Are Car Roadside Assistance Services Effective in Rural Areas?

Driving a car on Indian roads is no easy feat. There are potholes, construction rubble, non-functional traffic lights, wandering animals, rude drivers to make the experience every bit unpleasant. People blatantly flout rules. In fact, even though the fatalities and injuries owing to road accidents are slowly coming down, the numbers are still astonishing. Here’s a look:

So what is the situation like in rural India? The kind of problems that exist on rural roads are vastly different. Unlike the over-populated urban areas, traffic is less of a problem. There are fewer incidents of say, a pedestrian appearing out of nowhere and getting hit. Instead, the problems are likely to be more infrastructural. This means that your vehicle is likely to get stuck in a pothole than hit another vehicle. There are fewer traffic lights to regulate directions but wider roads to compensate for that. But that doesn’t negate the fact that your car can suffer damage to its tyres or battery or engine for that matter. The issue with getting stuck in rural areas, however, is that you might find yourself stuck with no one in sight for miles. This is where the car roadside assistance services come in especially handy, usually also included in your car insurance.

Car roadside assistance would normally include provision for help in the event that your vehicle breaks down. Generally, when a car breaks down in the middle of the road, it can create havoc in traffic, but if it happens in the middle of nowhere, the problem amplifies because no one knows who to call or take help from. The option to seek car roadside assistance usually comes with certain car insurance policies. The insurance companies tie up with various providers in a way that a network is created all over the country. A single provider could be on the network of multiple providers and therefore, intersections occur. The point is this: car insurance companies will be able to connect you to the nearest car road assistance centre or personnel so you can receive timely aid and have no need for panic. For instance, when you buy car insurance on Bajaj Markets, you will be able to avail cashless facilities at any of its network garages get your car fixed.

When there is a problem with the car, that is when a car breaks down, you might require a quick fix, or it could need a replacement. If the car has to be taken to a service centre, then the towing is covered under the car roadside assistance services. Other services would include battery service, fixing of a flat tyre, refilling of the fuel if running low, key and lock service for when you get locked out or locked in to your car. Let’s look at a few of these:

• The car may need to be towed if you meet with an accident or if it breaks down on a public road, or if it is stuck in a crater or pothole. The latter is much more likely in rural areas. Up to a certain cost, it is covered under your insurance policy.
• Finding and connecting you to an automobile technician. The technician can then reach you on the site of the accident and help with the repairs.
• Such services also include the coordination of medical services in the event of an accident
• Other assisted services include the ones provided to you in case of key loss, flat tyre, battery issues etc. Be careful as your car insurance policy may cover the service but not the cost of the part replacement.

Usually the service provider nearest to you is sent, but it also depends upon your vehicle, your distance and the kind of damage that needs attention. This brings up a pertinent question:

If you try to find a service centre in the middle of nowhere, information might be a bigger constraint than actual availability. Informal set-ups exist in rural areas that can fix your car, but they aren’t subject to guarantees or reliability. A good car insurance policy like Bajaj Allianz Car Insurance available on Bajaj Markets, on the other hand, will bring you a network of over 4000+ garages across the country, where you can procure these services. In the policy papers and on the website, the list and contact details of such garages are also available.

Depending upon what all is covered under your car insurance policy, you will be informed before the technician proceeds. Usually the service charges are covered under the policy. In fact, Bajaj Allianz Car Insurance bought from Bajaj Markets can connect you to a network of garages all over the country and your problem can be addressed hassle-free.

To know more on car insurance in depth, you can check out these blogs:

• Second hand car insurance

• Car insurance claim process