heaters - Although a major part of India does not witness extreme cold weather during the winters, occasional chilly winds and low temperatures can tempt people to use the heaters in their car. What would be better than getting a good amount of heat after being outside in the cold for too long? That's why keeping a check on the heating system inside the car is essential.

●Starting the car - There is a general belief that the engine takes longer to warm up in the winter due to the surrounding low temperatures. Up to a certain extent, this is true. That's why people leave their car engine running for a while before driving. But that does not help much. The engine warms up after you drive, so it is best to take it out at regular intervals. As a result, you can make sure that the fluids are moving around efficiently, and the condition of the car does not take a hit in the cold weather.

●Fuel tank - If you live in extremely cold areas like those in the North which tend to receive snowfall, you must always keep your fuel tank full. If petrol or diesel is filled enough, the accumulated water can be prevented from freezing inside the tank, thereby saving your car from potential fuel damage.

●Engine oil - Engine failure is a common problem during the cold months. For the enhanced performance of your car, check the manuals that came along with it and use the mentioned engine oil so that the chances of any mishaps decrease. Also, maintain a certain minimum limit of oil and ensure that oil does not reduce past that limit.

● Windshield wipers - Apart from engine oil, windscreen fluid is something you need to keep full. Due to fog or light snow, the visibility of the road ahead of your car decreases. If your windshield is not clear either, you will face a tough time driving. That is why we recommend maintaining the cleaning fluid as well as the proper working condition of the wipers.

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Tyre checking - A lot of people might be unaware of this fact, but tires need to be changed with the weather. Especially in the northern parts where temperatures tend to drop to an extreme. Winter tires are built in such a way that they remain firm to the ground and maintain stability even in low temperatures. Even if there is no snow, these tires provide ease and smoothness in situations like applying brakes and taking a turn on the road. Also, ensuring the air pressure of the tires is a wise decision as driving around with less pressure can lead to premature wearing out and chances of accidents or collisions increase.

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Servicing - If you have little or no knowledge of how to maintain your car during the winter, just contact the authorized service centres of the company or other trusted service providers that can take away your burden and ensure the good condition of your vehicle. This way you can attain a feeling of satisfaction that any problems existing already would be taken care of and further possible damage can be avoided. While a lot can be done, sometimes the breakdown of a car is inevitable. In such cases, availing private car insurance in India will help in keeping the expenses in control.

Having insurance is like having a safety deposit. That means if anything goes wrong, you would not be at a total loss. Insurance policies from the leading general insurance companies in India minimize loss and damage by reimbursing you for the expenses incurred during any unfortunate situations.

A wide range of insurance policies, ranging from life to non-life, are available in the market. Life insurance, as the name suggests, is about reimbursing your family members in case you lose your life due to specific reasons. Non-life insurance, on the other hand, is also known as general insurance, which is for automobiles, housing, commercial, travel and other similar purposes. If you suffer a loss from either of them, the insurance plan can help you in recovering from the same.

The process to check the claims online

While filing the claims correctly as per the terms and conditions of the insurance company is essential but it is equally essential that you track and check your claim online to know about the status of the claim and take corrective actions as and when necessary.

• When you file your claim with the insurance company or the TPA, they will provide you with the receipt number or file number along with an acknowledgement of filing of the claim.

• Usually, the insurance company or the TPA specify at the time of filing the claim as to how much time they will take in processing the claim. This is usually capped at 90 days but can vary according to the company policies.

• To track your health insurance or life insurance claim, you need to register your updated contact details with your health insurance company or the TPA. Once you have filed the claim, the TPA will send you the updates regularly on your mobile number or email.

• Alternatively, you can log-on to the website or mobile app of the TPA or the insurance company and track the status of your claim. To retrieve your claim details, you must have the following details with you: -

· Policy number

● Claim number

● Date of birth of the insured person

Once you enter all the details and submit them, you will be able to check the status of your claims online.

Different claim status and the steps to be taken

Depending on the status of your claim, either of the following status messages would be displayed on the screen. You must take the necessary steps according to the requirements.

Under process: -If your claim is under process, then you need to wait for a few more days and then check the status online again.

• Issues/Details required: - If there are any issues with the claim, then it will be mentioned on the status page. You must get in touch with the insurance company or the TPA. They will be able to explain the problem in the processing of the claim. If any documents are required or any further details are required, you must provide the same to them at the earliest.

• Approved: - If your claim has been approved, then you need not do anything else. The payment shall be credited into your account within a few working days.

• Rejected: - If the claim has been rejected, you need to get in touch with the insurance company or the TPA to enquire about more details. If required, you will need to file your claim again.

Life is precious, and so are your belongings. It is the best to secure each of them right after purchasing as many general insurance companies in India provide covers for such belongings, thereby preventing you from being in a huge loss.

Do you travel a lot by road? Are you tired of waiting for your turn at toll plazas on the interstate highways or expressways? Do you wish to get done with it as quickly as possible? If yes, then you must get a FASTag! As the name suggests, a FASTag is a tag which is a mean to ensure faster transit across toll plazas. The tag is placed on the windshield of the car and uses Radio Frequency Identification Technology. The tag is scanned by the tag readers placed at toll booths who then deduct the toll amount from the FASTag account. All toll plazas placed along the national highways are now using FASTag for payment of toll as per the guidelines of the government of India.

As the balance in FASTag reduces, the user needs to reload the balance in the linked wallet account or the linked bank account. By eliminating the need for cash payments at toll plazas, FASTag ensures a quicker and smoother flow of traffic.

The following reasons highlight how using a FASTag can help you save time on your journey: -

● Quick payment- As there is a FASTag affixed to your car, you wouldn't have to search your wallet for cash which ultimately reduces the duration of the transaction and your time is saved.

● Less fuel wastage - As you do not need to stop and restart your vehicle, less petrol or diesel is burned, which saves your fuel tank from draining quickly.

● Hassle-free recharge - You can easily recharge your FASTag using various methods like Internet banking, mobile wallet apps, NEFT, RTGS or even your credit and debit cards.

● Message alerts - Every time your FASTag is used, you get an alert SMS on the mobile number registered with the card which ensures the prevention of its misuse.

● Long validity - A FASTag is valid for five years, which means you need not worry about changing it frequently.

● No requirement of cash - The work of cash is taken over by the FASTag. Therefore, it eliminates the necessity of carrying cash for toll payments.

● Online portals - You can check the transactions made using your FASTag whenever you wish using specific web portals meant for the same.

Now, onto some Frequently Asked Questions: -

How to get a FASTag?

To buy a FASTag, you can ask the toll plaza employee for their sales department, or contact authorized agencies or banks that sell them. Many platforms offer car insurance quotes online and sell FASTag as well.

How much does a FASTag cost?

Generally, a FASTag can cost you around two hundred rupees for the purchase, which excludes recharge expenses.

Where is it placed?

FASTags are affixed on the windshield of the car in a very specific manner that allows the scanners placed at the toll plaza to scan it.

How to know if your card has been used?

As stated in the above benefits, a text message is delivered to the registered mobile phone when the FASTag is used. This is a sort of confirmation to the owner that payment has been made.

Do you need to maintain a certain balance?

You don't need to maintain a balance for sure, but yes there is a minimum value for a top-up of the tag which amounts to a hundred rupees.

Where is a FASTag valid?

Throughout the country, a FASTag can be used to make payments at toll plazas regardless of the city or state.

While getting FASTag will help you zoom seamlessly on the highways, do remember to check car insurance quotes online to get protection against possible accidents and incidents while on the road.

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.