Night Road Side assistance for women drivers

With the increasing number of women’s working in the night shift in IT companies and other sector, their safety is a cause of concern. The Insurance Companies are devising covers to provide them an extra layer of security. Some of the cover includes night roadside assistance (RSA), hailing of a cab service, assistance to an emergency medical centre, and even a night’s stay at a nearby hotel. Some insurers offer this kind of service as an add-on whereas Insurers like ICICI Lombard and Bajaj Allianz offer the service free for women customers. ICICI Lombard General Insurance executive director Sanjeev Mantri said, “For decades, insurers have offered services such as RSA to motor insurance customers. The problem with RSA is that it is a one-sizefits-all type of service.” ICICI Lombard realised from customer calls that it needed a specific facility for women. “In one case, a woman customer would always return at 10pm after work. Another had to drive late when her inlaws faced a medical emergency. In both instances, their prime requirement was immediate and assurance of support,” Mantri said. So the insurer has recently launched Women Assist — a programme available in 13 cities, including New Delhi, Noida, Mumbai, Bengaluru, Hyderabad and Chennai. The service is available between 8pm and 6am, with access to a pan-India network of 3,500 garages, taxi partners and hotels. In case the customer is too far from home, the insurer will arrange for a night stay at a hotel with a budget of up to Rs 5,000 a night. In case of minor repairs, while the vehicle is being attended to, refreshments will be organised. Bajaj Allianz’s policy has a 24/7 Spot Assistance for women that includes urgent message relays, assistance to an emergency medical centre, fuel refills of up to 3 litres of petrol/diesel, and taxi service anywhere up to 50 km from the spot where the insured was immobilised. The person also gets Rs 1,000 per day per occupant. Bajaj Allianz General CEO Tapan Singhel told, “If you have an accident at any time during day or night, we will help with paperwork, conduct a spot survey, and even provide legal advice over phone if necessary. We help with drained batteries, minor repairs, techni- cal issues, or tow away the vehicle to the nearest Bajaj Allianz preferred workshop.”