Motorcycle Insurance: A Must Even If It Wasn’t Required By Law

With no structural protection, a very low visibility profile, and travel patterns that may seem slightly erratic to the vast majority of motorists, bikers on the roadways can be at an extremely high risk of accident. Having current motorcycle insurance in sufficient amounts is a legal requirement in most places, but more than that, it may be the only thing preventing bankruptcy for the unfortunate accident victim.

You might think that you could only be injured in a crash at reasonably high speeds. Just as it is possible to drown in a bowl of cereal, break your neck falling off a chair, or knock out a tooth simply by biting into an apple, wrecks which occur at comparatively low speeds can be highly injurious or even fatal.

Obviously, liability and theft coverage are not going to magically protect bones in a collision. No piece of paper could provide protection to you or anyone else in the real world. With the remarkably high cost of any sort of hospital treatment, however, that bit of paper may very well save its owner thousands upon thousands of dollars in medical expenses.

And what about theft? Bikes are small enough to be stolen by simply loading them into the back of a truck or van. It would take a few strong people to do it, but lifting a three to six hundred pound machine is quite possible for people who are sufficiently motivated. While it is true that the price of a new bike is usually considerably less than that of a car, even a few thousand dollars is way too much to have to pay just to replace something that someone decided to steal from you.

Coverage for bikes may not be as expensive as similar automobile policies. It is always a good idea to shop around, compare rates, and see who offers the best combination of price and coverage. Many insurance companies offer multiple policy discounts for customers who already have their cars or homes insured through them. Asking their current provider for information about adding a new vehicle, specifically a bike, to the contract is something many people decide is right for them.

Liability insurance tends to be less expensive for motorcycles, simply because they do less damage to others because they’re smaller than cars. For one thing, a rider who knows what they are doing is able to anticipate situations before they occur. Driving more slowly, especially during bad weather and other problem road conditions can allow you a little extra time to react and compensate. It’s always preferable to avoid an accident than to deal with it afterwards.

As is the case with nearly all other form of coverage, the amount of time an applicant has been engaged in the activity to be insured without any reported incidents, the more confident the guarantor will be that the backing is a safe investment. The reward for having a clean record and not submitting a claim over years of driving is lower insurance premiums. The financial benefit alone is enough to improve your driving skills.

No insurance offered by any company can save your life or the life of others in the event of an accident. It can’t even prevent property damage. Insurance can help with the financial pain of an accident by paying for medical expenses and the repair or replacement of vehicles. Not to mention the fact that it will be one of the first things a police officer asks to see if he or she decides to perform a traffic stop.