Worst Types Of Drivers On The Roads!

If you’ve braved Indian roads, you’re pretty much set for any adventure sport – even without the right kind of gear and training. Trust us, we’re right on this one. Regardless of whether you are a biker or ride a four wheeler, or rely on public transport, or even walk it, you’ve been a part of some kind of superior gymnastics to get from point to point without and showing up in one piece. We’ve identified ten kinds of culprits that make this crazy experience what it is.

1. The first timers: Usually identified as youngsters, these drivers are first timers in the world of driving. They listen to loud music, accessorise their cars in ways that might give the word “bling” a run for its money, and speed about recklessly. They will be spotted stopping at random places to shoot selfies.
2. Seasoned veterans: With all due respect, seniors behind the wheel can be a handful, too. Speed isn’t their friend, and nor are youngsters on the road. In many instances, they still find themselves holding onto the rules that were around many centuries ago and driving so slowly that they go backwards.
3. Drive the talk: Forget walk the talk. This school of drivers are firm believers in their talents at multi-tasking, while the rest of the world might vouch for the lack of these very talents. The use of the cell phone to keep talking is a dangerous, dangerous thing to do – but these people don’t care!
4. The Texter: You read that right. A fast evolving breed of drivers, this crowd will respond to text messages even while cruising on the road. These are, actually, the worst of the lot, because in the time they take to look at their phones to read or respond to a text message, they take their eyes OFF THE ROAD.
5. Signals don’t matter to me: This is your typical rule-breaker. They couldn’t care less about jumping signals. They’ll show up from anywhere, hurtling at the speed of a meteor.
6. OMG-Aiii-Love-Schumacher-Wonly: You can’t get through to these people. Not even if you tried standing upside down. For them, every road – no matter if it is a kuppam or a jhopad-patti – is always, ALWAYS a race track. They drive like Sebastian Vettel and Michael Schumacher are flanking their cars.
7. The abuser: This one is real entertainer. No matter what happens – say, a lazy bull walks by on a busy road, a cyclist slams the brakes too late, a grumpy driver on a bike knocks the wind out of the side-view mirror – you’ll find the choicest abuses flowing from these drivers’ mouths.
8. The eater driver: While it is wholly possible that many of us may qualify for this, seeing as how food is a priority for many, this set of drivers simply must eat while driving.
9. The diva: For this set of drivers, looking good comes first. From their hair to their mascara and lipstick, to their shades and earrings, everything must be in top shape. Half the time is spent admiring oneself in the mirror, and the other half of the time is spent making oneself ready for the mirror.
10. I’m not too drive to drunk! Okay. Correction. THIS is the worst of the lot. There are some that are incredibly confident about being fully capable of handling their alcohol. But, instead, they wind up becoming one of the major factors for road accidents.

Safe Driving In The Monsoon

It’s raining cats and dogs, and commuting can be a pain. Right from the wet roads to the issues with visibility, there are a lot of things that you should be focusing on while on the road during the monsoons. Here are a couple of things that should top your priorities this monsoon:

• Stay dry: This might seem obvious, but it is valuable. This is especially important for people who ride cycles and motorcycles. Carrying a good raincoat and comfortable headgear with appropriate tools to ensure visibility is extremely important.
• Avoid speeding at any cost. When roads are wet, they become all the more slippery – and it is worsened if there is any petrol or oil on the road, which can lead to a bigger issue. Avoid speeding, and maintain a consistent speed limit, between 3- to 45 km / hr, to ensure that you are safe.
• Keep a good distance around you. While riding or driving out in the monsoons or during the rain, one of the biggest issues is that of visibility. It is unclear as to who stands before you or behind you, and the loss of traction makes the vehicle vulnerable to banging into a vehicle in front.
• While applying the brakes, always be gentle. It is also important that your brakes be in functional order before the monsoons – fill it with brake fluid if necessary.
• Avoid water logged areas: Given that flooding and water logging often can damage your engine, whether a car or a bike, it is important that these roads be avoided. It is also a danger that waterlogged roads may have open potholes that you may wind up driving past and getting stuck in, without realising it.
• Keep the headlights on. Given that visibility is an issue during the monsoons, keeping the headlights on will not only help you look at what’s ahead easily, but will also help you ensure that you are visible to people from the other side.
• Always keep to the center of the road instead of the sides, because it makes you less vulnerable to changes in the traffic on the road. Make it a point to follow the vehicle in front of you.
• Avoid driving on mud roads, because monsoons make mud roads murky and your vehicle can get stuck in the tracks easily.
• Avoid driving close to trees and heavy equipment like hoardings, barricades and other large fixtures. Lightning can make them collapse, and it is important to ensure that you aren’t harmed or electrocuted.

