By Rakesh Goyal, Director of Probus Insurance Broker
Travelling during the weekends with family or friends, taking some time off from the office to chill in a nearby spot for a day or two, or having a week off for a small trip are some of the great ways to break the monotony of your everyday routine and relieve yourself from all the daily hassle.
However, as it is rightly said, Nothing is Predictable in Life, similarly, things do not always go the way you planned or would plan. While you are on a trip to an unknown terrain or not-so-familiar area, you could encounter any sort of unexpected event such as a mishap, car accident etc.
In situations like this, it becomes extremely difficult to find the required medical assistance or any other needed help. Having said that, not having adequate money would be the worst situation one could ever be in at that point in time. This is where the Outstation Emergency cover comes to the rescue.
Now let us understand what exactly an Outstation Emergency cover is:
Outstation Emergency Cover comes as an add-on cover to your comprehensive car insurance plan and helps the insured in case of a car breakdown or car accident. This plan is highly helpful to save yourself from the additional expenses that could incur if any mishap takes place during your outstation trips.
To understand how this cover works, let’s take an example. Suppose, Priya had applied for leave on Friday and plans to go to Alibaug for an extended weekend trip with her college friends. She decides to drive to the place. On their way back home from the trip, they experience a minor accident in which her car suffers some considerable damage. She gets her car repaired in the repair shop closer to the accident spot. Since Priya had the Outstation Emergency cover along with her car insurance, she was able to report to her insurer about the accident occurrence and get her car repair bill reimbursed without any hassle. Therefore, having such a cover can definitely act as emergency assistance in a case such as that of Priya.
Now that we know how this cover works, let’s have look at some of its key benefits:
Income Security
This add-on cover provides financial safety during emergencies like car disasters/breakdowns while you are outstation. During the occurrence of such mishaps, the insured can notify the insurer and they can assist with the required process which is in line with the terms of the policy. In this manner, you need not spend extra pennies from your pocket during such a situation.
Network Car Parks
In India, many insurers have tie-ups with different carparks located across the country. Such garages are termed Network Garage and are car repair stores that allow you to get your car repaired with a cashless payment option. You can repair your car by filing a digital payment claim even if you are not in the town through this cover.
Facing any unexpected issues in an unknown location can be very terrifying. Moreover, when planning to travel to an outstation, it can be quite worrying if you don’t know how to find a nearby carport. In cases like this, the outstation emergency add-on coverage provides you with the required peace of mind and allows you to enjoy your journey worry-free.
Smooth Repair Process
Gone are the days when sudden breakage of cars or mishaps would stop one to plan any trips. Emergency repair of cars is no longer a reason to cancel trips because you can get them right away with this coverage. It may be hard to locate a repair place to service your car once you are outstation. However, having an outstation cover in your car plan can help repair your car at one of your insurer’s network garages without any hassle.
Other Benefits
Other common benefits under outstation cover include towing service, spare key arrangement, refilling of the vacant tank, jump-start provided if the battery dies, hotel accommodation in case your vehicle repair takes longer etc. Moreover, there are cashless claim options also available for outstation.
Bottom Line
If you are going to attend any social event or mini-trips or have to travel for any other work, facing situations like accidents or car mishaps could be the last thing you would ever want to happen. Hence, an outstation emergency cover is ideal under such situations and is highly recommended, especially for people who are regular travellers around the cities so as to get the required peace of mind while travelling. However, note that this add-on cover can be purchased only with standalone or comprehensive car plans and not with third-party liability insurance plans.
Based in New York, Stephen Freeman is a Senior Editor at Trending Insurance News. Previously he has worked for Forbes and The Huffington Post. Steven is a graduate of Risk Management at the University of New York.