GENERAL INSURANCE BLOG

A handbrake, sometimes known as an emergency brake or e-brake, is vital for your car's safety. We're sure you're well aware of what a handbrake is for: it holds your vehicle from rolling backwards once you've stopped. If you're new to driving, you may be confused about how a handbrake functions and when to use it. Is it only for emergencies or also for parking?

Read ahead for the answers to these questions and much more so that you can take advantage of your vehicle's most vital safety features. Another way to ensure the total safety of your car is to buy car insurance online.

How does a handbrake function?
The handbrake on a vehicle may be mechanical or electrical, based on its age, model, and gearbox. Unlike the footbrake, the handbrake is linked to the rear wheels of your automobile through a steel wire. It serves two purposes. First, it assures that you have a way to stop your car if the hydraulic brake fails. Second, it enables you to press the accelerator pedal while braking, facilitating more sophisticated driving tactics like drifting and flawless hill starts. When applying the handbrake, the metal cable goes through an intermediary gear before arriving at an equaliser, distributing power equally across the brake pads. This will eventually freeze the back wheels and cause the vehicle to come to a stop.

When should you use a handbrake?
It is all too common for inexperienced drivers to misuse their handbrake. For example, never use the handbrake while the automobile is still in motion.

You should only apply the handbrake in the following situations.

1. When parking:
Only use the handbrake when your vehicle has come to a complete stop after parking.

2. When stopping:
If you come to a halt at an intersection or a traffic signal, you should apply your handbrake. When you've come to a complete stop at a pedestrian crossing, activating your handbrake will keep your vehicle from moving forward.

3. While turning:
To prevent rolling against the curb while turning on a road that descends towards the sidewalk, proceed carefully, utilise clutch control, and use the brakes after each motion.

4. Following an emergency break:
To conduct an emergency stop, you must utilise your hand brake and, if operating a manual vehicle, then also your clutch pedal simultaneously. However, after your car has come to a complete stop, you should use the handbrake and shift it into neutral.

5. Hill starts:
After coming to a stop on a hill, using your handbrake in conjunction will keep your car from rolling backwards.

When it comes to operating your handbrake, like with any other area of driving, the more you practice, the more accustomed and confident you'll get. However, another thing to keep in mind is to buy car insurance online and save considerably in case your car faces any external damage or requires repairing and servicing. Driving without possession of insurance is against the law, and as a beginner, you'll need to have all the protection you can get.

Click HERE to buy car 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.

Rock climbing is an exciting adventure sport and a great way to stay fit. Today, several gyms incorporate rock climbing within their space settings to help people exercise and strengthen their bones and muscles. Many parents encourage their kids to try rock climbing established in recreation and amusement parks. Mountain climbing and mountaineering are different disciplines that come under rock climbing.

Rock climbing comes with its set of challenges. It requires expensive gear and training, which may not be readily available everywhere. Also, there is a degree of risk associated with the sport, given that you will be working with ropes and harnesses at certain heights. Safety is paramount while rock climbing. So, it is advisable to train formally before climbing in natural settings such as mountains, rocks, etc.

This blog will provide you with the complete guide to rock climbing for beginners. You will learn how to get started and various essential tips you'll need to know.

1. Gear:
Stop splurging on renting gear for climbing if you have decided to pursue it regularly. Purchasing your equipment is a wise long-term investment that will prove to be helpful. Also, check which gear you need as a beginner. You don't have to buy the ‘advanced’ level of equipment when you are just starting with rock climbing. Initially, you'll need climbing shoes, chalk and chalk bag, harness, headgear (helmet), etc.

2. Routine:
Now that you have decided to attempt rock climbing, you need to form a routine. Find time to practice regularly and seriously. To accomplish that, you can join a gym with rock climbing facilities or a training institute that provides regular rock climbing courses. Your trainer/coach can help you get familiar with the workouts, the footwork, etc., to develop the strength required for the sport.

3. Ease into the process:
You need to build a strong foundation before starting a more advanced stage in rock climbing. Give your body time to adapt to the different physical and mental stress levels of learning rock climbing. Pushing your body to do strenuous work can cause severe injuries or soreness in muscles, making it difficult to continue with the learning process.

4. Warm-up:
Warm-up exercises can help reduce the probability of severe injuries. These exercises boost your energy by pumping blood into your muscles. Your body can then accommodate different stress levels with ease while practising climbing. Some warm-up exercises include jumping jacks, squats, arm, wrist, ankle and foot circles. After these, you can head off to practice light and easy climbing, increase the intensity as instructed, and to the extent your body allows.

Rock climbing sounds intriguing. But as we discussed, it comes with a particular risk that can lead to severe injuries, harming your body in the process. While that seems quite unfortunate, a wise option to safeguard yourself is exploring the insurance market and purchasing the best personal accident policy in India to cater to all your needs. Insurance becomes helpful if the policyholder meets with an accident and requires medical care. So invest wisely and make your rock climbing journey hassle-free.

Click HERE to know more about how you can buy the best personal accident policy 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.

