Passenger Cover in Car Insurance

One of the principal concerns of a driver while plying on Indian roads is the risk of accidents. Around 17 people in the country lose their lives due to such on-road mishaps every hour. This is a troubling number, especially for those who drive their vehicles daily. (1)

Often, when your car is involved in such disasters, it affects not just you, the driver, but your passengers as well.

That is why car insurance providers offer passenger cover as an add-on to their car insurance policies. As a policyholder, you need to pay an additional premium to buy this add-on with your comprehensive car insurance plan.

Irrespective of whether you operate a private vehicle or a commercial car, you mostly have passengers in the car with you. They are just as liable to accidental injury during the ride as you are. Therefore, they need proper financial protection against liabilities arising from accidents. 

Car insurance policies do not cover passengers in your vehicle under normal circumstances. However, most insurers offer passenger cover in car insurance as a rider or add-on. Opting for this additional protection increases your premium payments for a policy by an insignificant margin but is vital for complete safety of everyone inside the vehicle, nonetheless.

How Does this Add-On Cover Work?

Typically, a car insurance plan offers complete financial assistance to the driver of the insured private car in case of accidents. This means that if you are driving the car in question, then in case of permanent disability or death because of the mishap, your family is eligible to receive the insured amount from the insurer.

Usually, the same facility is not extended to passengers in your vehicle during the accident. They would need to spend money out of their pocket to treat injuries resulting from accidents involving your vehicle.

This does not sound fair, does it?

As a driver, it is your responsibility to offer the same protection to your passengers, who are in no way or form responsible for accidents. That is why, while buying the car insurance policy, opting for a passenger cover is the only way to ensure complete protection for people who ride in your vehicle.

For instance, Digit insurance offer a sum insured ranging between Rs. 10,000 and Rs. 2 Lacs under the passenger cover add-on. With such high sum insured amount you will be able to maximise the financial protection for the passengers in your car.

In an ideal world, every car owner should opt for passenger cover to ensure the safety of people riding in their vehicles. However, it becomes very important under the following circumstances:

Private Vehicle Owners

This rider is essential if your family members and/or friends often accompany you on drives. Purchasing the cover will ensure that the financial liability for their treatment would shift to the insurer and not on you.

Commercial Vehicle Owners

Commercial vehicle owners also need to opt for this protection, especially those operating cabs, pool cars, school buses and more. These vehicles ply passengers around each day, endangering their safety on Indian roads frequently. Proper insurance cover is, therefore, vital in these cases.  

For filing passenger cover claims, you need to follow the same procedure as that of a standard car insurance plan.

• Step 1 -  Inform the insurance provider regarding the accident and the number of passengers involved.
• Step 2 - File an FIR at the nearest police station from where the accident occurred.
• Step 3 - Record the witness details, the details of the other party’s insurance and car.
• Step 4 - File an official claim with the insurance provider, so that they assign a surveyor to verify the details of the case.
• Step 5 - If your insurer offers an online claim filing facility, make sure you choose this option for a hassle-free claim application and approval process.