car safety tips – HNB General Blog

How to: Avoid Potholes & Bounce back from Pothole Damage

April 23, 2015April 23, 2015HNB Assurance PLCLeave a comment

Potholes.

These are probably some of the more annoying aspects of driving. We all get a little annoyed when we hit a pothole since it makes the ride uncomfortable, usually just for a moment. Here. let’s look at the best way to tackle potholes, and how to recognize pothole damage.

How do I avoid potholes?

1. Beware of Puddles: Given the fact that we’ve have a lot of rain recently, be wary of puddles. Some puddles usually aren’t very deep, but be careful- the last thing you want to do is to find out the hard way!

2. Keep your eyes on the road: As we have mentioned earlier, Sri Lanka is a country which has a number of road accidents every year. A contributing factor is texting while driving. When you’re driving, be aware of your surroundings and keep your eyes peeled for potholes.

3. Take care of your tyres and suspension: Tyres are more likely to get damaged when tyre pressure is low. In a similar way, if your shock absorbers are hit badly as a result of a pothole, your undercarriage becomes more vulnerable to damage.

car suspension — With your Car’s suspension, its whats inside that counts

4. Watch your Need for Speed– If the road you are travelling on has obstacles such as parked vehicles, narrow lanes or potholes, don’t speed. The faster you go, the greater the damage onto your car.

5. Hang on: If you can’t stop yourself from hitting a pothole, grip your steering wheel tightly to ensure that you maintain control of your vehicle. Don’t brake, just let your car absorb the blow.

I tried everything, but I ended up hitting a pothole! Should I be worried?

It depends. If you encounter the following signs of pothole damage you ought to have your vehicle checked.

1. Alignment problems: Instead of going straight, you know you have problems if your vehicle veers too much to the left or the right. Furthermore, if one of your tyres is more worn out than the other, take a look at your vehicle’s alignment.

2. Tyre damage: If you hit a pothole hard, immediately slow down and pullover. Your tyres don’t necessarily have to blowout at the point of impact. Take a look at possible damage on the sidewalls and rims of the tyres. Severe damage could indicate that a blowout is imminent.

dent — Check for damage to your tyres and rims

3. Bumpy Ride: If you hit a pothole and your car’s suspension system gets adversely affected, expect a bumpy ride. The suspension system is made to make your journey smoother. Hitting potholes harder often means that the shock absorption mechanism gets damaged, so please be careful.

4. Difficulty steering: If you can’t control you car when making turns or even simply going straight ahead, could mean that you have issues with your steering wheel.

5. Problems down under: If there is a scratch on the bottom of your vehicle, it may not be a big deal for some people. However, you ought to take a look underneath to ensure that the undercarriage is OK.

6. Call your motor insurance company: If you have a motor insurance policy with HNB General Insurance, you may be eligible for a payment to cover repair costs. To find out more, call our HNB General Insurance hotline on 0114-883-883.

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Disclaimer: The views shared in this blog are based on the macro economic conditions & industry status quo as per the time of publishing.

The Dirty Dozen: The 12 Worst Sri Lankan Driving Habits

March 12, 2015March 12, 2015HNB Assurance PLCLeave a comment

Sri Lanka is notorious for its poor driving. Given the fact that we encounter a high level of road rage, it seemed appropriate that we list out the worst driving habits of our fellow Sri Lankan drivers:

1. Going too slowly…on the highway: Yes, we have highways and that is excellent. However, there are a number of individuals who go too slow-say travelling at 50kmph when the speed is as high as 100kmph. If you are one of those who goes too slowly, move towards the left lane.

2. Driving on the wrong lane: Speaking of lanes, there are too many vehicles which I encounter which travel on the wrong lane. If you are one of them, hear this: The left lane is for slower drivers, while the right lane is for those who want to go faster.

3. Disrespecting road rules: A classic example is disregarding the pedestrian crossing. A lot of drivers don’t stop as they are supposed to. Yes, the drivers will respond saying that pedestrians usually ‘jump from nowhere’, but they are allowed to cross the road using the pedestrian crossing. So be aware.

4. Using Mobiles & driving: As we have mentioned earlier, this is very dangerous, since a moment’s distraction is all that’s necessary in order to cause a collision. If you must take or receive an important call, move your car to the side and take the call.

5. Using the wrong turn signal: One of the most basic things to do, and yet you’ve likely come upon this scenario: drivers who are about to turn left, have their indicators lit up in the other direction (even when they can’t turn right!). While this may be quite amusing to some, it slows down the vehicle behind as it creates uncertainty, because the driver up front seemingly doesn’t appear to know what they are doing.

6. Drifting in and out of lanes: Probably the most annoying on the list. Some drivers cant seem to decide on which lane they want to stay on, and frequently keep changing lanes by swerving to the left or the right. This makes it difficult sometimes as motorists want to drive normally and shouldn’t have to worry about getting involved in a side on collision.

