Expert Tips For Vehicle Insurance Claims During Floods: The rainy season is in full swing and the monsoon has covered almost the entire country. If you also have a car, then some precautions are necessary for you.
The rainy season is in full swing and the monsoon has covered the entire country. This year it is raining heavily in some parts of the country. In some states of North India, the rains have broken all the old records. With the changing season, extra precautions become necessary for everyone. Especially if you have a car, then it is very important to take care of some things, otherwise you may suffer huge losses.
Flood havoc in many cities
Many pictures of states like Himachal Pradesh, Uttarakhand, Delhi are going viral on social media. Heavy rain has caused havoc in Himachal Pradesh. Thousands of cars have been swept away in the blink of an eye in the flash flood. Many vehicles have drowned standing in the parking lot. In a city like Delhi, where almost everyone has a car, many areas are vulnerable to floods. Right now it is raining heavily in Mumbai as well. Even before this, we have seen sudden floods in cities like Chennai, Kolkata to Bengaluru.
Claim gets rejected many times
Whenever there is a sudden heavy rain, flood-like situations are created in the cities, and cars are the first victims of this disaster. Now that such incidents have become common, people have started buying motor insurance accordingly. Generally, there is coverage for rain and flood in comprehensive car insurance. Apart from this, people increase the scope of coverage by taking various add-ons. However, even after this, it is not necessary that you will get coverage if you claim for car drowning.
Must Buy Add-on Coverage
Before proceeding further, let us tell you what measures you should take to reduce your losses in such situations… First of all, buy comprehensive car insurance. After that some add-ons are necessary. Zero dip and engine protection coverage are must-have add-ons. You should also have a no-claim bonus protection cover. If this happens, even after making a claim, you will get the benefit of No Claim Bonus. With the return to invoice cover, you will not lose the difference between the IDV and the total value. Consumables coverage is essential, it saves you from the cost of many such essential items, which are going to be used only once. The road side assistance will save you the cost of towing the car if it breaks down somewhere.
Take care of these precautions
If your car also falls victim to the flood, then take some precautions while claiming it. First of all, collect the proof of drowning and damage of the car by making photos and videos. Incidents like floods come in the news, so collect them too. Inform the insurance company as soon as the incident comes to notice. To claim, you may need registration certificate ie RC, driving license ie DL and policy document.
Due to this claims are rejected
Now the most important thing. Many times it happens that the car gets drowned in the flood and the company rejects the claim. Insurance companies give the biggest reason for claim rejection in such cases as consequential damage, that is, the car has been damaged due to any mistake on your part. For example, your car is submerged in water and you are trying to get it out by yourself. In this sequence, the vehicle stops or due to any other reason water reaches the engine, in which case the engine will be damaged and the company will declare it as consequential damage.
Don’t panic… do things like this
If you ever get stuck in this kind of situation then first of all don’t panic. Keep in mind that this is not a unique or new phenomenon. If a parked car is submerged in water, do not start it. Get it towed and take it to a service centre. If the engine stops while getting the car out of the water on the road, do not start it again. Remove it from the water by pushing or towing it. Take it to the service center and get it fixed. Engine protection coverage can come in handy in such situations, so do not forget to add it to the insurance.