Car Buying Tips

Whether it’s your first car or your tenth, you can never benefit enough from advice to help make your purchase decisions. For the simple common man, buying a car is a rational choice to get from one place to the next, and to fit the family within safely and comfortably, and in many instances, at a low cost. Investing in a car is not a linear decision – it involves a fairly considerable thinking process that centres around the core goal of fulfilling the basic needs and expectations from owning a car. Here are a couple of things you should keep in mind when you’re buying a car.

Understand the kinds of cars there are
Cars come in different kinds, sizes and models to suit your utility needs. To start with, get your basics right. A convertible is good on the aesthetics, but not so much on the functionality, unless you have small children whose safety is better guaranteed with two doors rather than four. A sedan is a good idea if you have a small family with young children, so your kids can climb into the vehicle with ease. Hatchbacks come with a comfortable space in the seating space of the car, with the comfort of a wagon like structure at the back – which works great if you’re a larger family and like to go on long trips with your luggage in tow. Station wagons and mini vans work if you’re plying a large family around, or a large amount of cargo – it isn’t exactly the kind of vehicle a family usually goes in for.

Safety is as safety does
The right car size really depends on your own needs. While there is a common belief that larger vehicles are safer than smaller ones, it is really a misconception to say that. The key point here is to ensure that safety is a valuable factor in your purchase decision. You need to understand the engineering of the vehicle, its ability to respond to crashes and accidents, and the sturdiness of the body to help choose a durable car for your every need.

Size wise
If you are a small family, and would like to keep your savings in order at first, a small car is not a bad idea at all. Go in for a big car when you know that your needs and affordability have risen in a suitable proportion. You also need to consider parking-related concerns wherever your vehicle goes: at home, at work, outside school and wherever it is that you will be running errands to. If your vehicle is likely to find a smaller parking spot, you’d be wiser indulging in a smaller vehicle. One point to remember is that a car maybe small in structure, but on the inside, it needn’t be. You have plenty of cars in the market that come with spacious interiors packed within a light and small frame of a vehicle.

Take your surroundings into consideration
There are a lot of factors around where you live that can account for the kind of vehicle you should invest in. In a place that is hilly, or has rugged terrain, you’ll be doing a wise thing in investing in a heavier vehicle that has the capacity to handle rugged terrain. For a more urban lifestyle, a lighter vehicle works well. If you are in a place that is seasonal, invest in a car that will help you adapt to each season – such as through winter tires for snowy and wet terrain, skid free tyres for rainy terrain and the like.

Budgetary considerations
Owning and maintaining a car is not child’s play, and can be demanding in terms of the amount of money one is expected to plough into the car on a near-daily basis. To this end, low maintenance and diesel cars work like a charm if you know that you’re on a shoestring budget or thereabouts. But if you can afford to set aside a decent amount of money each month for your transportation needs, indulging in a middle-to-high maintenance car is a viable option.

Using Credit Wisely – How to Track Repayment Obligations

Why is it important to spend within your means and track repayment obligations closely?

Credit is an activity widely used and well understood by all sections of society. The neighborhood store-keeper is glad to defer your payment since he is familiar with your residential and personal habits. (Note – do not try in organized chains, where credit cards work better; this is best suited for mom & pop stores!) . Electricity and telephone suppliers provide you with a month of free utilization in-between billing cycles. A cab-service or a restaurant measures you at the time of entry – they have their collection methods clear, if you don’t pay up at the end of the activity!!

Put simply, credit in the financial world, is nothing but an extension of the above into a structured format.