The eyes are one of the primary sensory organs, and they react to different colours in different ways. Colours enhance the feel and perception of people and things around us and have several psychological impacts on our mood, emotions, and behaviours.

Colour blindness is a visual deficiency due to which an individual can face difficulties in seeing specific colours or telling the difference between two colours under standard lighting. Most types of colour blindness issues are inherited during birth.

For people who are colour blind, routine tasks like driving or picking out a ripe fruit can become difficult. Since there is no particular cure, most people adapt and learn to live with this condition. However, many people don’t consider colour blindness a grave matter, and some don’t even get diagnosed. They spend their lives without acknowledging that they might have colour blindness or deficiency.

In this article, we will discuss some healthy tips that can make the lives of colour blind people easier.

1. Enquire about special glasses:
Special contacts or glasses might not solve your problem completely. But they can enhance your experience regarding colour blindness and help you visualise better. You can check in with your doctor to see how these glasses or contacts lenses work for you.

2. Ample lighting:
Make sure that your workspace and your house have plenty of lighting. Natural light in abundance is the best thing. In addition, it would be best if you tried to avoid glare.

3. Go digital:
You can use your smartphone or tablet to download and access applications that identify and name colours for you. Some gadgets have options where you can see shapes instead of colours. You can also use colour filters to tell the colours apart.

4. Look for signs:
You can look for different indications to incorporate into your daily activities. For example, to pick up a ripe pineapple, look for its weight (should be heavy), sweet smell, and easily pluckable leaves. You can also ask the vendor to help you out or order fruits and vegetables online.

5. Managing work:
Charts, graphs, and presentations are expected to have a lot of colours to distinguish the components of the data. If you’re someone who struggles with colour blindness, you can add detailed labels and texts to explain the differences to your peers.
Sending links for reference can be a good option too. Many colour blind people get certified as pilots but might face certain restrictions like flying at night, etc.

Never consider colour blindness as a disability. It is just a medical condition, and if you learn to adapt to it, you will be able to live an easy life. Now that we have discussed some healthy tips to help colour blind people lead an easier life, it would be wise to think about purchasing health insurance in India. The only way to make your life financially secure and beat the rising medical costs is with the help of the right health insurance.

Click HERE to learn more about health 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.

Have you ever felt overwhelmed by the number of things on your task list? Do you distract yourself by doing everything else? Do you end up hastily finishing your work minutes before the deadline? This postponing tasks until the last minute or past the deadline is called procrastination.

To put it simply, procrastination is the voluntary delay of essential tasks despite being aware of the negative consequences it may have in the future. But don’t worry; you’re not alone in this. Research shows that about 20 percent of adults tend to delay or avoid completing tasks by allowing themselves to get distracted.

The reasons for procrastination may differ from person to person. Psychology states that procrastination is not a time-management issue but is about avoiding negative feelings or triggers. A person may feel overwhelmed by the number of responsibilities and the pressure of completing them, causing intense anxiety, fear, or other negative emotions. Procrastinating then becomes an avoidance strategy to evade those negative feelings. It also revolves around the person’s inability to focus or deal with personal fears and emotional triggers.

Being a procrastinator can affect your productivity and harm your behavioural pattern. Never procrastinate on health issues, and always keep your health a priority. While health insurance plans in India can help recoup the costs of your treatments, they cannot guarantee a backup plan for missed opportunities. It is never too late to change and make better choices.

Here are a few tips to overcome procrastination.

1. Remove distractions:
While working, remove distractions to create a more conducive work environment, even if you’re not ready to get started on your work.

2. Take baby steps:
When we think of a task, the burden of completing it to the finish line can often become overwhelming. Think of the small, immediate steps to begin the task to dodge any such anxiety. For example, if you have to prepare a meal, simply start by gathering all ingredients required. Breaking down a task into more manageable steps can reduce the pressure of an overwhelming responsibility.

3. Reward yourself:
Treat yourself for the steps that you take towards completing a task. If you manage to get started, assign a relatively small reward to create a positive and content feeling. This will self-motivate you to complete the work with enthusiasm.

4. Recognise your triggers:
Recognising and accepting the triggers and fears causing you to procrastinate is a crucial step to resolve your habit. Think through your patterns and try to examine the cause of your procrastination. Ask yourself about what is making you to procrastinate. For example, if you’re afraid that you will make a mistake while doing the task, you can start resolving this fear by assuring yourself that it’s not the end of the world and that you can always correct the fault.

5. Create a plan of action:
Formulate a plan to smoothly complete your work based on two factors - your goals and the nature of your procrastination. For example, if your goal is to study 15 pages of a chapter and you fear that you won’t do it all in one sitting. Break down your study hours by splitting the work equally with timed breaks and small rewards. Doing this will allow you to systematically complete your task while relieving yourself from any negative feelings.

The habit of procrastination can quickly become a detrimental habit in the long run. Investing in health insurance plans in India can certainly secure your health in the future, but forming better habits is all in your hands. Give yourself permission to make mistakes and focus on visualising yourself having completed the goals.

Click HERE to buy the best health insurance plans 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.