Share This Page
Share Pin It Email Print

Bodily Injury Liability Insurance For Motorcycles

Motorcycle Bodily Injury Liability Insurance

Liability insurance is the type of motorcycle insurance coverage most often legally required by states. This type of insurance helps ensure that you are able to pay for any damages or injuries to others you are responsible for in the event that you cause a crash.

Bodily injury coverage is the coverage under your liability insurance policy that covers injuries suffered by others. Read more to learn about motorcycle bodily injury coverage.

What Is Bodily Injury Coverage?

This form of motorcycle insurance (or motorbike insurance) covers medical expenses caused to other parties after a motorcycle-related accident. This includes injuries sustained by passengers.

Note that liability bodily injury coverage does not pay for your personal injury medical expenses; that's the job of medical payments coverage.

What Are Common Types of Bodily Injury Expenses?

Bodily liability coverage pays for a wide array of accident-related expenses, including:

  • Doctor's visits.
  • Hospital stays.
  • Prescription medications.
  • Physical therapy.
  • Home healthcare.
  • Lost work wages.
  • Funeral costs.

This insurance can also pay your legal fees if you're sued for damages as the result of an accident.

How Much Motorcycle Bodily Injury Coverage Do You Need?

There isn't a single answer to this question. Consider that most motorcycle insurance companies will factor in the following to help determine your rates:

  • Your driving history.
  • Your credit history (some states prohibit the use of credit history as an insurance rating factor).
  • Your marital status.
  • Your:
    • Age.
    • Gender.
  • Your bike's make and model.

You'll first need to meet your state's minimum bodily injury insurance requirements. This is usually part of the financial responsibility law pertaining to vehicle owners featured by each state. Many states give the option of not carrying insurance by using an alternate method of proving financial responsibility, such as posting a bond with the state. For most motorcyclists, taking out a motorcycle liability policy is the easiest route for compliance.

However, most states only require a modest amount of insurance coverage that won't give adequate financial protection in a severe accident. That's why so many financial professionals advise having much more insurance than the minimum amounts mandated by the states. Ignoring this advice could put you in financial peril for years and leave you vulnerable to expensive lawsuits.

To determine the proper amount for yourself, it's best to consult with an insurance agent or another qualified financial professional. Also, keep in mind that liability insurance becomes cheaper as you elect higher amounts of protection, in the same way that buying in bulk can mean cheaper prices per product but higher costs overall.

Where Can You Purchase Motorcycle Insurance?

Because liability insurance is the most commonly required type of motorcycle insurance, you will find that most motorcycle insurance companies offer liability insurance, including bodily injury and property damage. Considering this, you should comparison shop to find insurance providers with the most affordable bodily injury insurance rates and the most appealing coverages. By being savvy, you could purchase more insurance protection than you might have thought possible.

Some sites allow you to evaluate motorcycle insurance quotes from multiple carriers at the same time. After narrowing your choices, you should contact the individual insurers to learn more about their coverages and to determine which company is the best overall fit for your situation.

DMV.ORG BBB Business Review