Understanding Motorcycle Insurance

By:   Andrew S. Prince, Esq.

1-(800)-TEAM-LAW (832-6529)

If you do not have maximum motorcycle insurance coverage, you risk greatly leaving your body unprotected.   You need enough motorcycle insurance so that if you are badly injured in an accident and the other driver does not have insurance, or has minimum insurance, you will be sufficiently covered.

Most people believe that they have a full coverage policy and that this is sufficient to protect them.   They are mistaken.

To ensure you know the facts and have truly sufficient motorcycle insurance, below are brief descriptions of the major categories of motorcycle insurance coverage.   You should better understand:

BODILY INJURY LIABILITY COVERAGE

Pays for claims and lawsuits by people who are injured as a result of an accident you cause.   It compensates others for pain, suffering and economic damages, such as lost wages.

PROPERTY DAMAGE LIABILITY COVERAGE

For claims and lawsuits by people whose property is damaged as a result of an accident you cause.

COLLISION COVERAGE

Covers repairs to your motorcycle, whether you are at fault or not.

COMPREHENSIVE COVERAGE

Covers your motorcycle and its parts if damage is caused by theft, vandalism, flood or fire.

UNINSURED MOTORIST COVERAGE

The most important coverage.   Pays you for property damage or bodily injury if you are in an automobile accident caused by an uninsured motorist.

UNDERINSURED MOTORIST COVERAGE

The most important coverage.   Pays you for property damage or bodily injury if you are in an accident caused by a driver who is not uninsured, but who has less coverage than your underinsured motorist coverage.   (Covers you if you are injured by another person who has insufficient insurance to fully compensate you.)

Most people do not carry enough uninsured and underinsurance on their vehicles.   Maximum insurance in these areas is vitally important for motorcycles where injuries from accidents are usually very serious, medical bills can be staggering and lost wages may be high.   To protect yourself against a negligent driver who does not have enough insurance to compensate you if you are injured, you must carry maximum underinsured motorist coverage (UIM) to cover the gap.   If a negligent operator does not have enough insurance to cover the losses of a person he has injured, the operator is considered to be underinsured.   The purpose of carrying underinsured coverage for oneself is to provide you with coverage over and above the inadequate coverage the negligent driver carries.   UIM coverage will provide you with compensation that the negligent driver’s policy does not.   I recommend that you carry maximum uninsured/underinsured motorist coverage of up to $500,000.00.   Yes, Progressive offers up to $500,000.00 uninsured/underinsured motorist benefits for your motorcycle.

The only way to be sure you and your loved ones are fully protected is to buy maximum UM/UIM coverage on your vehicles.

Here is one terrible real life example showing the need for adequate underinsured (UIM) motorist coverage.   A rider was severely injured in a head-on collision.   The defendant (negligent operator) had the minimum $15,000.00 liability insurance coverage allowed by law.   He had no job and no assets.   The injured party had $500,000.00 of liability insurance to cover someone he might injure, yet he carried only $35,000.00 of uninsured (UM) and underinsured (UIM) coverage to cover damages by someone who might injure him and did not have enough insurance to cover the losses.   As a result, he will only collect an additional total of $35,000.00 from his UIM coverage.

In many motorcycle cases the only coverage for medical expenses will be your own health insurance and if you do not have any, you are personally liable for all of your medical bills.   Unless you are covered by New Jersey State Disability or a private disability plan, you may not have the income you require to pay your bills.   It is important that you review these insurance coverages before riding a motorcycle.   After you are in an accident, it is simply too late.   Your only recourse at that point will be to include the claim for medical bills and lost income in the lawsuit for the physical injuries sustained in the accident.   While you may eventually get these monies back, it will not help you in the short term when you need these monies to pay your bills.

Motorcycle insurance information is a lot more complex to digest than car insurance.   Protect yourself with the maximum motorcycle insurance today.   Do not assume that the other drivers’ insurance will cover the damages resulting from an accident.   Need advice?   Call me before it is too late.   It is always a free consultation.

For more motorcycle insurance information, call me at 1-(800)-TEAM-LAW or

MotorcycleinjuryNJ.com

Andrew S. Prince, Esq.

TEAM-LAW

136 Central Avenue

Clark, NJ 07066

(732) 388-5454

1 (800) 832-6529

(732) 388-8711 — Fax

Aprince@teamlaw.com

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