Motorcycle Insurance Articles
Issues Considered When Creating Motorcycle Insurance Quotes
2010-12-13
When motorcycle insurance quotes are created, bike owners might feel a little mystified. They often wonder how insurance companies decide on rates; how do they decide whether one rider is more or less likely to cause an accident than another; and why do motorcycle insurance quotes vary from one town to the next? Understanding a few of the issues that can affect your motorcycle insurance costs is absolutely essential when trying to keep your policy premiums to a reasonable level.
Motorcycle insurance companies will consider whatever information they can legally ask for, as long as it has some bearing on the motorcyclist's ability to operate a vehicle. This includes information about the driver's record and the bike itself. Most drivers are already aware of the major effect that their riding record can have on motorcycle insurance quotes. As one might imagine, information about traffic citations or accidents is particularly important when figuring motorcycle insurance quotes. Insurance providers realize that when a motorcyclist has been involved in one accident, the chances of a second accident occurring are relatively high, and this is backed up by insurance company actuarial tables which track how a rider's chances of a claim change with certain circumstances.
These same actuarial tables are also affected by the rider's choice of vehicle. Certain bikes have better safety ratings than others, and therefore are less likely to result in a major personal injury protection (PIP) claim. Other bikes are ridden recklessly more often than others, and insurance quotes for these vehicles reflect this fact. Even the location of the rider can be an issue. Different states have very different requirements for motorcycle insurance policy holders; some require comprehensive and liability coverages, for instance, while other "no-fault" states require PIP and other forms of motorcycle insurance. Crime rates and accident statistics are also affected by a rider's location. Riders who live in areas with a high number of claims will generally pay more, even if they have clean records and a long history of motorcycle use to show to an insurance company.
The best way to control the issues that affect your motorcycle insurance quotes is to stay on top of you policy's premiums and make sure that you aren't being overcharged. Look online for motorcycle insurance quotes on a regular basis, at least twice a year or so. If you find a policy that costs a great deal less than your current motorcycle insurance policy, use it to get a lower rate. A lower quote can be a powerful negotiation tool, even when insurance providers point to some of the issues that may have caused your insurance rates to rise.