1. You identify an asset or a need that is urgent
2. The capital cost of the same is beyond your current budget
3. To bridge the same, you consider financing options

Once you have narrowed the best option, the doubts start coming up

1. Should I borrow at all? Yes. You deserve it. No – unless you are already over borrowed.
2. Have I borrowed too much? Not if your existing repayment obligations are within 50% of your net monthly earnings.
3. What if I am unable to repay on time – this is usually a sign of impending trouble. It is best to take a hand-loan from a friend, parent or relative and meet the outside lender’s obligations. Sometimes lenders offer skip-payment if a locality is affected by a calamity (or) an individual faces unforeseen emergency.
4. Will lenders take me to court if I don’t repay. Yes, they would. However this itself is only a headache compared to the larger problem. Your future borrowing would be hamstrung by this blot. This is because, post 2000 all lenders participate in credit bureaus. By law, every lender needs to submit details of all loans granted (including periodic repayments) to at least one bureau. Since all details of your monthly repayment behavior are fed into an analytical system, your credit history is visible to the organized lending community.
5. What if I repay all obligations on time? As with many things, the rewards for punctuality and obedience come in surely but a little later, once you complete 6-12 months of good repayment. Your existing lender could offer you an interest or tenure break. Other lenders could offer higher loan amounts. In short giving you better financial flexibility.

Equally, a spotty credit history considerably reduces your chances of future borrowing.

In a nutshell, borrowing is an excellent tool – be it for student loans, first automobile or wowing an identified life partner. It is a bad idea if you are not serious about the partnership and its purpose – be it university, a vehicle or life’s journey itself. Commitment to timely honoring of obligations is valuable anytime, anywhere across time and situation. In the world of financial credit, the positive and negative effects are visible, starkly & promptly. A nice approach would be to bite this in small chunks – borrow progressively larger amounts up on settlement of a prior loan.

The Author, Kalyanaraman M, is the Chief Operations Officer of TVS Credit Services

Bike Safety Tips For Beginners

Two-wheelers are exceptionally useful on the road. Right from the ease in navigation in traffic-filled roads to the ease of available parking slots as opposed to the situation for cars, there are plenty of benefits to riding two-wheelers. As much as there are benefits, there are also cautionary factors to keep in mind. Given the speed and agility of the vehicle as it exists, there is the regularly looming threat of accidents, maintenance needs and even safety while navigating on the road for your own well-being. With all of these things in mind, here are ten things for first time bikers to take in their stride for a comfortable ride!

1. Invest in a bike that you can handle. The performance of a bike is something that plays a very important role in the way you navigate the roads. Today’s bikes are a lot speedier and a lot more powerful with their small-displacement engines, so be fully aware of the kind of vehicle you will be investing in.
2. Always make sure to use a bike that fits you. Sit on the bike you intend to buy. Make sure that your feet rest flat on the ground and that you are not on tiptoes. Your hands should be able to reach the handlebars and all the controls easily. You should be able to get on and get off easily, on the centre stand. It shouldn’t feel too heavy, and too light.
3. Antilock brakes are the thing to have. They are tremendously useful tools in preventing fatal accidents and keep you safe on the roads. By locking up a brake, the rider loses control – so antilock brakes help buoy a bike and keep it afloat.
4. Practice and ride often. Bike riding is really not a textbook study subject. You need to be out there on the roads to get your game in order.
5. Never bike without a helmet. True, there is some fun in dare-devilry. But it really helps nothing if you’re out on the streets, cruising at top speed without a helmet. Your head is precious, and it needs protection. Many different studies have reported that riders without a helmet are 40% more likely to suffer a fatal head injury in a crash than those with helmets.
6. Dress comfortably when you’re on a bike. Don’t use heavy clothing and open shoes. Use a good leather jacket, a pair of full pants and over-the-ankle footwear, along with a comfortable pair of eyeglasses that can help keep dust at bay.
7. Understand your routes well. Bike rides can be pleasant if you know where you’re going and how to get there, and how to make those roads work for you. Riding over roads that are precarious by their very nature is ill-advised.
8. Always make sure that you keep your bike clean. Dust, dirt, water and even little rodents can make your bike completely incapable of proper use. Make sure to treat your bike with the care and love it most needs.
9. Don’t ride during bad weather unless it is absolutely necessary, or you have the confidence of practice. Riding in the rain is a dangerous thing to do – what with slippery roads, sudden manoeuvres and even potholes aplenty.
10. Never presume skills, knowledge or even a sense of direction on behalf of others around you on the roads. Make sure to create a sufficient leeway to overcome any uncertainties – avoid that sudden swerve or that sudden braking, by understanding that your fellow roadsters may not be up on their game

