Motorcycle Insurance Articles
Why Motorcycle Insurance Has Higher Personal Injury Premiums
2010-06-01
Driving a motorcycle can be a freeing and exhilarating experience. For that reason, many motorcycle enthusiasts take great pride in their bikes, keeping them immaculately maintained until summer comes once again, ready to take them out of the garage for a spin around the block or a trip to the campground. Unfortunately, the very same factors that make a motorcycle trip so exhilarating are what can make it so dangerous. Without the enclosure of a truck, car or SUV, cyclists are at far greater risk for injury in even a minor collision, and what may bruise a car driver can permanently cripple a motorcycle rider. For this reason, having excellent personal injury insurance is essential for all riders, but they can expect to pay significantly more for it than those who ride in enclosed autos.
This is one of the main reasons that motorcycle insurance premiums are more costly than auto insurance premiums - the possibility of injury is significantly higher. This, in turn, means that the amount of personal liability insurance purchased by a bike owner must be a much larger amount than that purchased by a truck or car owner. In some cases, motorcycle policies will simply come with higher personal injury coverage, regardless of the preference of the policyholder. These higher amounts of personal injury insurance, which covers all injuries suffered by the policy holder up to a set amount, result in a higher monthly premium for motorcycle riders.
Combined with the fact that insurance companies consider all riders to be higher risk than car drivers, due to the higher likelihood that a claim will be filed and a payout made, motorcycle riders can expect to pay a monthly premium that is double or more what their friends and family who choose to drive automobiles can expect to pay. While this can seem unfair at first blush, a look at the dangers involved in motorcycling will soon show that these higher levels of coverage are necessary. Often, motorcycles are struck on urban roadways because of poor weather conditions, aggressive driving habits, or because car drivers simply do not see the motorcycle until it is too late. A front-end collision in a car will result in the engine taking the brunt of the force, and the driver could end up with bruises due to the air bag going off. A front-end collision on a bike can mean a popped tire, a rider thrown clear, and broken bones if not more permanent and debilitating injury.
While higher motorcycle insurance premiums are a burden that must be borne by riders, they are in place for a number of reasons, most notably that more personal injury coverage is necessary to protect motorcycle owners.