The FIR is the basis of an insurance claim. Be it an accident, a theft or a break-in, make sure you follow the proper procedure and file an FIR. There is an alternative to the FIR—the DDR (daily diary report). The police keep a list of the day’s activities. In case there is no serious damage, no dispute between the parties, no case to be filled, an FIR may not be necessary. A DDR will suffice. In any case, some sort of a police report is required. It is an accepted fact that insurance companies are not happy about paying claims. To safeguard your interests, make sure your documents are complete and in order.
Another point, if a driver does not have a valid driving licence to ply a particular type of vehicle at the time of the accident, the insurance company is entitled to reject the compensation claim. This is a Supreme Court ruling. It is not enough to have a valid driving licence. It must be valid for the vehicle you are driving. My driving licence is valid for an LMV (light motor vehicle)—a car. It does not give me the right to drive a truck or bus.
City drivers are adept at skipping lanes. Many do it on a high speed. This means overtaking from the left and zig-zagging all over the road. You really don’t save time doing this. You only make the road dangerous and cause confusion and chaos.
As a car approaches a red light, the driver will change lanes to stand in line in the shortest queue. It does not necessarily work. O’Brians variation law states: “If you change queues, the one you have left will start to move faster than the one you are in now.” The reason could be simple. The shortest queue had a cycle rickshaw at the head. No one wants to move at a snail’s pace. So no one stood in the queue.
A lot of drivers have air-freshner bottles in their cars so that there is fragrance in the vehicles at all times. Tests in London have shown that something as simple as a lemon and its aroma will actually improve your driving performance. Those of you who believe in the aroma therapy will not find this unusual.
The study found that lemon aroma improved concentration and student drivers were more receptive to verbal instructions while exposed to the pleasant smell of lemon. However, warned researchers, before drivers become used to a particular aroma, a change in the fragrance would be more effective at improving performance.
Music in cars can be a great hazard as well as help. Loud disco music gets the driver excited, increases the pulse rate and will tend to make him drive fast. Bhajans, ghazals and classical music have a tendency to soothe the nerves. Certainly, in the morning as you drive to work, this would be recommended. You will arrive at your work place cool, calm and collected to face the day. Loud jarring music will have the opposite effect.
Finally, have you noticed that when you are driving anyone going slower than you is considered an idiot and anyone driving faster than you a maniac?
Happy motoring.