The 3 pillars of a Financial Plan

Protection is an umbrella – inconvenient to carry around, but handy during any sudden or intense shower. Protection is a moat – it surrounds you as a shield from enemies, whether visible or not.

Enter the world of Insurance – there is something for your every need. Be it life, health, wealth or something more customized. By law, motor vehicles are always purchased with insurance – considering the mobile nature of the asset, this gives a cover from accidents to those involved in the same. Should God have made a law to compulsorily issue life covers for all human beings? How much preservation and protection do we give to our bodies? Leaving aside insurance, that is.

To summarize, you protect what is most important to you – and an insurance policy provides just that kind of protection to handle specified eventualities.

Savings are what you put away for a goal, be it short term or long term; For example, that annual holiday, or an exclusive spa treatment or even a gift for a loved one. In today’s day and age, it could even be an expensive wear-able that’s beyond your present budget. Making savings a habit is as important as earning your first paycheck. An interesting tidbit is about how Indians are one of the highest savers in the world. Buying gold is still viewed as a saving by many communities. Bottom-line, spending within your means is the Old Aunt’s advice. Saving for a specific goal or purchase is the Agony-Aunt’s mantra.

Remember the piggy bank from childhood? Once you grew up, the coins changed to notes – higher value, lower noise!

Savings come in handy during rainy days as well – for example, when a planned expenditure goes slightly beyond budget, or that portion of an emergency expense, that wasn’t covered by insurance.

Growth primarily comes out of investment – by borrowing to finance growth, one experiences the higher power of growth. The most classic eventuality of the same is in mortgage – affordability is enhanced by borrowing to purchase the property. Assuming that the property value grows faster than the interest paid, the net difference adds to your bottom-line. Else, the borrowing does not yield a financial healthy asset. (From your perspective – never mind the base-case for other parties involved: buyer, seller, lender and manufacturer).

So make sure that all of these three aspects are covered in YOUR Financial Plan!

The Author, Kalyanaraman M, is the Chief Operations Officer of TVS Credit Services

10 Things To Keep In Mind While Buying A Second Hand Car

Very often, as is common in the Indian middle class, the first car one opts for is a second hand vehicle. More often than not, purchasing a second hand vehicle brings with it a whole lot of concerns – right from whether you’re paying an appropriate amount for a used car, to the functional utility of investing in a vehicle. You wouldn’t be gaining anything if your resources went into funding a vehicle that is faulty or simply doesn’t suit your needs. To help you through the big decision that it is, we’ve thought of ten things you should keep in mind whenever you’re up to buying a used car!

#10: It’s all about the Money, Honey!

Start with identifying how much a reasonable market rate is for a second hand car. This will help you plan your budget, and keep an eye out for any potential ripping off you might encounter. While there is no singular scale like first-hand cars have for their pricing, an estimate of the way the market prices second hand vehicles is always around. You can do your research online, or ask around with credible sources and make your notes.

#9: Study, study, study!

Used cars come to a second hand owner after, well, being used. It is important to understand what condition the car comes to you in. You can’t really get answers for these questions except if you ask the owner, so go equipped with all the right information: Are all the parts in working condition? What kind of service rounds did the car go through? Were there any issues in its functioning?

#8: Understand your needs

Once you figure out the cars that are available, take a moment to understand what your needs are. Look at the utility you have planned ahead of you, with the car. See what extent of use your car will be put to. With that in mind, compare your needs with what a given car can offer, and then consider making your decision. If you are looking for a vehicle that will help you commute to work every day, you’re getting nowhere if the vehicle sputters to a stop more often than you can manage!

