KURNOOL: Car owners in Kurnool are in a dilemma as to which insurance will protect them from risks that are considered as the ‘Act of God.’ No one ever thought that floods would be a major risk in Kurnool until the 2009 flood totally marooned the city. Fire as a cause of car damage was also never on the list of risks for owners until recent incidents of cars catching fire on the run came to fore.

The recent killing of a car driver due to an engine fire has forced many car owners to take fire cover. Lakshma Reddy, a car owner in Nandyal said that he took only third party insurance coverage as he was a careful driver who uses the car only for domestic purposes. But now, car manufacturers do not provides guarantee from unknown risks like fire. How to protect cars from the ‘Act of God’ has become high on the agenda for car owners.





Narasimha Reddy, an insurance development officer with a national insurance agency said that people have started asking how third party coverage can be made into comprehensive insurance. He said that, a comprehensive car insurance policy covers damage to vehicle caused by events like fire, theft, vandalism and falling objects. He said that this protection would not be available if the driver is under the influence of alcohol at the time of impact or vehicle is being driven by a person not holding a valid driving license.

The mechanical failure of vehicles on the roads of Kurnool is a constant phenomenon. Not a day passes by without newly registered vehicles zooming by on city roads. People are coming all the way to Hyderabad and Vijayawada to buy cars as local dealers have a very limited inventory which causes delay in delivery, said a car owner.