How Safe Riding Habits Can Lower Your Bike Insurance Premium in India
Many things affect bike insurance premiums in India, such as your bike’s type, age, where you live, and any extra features you add. However, your riding habits and driving record can also make a big difference in what you pay. More insurers now offer lower premiums and discounts to riders who show safe and responsible riding. This article explains how your riding habits can affect your bike insurance costs. It also shares practical tips to help you keep a clean riding record and save money.
What is a Riding Record?
Your riding record, sometimes called a clean driving record or bike riding history, includes details such as:
- Traffic violations (like speeding or signal jumping)
- Traffic challans received
- Accident history
- Claims made on your two wheeler insurance
- Instances of negligent or risky riding behaviour
Insurers look at this record to judge your risk and set your policy price. If you have a clean record, you are seen as less likely to make expensive claims, so you may get lower premiums.
How Riding Behaviour Affects Bike Insurance Premiums?
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Safe Riding Means Lower Premiums
If you follow traffic rules, avoid risky riding, and do not get traffic challans or violations, insurers see you as less likely to have accidents or make bike insurance claims. This can help you get a lower bike insurance premium.
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Traffic Violations Can Increase Your Premium
Traffic violations like overspeeding, jumping signals, wrong overtaking, and drunk riding show risky riding habits. If you have many traffic offences, insurers may raise your premium because they think you are more likely to make claims in the future.
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Accidents and Claims Also Impact Costs
Accidents, especially those caused by carelessness, can hurt your riding record. If you make several claims in a short time, insurers may see this as unsafe riding and could raise your premiums or reduce discounts like your No Claim Bonus (NCB), which helps lower your renewal premium.
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(NCB) As a Reward for Safe Riding
The No Claim Bonus is a reward from insurers for not making any claims in a year. If you maintain a clean record, you can receive significant discounts on your renewal premium, starting at 20% for one claim-free year and increasing up to 50% for five consecutive years.
Pro Tip: Keep your NCB by not making small claims that could hurt your record and lower your discount.
Practical Tips to Maintain a Clean Riding Record
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Follow Traffic Rules Religiously
Following speed limits, stopping at signals, and giving way to others can help keep your record clean and make you seem less risky to insurers.
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Pay Your Bike Challans Promptly
Not paying your traffic fine. If you do not pay your traffic fines on time, it looks bad on your record and may show insurers that you are irresponsible. This can affect your premium.
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Riding Under the Influence of Alcohol
Riding even once under the influence can hurt your riding history and raise your insurance costs. Always avoid riding after drinking alcohol or using other intoxicating substances.
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Ride Defensively, Not Recklessly
Riding carelessly or aggressively raises your chances of accidents and higher insurance costs. Riding defensively, maintaining safe distances, planning your route, and avoiding risky overtaking can help you avoid claims and keep your premiums low.
FAQs – How Safe Riding Habits Can Lower Your Bike Insurance Premium in India
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Is it worth the risk to ride a motorcycle?
Ans:Riding a motorcycle can be enjoyable and convenient, but it also carries a higher risk of accidents and injuries. Safe riding habits, wearing helmets, and buying right bike insurance coverage help reduce the risk. -
How to make bike insurance cheaper?
Ans:Maintain a clean riding record, avoid small claims, renew on time, choose higher deductibles, install anti-theft devices, and keep your No Claim Bonus (NCB) intact. -
What are the disadvantages of triple riding?
Ans:Triple riding is illegal, reduces balance and control, increases the risk of accidents, leads to heavy fines, and may result in claim rejection in the event of an accident. -
Do 80% of motorcycle accidents result in death?
Ans:No, the “80% fatality” claim is a myth. Most motorcycle accidents result in injuries, rather than fatalities. Fatality rates vary by region, speed, and the use of helmets. -
What is the 4-second rule on a motorcycle?
Ans:The 4-second rule means maintaining a following distance of at least 4 seconds from the vehicle ahead to allow for safe braking and reaction time. -
What kills most motorcycle riders?
Ans:Most fatal motorcycle crashes are linked to overspeeding, lack of helmet use, head injuries, collisions at intersections, and loss of control. -
How much safer is wearing a helmet?
Ans:Wearing a certified helmet can significantly reduce the risk of head injury and greatly improve survival chances in a crash. -
What is the survival rate of a motorcycle crash?
Ans:Most riders survive motorcycle crashes, but the severity of injuries depends on factors such as speed, impact, road conditions, and the effectiveness of helmet protection. -
What is the 2-2-2 rule for bike helmets?
Ans:The 2-2-2 helmet rule means:- Two fingers above eyebrows
- Two fingers between the chinstrap & the chin
- Two fingers gap behind the strap
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Where do most accidents happen on a motorcycle?
Ans:Most motorcycle accidents occur at intersections, turns, congested city roads, and during lane-changing or sudden braking situations.
^The buying/renewal of insurance policy is subject to our operations not being impacted by a system failure or force majeure event or for reasons beyond our control. Actual time for a transaction may vary subject to additional data requirements and operational processes.
*TP price for less than 75 CC two-wheelers. All savings are provided by insurers as per IRDAI-approved insurance plan. Standard T&C apply.
*Rs 538/- per annum is the price for third party motor insurance for two wheelers of not more than 75cc (non-commercial and non-electric)
#Savings are based on the comparison between the highest and the lowest premium for own damage cover (excluding add-on covers) provided by different insurance companies for the same vehicle with the same IDV and same NCB.
*₹ 1.5 is the Comprehensive premium for a 2015 TVS XL Super 70cc, MH02(Mumbai) RTO with an IDV of ₹5,895 and NCB at 50%.
*₹457/- per annum (₹1.3/day) is the price for third-party motor insurance for private electric two-wheelers of not more than 3KW (non-commercial). Premium is payable annually. The list of insurers mentioned is arranged according to alphabetical order of the names of insurers respectively. Policybazaar does not endorse, rate or recommend any particular insurer or insurance product offered by any insurer. The list of plans listed here comprise of insurance products offered by all the insurance partners of Policybazaar. For the complete list of insurers in India, refer to the Insurance Regulatory and Development Authority of India website: www.irdai.gov.in