#7: Look, Feel, Drive

Understandable, that a second hand car is not going to show miraculously in mint condition. But at the same time, you cannot afford to own a vehicle that looks like it has seen the back of beyond and borne meteor showers in its journey to the present. Make sure that the car is aesthetically acceptable to say the least, and also functionally aesthetic with all the parts working fully. Take it for a test drive, and experience what it feels like to be behind its wheels.

#6: The credibility of your seller counts!

So you’ve got to know about the car, you’ve understood that you need it for certain purposes. Great! It doesn’t stop there though. You need to know who you’re buying it from, and by know, we mean an ascertainment of their credibility. There are many occasions where naive and unassuming buyers have been taken for a ride by people who professionally deal in faulty second hand cars, to the point that the vehicles they sell are completely faulty and cannot be serviced.

#5: Ask, and it shall be given.

It is important to ensure that you go into purchasing a second hand car with all the information that you need. You cannot be walking into buying a car with grey areas so far as facts go. It is important to understand why the seller is selling the car, how long have they had the car, if it has ever been damaged, what condition it is in and if there are recurrent issues with the vehicle or not.

#4: Look for loans, mortgages and charges on the car

It is very important to understand that your prospective vehicle is being sold free of any encumbrances, whatsoever. There are scores of instances where a car may have originally been bought on hire purchase, and before the instalments due are discharged, may have been sold to unassuming buyers who have thence been forced to bear the burden of the payments due. Similarly, outstanding loans are also possible encumbrances on a car. Make sure to get your car free of any encumbrances whatsoever.

#3: Clean chits

The history of the prospective car is absolutely significant in any purchase decision. You need to make sure that it is not a stolen car, or one that is subject to the burden of a previous write-off. Make sure to look at the documentation chronicling the servicing of the vehicle.

#2: Check the car’s history

No matter how genuine the seller seems, you should check the history of the car to make sure it’s not stolen, encumbered by an outstanding loan, or even a previous write-off. The history of a car makes a big difference: you should be getting exactly what you’re being promised.

#1: Negotiating the price and arranging the paperwork

As a buyer, you have a right to negotiate the price for a second hand car. If there are obvious faults and flaws in the vehicle, work that might need doing, efforts and monetary expenditure that needs to be incurred to set the vehicle in order before it can be used, it is imperative that the seller account for these factors while calculating the price. Remember, you can’t pay him a price and then some, to set things in order.

Why is it Important to have a Financial Plan of your own

The more customised and monitored it is, the better. Of the many things that one takes for granted in Life, personal finance is one area that requires constant attention. Just as seeds, pupa and ideas need attentive nurturing to bloom into trees, butterflies and path-breakers respectively, so do the five siblings – Income, Expenditure, Saving, Insurance and Investments. After all, Rome did not grow in a day and neither will your own home. But it can grow and flourish over time, when finances are well planned and monitored. Financial Plans help in many ways

1. A Financial Plan gives wings to your dreams – by building financial security, you allot more and more spare time towards individual life passions
2. A Financial Plan makes sense of the various options available, and customises the myriad products according to what fits your universe. It is best to understand finance, in the way you want it to function for you.
3. A Financial Plan measures and monitors your individual assets and liabilities, across the various stages of life. Right from being a student, to an individual working professional to having a home, family and children, their education and finally your own retirement.
4. A Financial Plan constantly shows you that Finances, Financials and Financing are all means to an end and rarely the end itself.
5. A Financial Plan reassures you about what is actually enough for you, by classifying individual requirements into Needs, Wants and Luxuries. After all, you can do without the 2^nd, aspire for the 3^rd but cannot live without the first!!

In financial terms, we can break a plan into three pillars – Protect, Save and Grow. To be sure, it is best to trust yourself to make your own Financial Plan. Having made one, it is always wise to show it to an expert (or a Certified Financial Planner) before swinging into execution mode. By the law of probability, chances of an error come down drastically with each additional person reviewing it. It is of course wise to limit this to a maximum of two or three trusted persons since you don’t want to have private data passed around.