7. Reversing onto the main road: If you’ve ever had to park in a shop or restaurant which is on the main road, you know nerve-wracking this feels. You need to reverse and manoeuvre carefully as you do your best to avoid hitting another car, or pedestrian.

8. Inconvenient parking: You need to park somewhere quickly, unfortunately the closest parking spot has been taken in a very poor fashion (see pic below). If this is you, breathe. We’ve all been there at least once. Please learn how to park in a convenient place and it’ll help everyone.

9. Too many people in a vehicle: This is more likely to happen if the vehicle is a three-wheeler/tuk tuk or a motorcycle. I understand that people want to save the cost of transportation, but surely that shouldn’t be at the expense of someone’s life?

10. Large vehicles on narrow roads: Narrow ‘side’ roads are frequently used as shortcuts by a number of drivers. However, the moment a large vehicle such as a bus, truck or even a car comes along, there is no way a second vehicle can go through.

11. No helmets: This one is for all the motorcyclists who don’t use helmets: it’s a terrible idea. You are risking serious injury if you don’t have one on you and a road accident were to happen. Furthermore, there are children who travel without a helmet: Surely if you are a responsible parent, keeping your children safe should be a priority.

12. Driving through yellow lights: Rarely a ~~day~~ hour goes by when this does not happen. All types of motorists seem to view the yellow light as ‘go’ and jam their foot on the accelerator. It’s not a safe thing to do, and even though it may cost you a little time in traffic, it’s better to get there late than to not get there at all.

12. Large vehicles on narrow roads: Narrow ‘side’ roads are frequently used as shortcuts by a number of drivers. However, the moment a large vehicle such as a bus, truck or even a car comes along, there is no way a second vehicle can go through.

And there you have it, the 12 worst driving habits of Sri Lankans. Which is the worst of them all? Tell us in the comments!

Disclaimer: The views shared in this blog are based on the macro economic conditions & industry status quo as per the time of publishing.

8 Ways to Drive in Wet Weather

December 16, 2014December 25, 2014HNB Assurance PLC1 Comment

December usually heralds the season of Christmas trees, families spending time together, numerous parties and last-minute dashes to buy presents. However, it also rains during this particular month. As a result, the roads in Sri Lanka become even more dangerous than they usually are. Nobody wants to get involved in a motor accident, so here are some tips to get to your destination safely.

1. Lights on… to a point: Using your lights allow drivers to increase visibility, and make you more visible to other motorists. Sometimes, you may need to use fog lights as per the situation. Use your best judgement, but please don’t put your lights too high, as it is a significant distraction to other drivers, and is a very dangerous thing to do as the driver may lose sight for a moment and lose control.

2. Pay attention: This means no phones or other distractions. Driving in Sri Lanka is hard enough, but with rain affected roads, the margin of error is even smaller. Make sure that you pay close attention to your surroundings and drive safe.

Image Credit: Bigotires

3. Slow and Steady: It’s normal that you want to get your destination quickly, but it’s always better to get there a little late than to not get there at all. On wet roads, make sure you put more braking distance as you need plenty of time to react to the slippery conditions. Besides, slow and steady always wins the race.

4. Use a light touch: Irrespective of whether you are making a turn, steering or hitting the brakes, make sure that you make controlled movements. If your driving is steady, your vehicle will also be steady.

5. To the Left, to the left: Since you’re driving slow (see Tip 3), move to far left and allow other vehicles to overtake you. Its annoying to have drivers who don’t know how to use lanes properly, much more so during slippery driving conditions.

hydroplaning, driving in floods, driving in rain, driving in wet weather — Image credit: Roaddriver

6. Beware of water: Seems obvious, but avoid water whenever you can. Driving through water can harm your engine and brakes. A good rule of thumb to observe: if the water level is higher than the bottom of your doors, don’t drive through. Worst case scenario, you may need to take another route, but that’s always better than having your vehicle get stuck as it pours outside.

7. Demist the front and back windscreen: It’s very simple, use your heater so that you have maximum visibility when you are on slippery roads.

8. If possible, leave more time for your journey: This will allow you to relax and drive slower, while allowing you to take account for potential traffic jams.

Any tips you would like to add to our list? Tell us in the comments section!

Disclaimer: The views shared in this blog are based on the macro economic conditions & industry status quo as per the time of publishing.

VIDEO: Amila Nadeeshani’s Automobile Accident

Video October 6, 2014January 6, 2015HNB Assurance PLC

The accident:

In my last post, I wrote about how we built trust via social media. Today, I’d like to show our latest Youtube video, which has already had over 17000 views (see below). In case you haven’t heard, Sri Lankan actress/singer/entrepreneur Amila Nadeeshani met with an ‘accident’ two weeks ago. Fortunately, she is covered by HNB Assurance.

