Ins and Outs of Underinsured and Uninsured Motorcycle Insurance

You may want to add to your insurance coverage in case of an accident caused by an underinsured or uninsured motorist. Many states have laws that require either underinsured or uninsured motorist coverage. But if you live in a state without such requirements and drive a motorcycle, you may want to boost your coverage.

Before you decide, it pays to understand what underinsured and uninsured motorist coverage means to make the best-informed decision.

What Does Uninsured Insurance Cover on a Motorcycle?

This is added coverage to your motorcycle insurance. It provides additional protection if you are in an accident where the other driver lacks sufficient insurance to cover the damage and injuries you suffer properly.

For example, the other driver is at-fault and causes damage to your motorcycle and/or injures you and your passenger. But their insurance coverage may not cover all the damages or medical bills you and your passenger may suffer. That is called underinsured, which means that the at-fault driver becomes responsible for the rest of the payments.

But what if they do not have the money to cover the damages or medical bills?

If that is the case, getting the additional money from them may be next to impossible. That is why underinsured motorcycle coverage is needed. This will ensure that you receive all the money to pay for bills directly associated with the accident.

What is Uninsured Motorist Coverage?

The differences between the underinsured and uninsured may seem slight on the surface. Underinsured assumes that the at-fault driver’s insurance covers at least part of the damage to your motorcycle and medical bills. While uninsured means your insurance company will cover all the bills if the other driver is not insured.

As with underinsured, you may have options that cover damages to your motorcycle, bodily injury, property damage, or any combination of all three.

Damages to your motorcycle are those directly caused by accidents. This is normally damage caused by the collision, from the road, ground, or other objects the motorcycle collided with because of the accident.

Bodily injury covers your medical expenses received in the accident. At the same time, property damage covers any damage to property as a direct result of the accident apart from your motorcycle – for example, damage to a yard, objects, or other items.

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Depending on the state in which you live, either underinsured or uninsured or both may be requirements. In other words, to drive on the streets in your state, you must have uninsured motorist coverage and perhaps be underinsured. Uninsured coverage is a common requirement, especially when linked with liability insurance.

Underinsured is not as common a requirement, but you must check with the laws governing your state about what is required.

Why is it a Good Idea to Purchase Uninsured and Underinsured Motorist Coverage?

While uninsured motorist coverage for your vehicle or motorcycle is most often required, underinsured is generally not. However, it usually is good to purchase underinsured motorist coverage for your bike. The reasons why include the following.

Coverage

The Insurance Research Council published a report that cited that one out of eight drivers were uninsured in 2015. That number may not have significantly risen since that time. This means you stand a one in eight chance of being in an accident where the other driver does not have insurance coverage. Keep in mind that the statistics from state to state vary considerably, as the report cites.

If you do not have uninsured motorist coverage, you may be stuck with the repair and medical expenses bill even if the other driver was at fault. You can always sue the other driver, but even if you win a quick victory in court, the other driver may not have the finances necessary to cover the repairs and medical bills.

Low Cost

Quite often, adding underinsured motorist coverage to your motorcycle insurance is relatively inexpensive compared to the benefits that it provides. There are no published averages of what you may have to pay, as that depends on several factors. However, such coverage can be combined with your uninsured motorist coverage.

The benefits can be striking, starting with covering potentially thousands of dollars in damage and medical expenses. This will depend on the type of coverage available in your state.

Payments

While uninsured motorist coverage is a requirement in most states for vehicles and motorcycles, underinsured is generally not, which is why it is overlooked. As with some things, you do not know if you need it until it happens.

With so many people only paying for the state minimum requirements, you may require payments for repairs and medical bills that well exceed that amount. Underinsured motorist coverage ensures that you get the payment coverage needed without initiating legal action against the at-fault driver.

State Requirement

States will often change their insurance laws and often without wide notice. While most insurance companies will add such coverage if required, your policy may slip through the cracks. It pays to keep up with any mandatory insurance coverage changes for your vehicle and motorcycle.

Note that:

There are few if any, cons to getting either underinsured or uninsured. The only downside will be if your budget is so tight that adding underinsured coverage is simply too much for you to pay.

Is It Worth Getting Uninsured Motorist Coverage?

Given its relatively small cost, it is definitely worth paying for underinsured motorist coverage. This is especially true for motorcycle drivers, and getting the coverage applied to medical bills tends to be the most expensive.

You will need to assess your current insurance coverage. Adding that to your policy is highly recommended if you lack uninsured motorist coverage. However, it is most likely a state requirement. As for underinsured motorist coverage, you will need to assess the value of your motorcycle, any medical coverage that might cover injuries received in an accident, and if your current insurance has property damage as part of the coverage.