Motorcycle Insurance Articles
Understanding Why Motorcycle Insurance Costs More Than Standard Auto Insurance
2011-04-07
Many times, individuals looking to insure a motorcycle find themselves staring at their motorcycle insurance quote in shock, wondering how it could possibly cost so much more than their automobile insurance. Motorcycles are generally cheaper than automobiles, they reason, and so they should be cheaper to ensure. What these individuals are failing to take into account, however, is the increased danger level that motorcycle ownership brings with it. Indeed, motorcycle insurance costs more than automobile insurance because it is more likely that an individual will need to use it.
Motorcycles do not have seatbelts like cars do. For this reason, even the smallest collision is likely to result in injury to the rider. Additionally, motorcycles are more damage prone than cars are, in the event of an accident. A collision that would leave a car with just minor damage can render a motorcycle completely inoperable. This is reflected in a motorcycle insurance quote.
Cars also have opportunities for insurance discounts that motorcycles are not privy to. For instance, insuring student drivers or multiple cars brings discounts to a consumer, as does the presence of airbags in a vehicle. These discounts do not apply to motorcycles, which is another reason why motorcycle insurance costs more.
Many states in the U.S.A. require car insurance companies to offer no fault insurance to their customers, which cover the costs of any accident regardless of who caused it. This serves to protect the consumers from high medical fees and ensures that they feel safe when operating a motor vehicle. Because so many motorcycle collisions end in serious injuries and even death, motorcyclists are almost never able to purchase this policy for their vehicles, which means an accident could end up costing them an excessive amount of money. Motorcycle operators can purchase a full coverage policy for their motorcycles, which offers similar benefits to a no fault policy, but these tend to cost more than a no fault policy.
The type of motorcycle that an individual rides will also have an effect on their motorcycle insurance quote. Because a sports motorcycle is much faster than a smaller motorbike, and exponentially more dangerous to operate, this type of motorcycle insurance costs much more than it would for the smaller vehicle. In fact, a sports motorcycle can end up costing a consumer up to five times as much as a smaller bike would.
Before deciding to purchase a motorcycle, consumers need to be aware that motorcycle insurance costs more than automobile insurance. A high motorcycle insurance quote reflects the higher level of danger that both motorcyclists and their vehicles will face. Additionally, the faster and more dangerous the motorcycle, the more it will cost to insure.