Personal Accident Cover in Bike Insurance

A basic bike insurance policy would provide cover for the damage caused to the vehicle but what about you in case you sustain an injury there is a personal accident cover that you can add-on to your existing bike insurance policy. So what is a personal accident cover? Let us tell you.

Personal Accident Cover

Nobody wants to fall prey to any unforeseen accident that can cost them a lot in the form of medical expenses. An insurance policy covers the bike owner from financial as well as personal losses. A personal accident cover in bike insurance that you need to add on to your existing policy separately becomes mandatory because it works for you only.

The personal accident cover is issued to the owner only if he/she has a driving license, if you do not have personal accident insurance then you can add on this cover separately but it will increase the premium rate accordingly.

Importance of Personal Accident Cover

People living in India are well aware of the roads and how bad their condition is. When you get on the road on your bike with the bad traffic, people hurrying up to go to their offices you never know when you meet an accident that can cause a lot of damage and also sustain severe injury.

Now let me give you an example, you are getting late for your office and you are in a hurry so you think that you can make up for the time on the road by riding faster than usual. You stop at a red light just behind the zebra crossing and as soon as the light turns green, you twist the accelerator and there is a car that did not stop at the red light and hit you. Since the car was on high speed you sustained a severe injury on your leg that cost you a lifetime of disability. Although it is not possible to make the leg as good as new the personal accident cover can help you save a lot and provide financial aid for the expenditure in the hospital. The personal accident cover is important for these kind of situations which happens all of a sudden.

Is It Compulsory To Have a PA Cover?

As per the Motor Vehicle Act 1988, a bike or a car owner must have a third-party bike insurance policy. After seeing the increment in road accidents and policyholders raising claims, the government decided to make personal accident insurance compulsory. The government intended to provide cover for any kind of loss and injury that came up in the accident.

However, in this compulsion to purchase a personal accident cover, slight changes were made in January 2019. The changes made are as follows:

• If the owner is covered under a stand-alone accident plan and the SI is Rs. 15 Lakh, then a waiver will be provided to them for this cover.
• If the owner has a personal accident policy for his existing car then he/she does not have to purchase a separate PA cover for his/her new bike or car.

What Is Covered?

There is a limit of coverage defined by the IRDAI that is Rs. 15 lakh. A personal accident cover will provide you compensation in case you sustain any injury, death and any kind of permanent disability because of the accident. There is a percentage of the amount that the insurance company will provide to the policyholder.

• The company will pay the full Sum insured to the nominee of the policyholder in case of sudden death.
• In case the policyholder losses 2 limbs, 2 eyes or 1 limb or 1 eye, 100% of compensation will be provided.
• In case the policyholder losses sight of 1 eye or 1 limb, 50% of compensation will be provided.
• In the case of permanent total disability, 100% of compensation is provided.