Positive engagement: From crash to claim settlement

As an organization known for its positive engagement with its customers, we made this video to illustrate how policyholders of HNB Assurance (represented by Ms. Nadeeshani) can breathe easy after a road accident. Look at our employees in the video: the staff member at the call center, the assessor and the garage mechanic. We make dealing with a road accident- from crash to claim settlement, a hassle free experience.

‘What kind of advertising is this?’

This is NOT conventional advertising. These are new methods used by individuals and organizations to raise brand awareness. Think of videos which have gone viral: Gangam Style by PSY, ‘First Kiss’ by clothing company Wren, the ALS Ice Bucket Challenge, Emma Watson’s UN speech and ‘Happy’ by Pharell Williams, which has led to countless spinoffs such as the one by MAS Linea Aqua. These videos are the future.

So sit back, relax and shake away your Monday blues. This is the first of many videos we are already conjuring. If you like it, do us a favour and leave a comment, or share this among your friends- especially those who would enjoy watching this!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=328GlTN5tUU

Update: As of Jan 2nd, the number of views has risen to 29000. Thanks for your views!

Disclaimer: The views shared in this blog are based on the macro economic conditions & industry status quo as per the time of publishing.

Vehicle Safety Checklist: These 8 Features Could Save Your Life

September 24, 2014January 13, 2015HNB Assurance PLCLeave a comment

Whether you are buying your first vehicle or deciding to upgrade to a newer model, it is imperative to look into safety. Considering that there are a high number of road accidents in Sri Lanka it becomes necessary to look at safety features as much as the model, fuel efficiency, top speed, engine etc. Here is a review of the safety features you should look into: after all, it could save your life.

1) Seatbelts: These have been around for a long time and offer good protection during crashes. Some vehicles provide additional features such as extenders and pretensions, which provide passengers a safe position without compromising on comfort. Worn properly, these ensure that the passengers are inside the vehicle at all times and minimise the risk of individuals injuring themselves on the windshield, steering wheel or dashboard.

2) Parking Assistance: Parking can be an absolute nightmare, as drivers have to constantly keep looking over their shoulder. With intelligent parking assistance, drivers can use the sensors, cameras and steering angle to their advantage. Keep it mind though, it is still an aid, and unless you have a vehicle which self parks, you still need to learn how to park your own vehicle!

3) Airbags: These have been a standard feature for most vehicles since the late 1990’s. Sensors detect a collision and trigger the deployment of the bags, which inflate in the blink of an eye. These bags ensure that passengers and drivers minimise head injury. However, young children (under 13) must never be in the front seat as the air bags have the capacity to severely injure children and those who do not wear seatbelts. In the mid/late 2000’s, side air bags were introduced as they offer additional protection to the passengers’ head and torso in the event of a side-on collision.

4) Sideview Assist: The sensors in your vehicle make it helpful to locate another vehicle in your blind spot and inform you via a beep or a light if there is a possibility of a collision. This technology is especially useful when a driver wishes to change into another lane but cannot see another vehicle as it in his/her blind spot.

5) Anti Lock Brakes: These are a Godsend as they are designed to prevent the wheels from locking, thereby preventing your automobile from skidding. This is done by applying pressure quickly as the driver hits the brakes. This translates into a shorter stopping distance on wet roads, which is useful during the rainy season. All this enables the driver to control his/her vehicle, which can help reduce accidents.

6) Tyre pressure monitor: As we have mentioned earlier, ignoring tyre pressure can wear down your tyres and cause a blowout. In Sri Lanka, due to the heat and humidity, the tyres lose air faster. The type of tyre pressure monitors vary as they can measure your tyre pressure directly, or estimate the air lost via the use of sensors. Nonetheless, its always best to check your tyre pressure manually the next time you go to a petrol station, just in case.

7) Electronic Stability Control: The Electronic Stability Control, aka ESC is a safety system which can ‘feel’ when the vehicle starts to lose control and takes over by applying the brakes in order to get the vehicle back on track. This is especially useful for drivers who drive on wet, slippery roads or end up driving for long hours at a time.8) Head restraint: A lot of individuals believe that these are simply used as a headrest. However, they are designed in order to restrict head movement if another vehicle collided with yours, especially in the rear. This allows for the reduction of neck and shoulder injuries for both passenger and driver. Ensure that the head restraint can be locked into position: it must be as close to the back of your head and as high as your eyes. If you share a vehicle, ensure that your head restraint is fit to suit your head in order to minimize injury.

Got more safety features we’ve missed? Tell us in the comments, and subscribe for more articles!

Disclaimer: The views shared in this blog are based on the macro economic conditions & industry status quo as per the time of publishing.

Potholes.

How do I avoid potholes?

I tried everything, but I ended up hitting a pothole! Should I be worried?

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