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Personal Injury Protection Insurance For Motorcyclists

Personal injury protection (PIP), also known as "no-fault insurance," is required in a handful of states for standard vehicles. No-fault laws, however, generally do not apply to motorcycles, which means you likely do not have to purchase personal injury protection coverage for your motorcycle. Some states may even restrict motorcycle insurance companies from selling PIP to motorcyclists, but in most no-fault states, you will find that PIP is offered as an option.

Read more to learn about how adding personal injury protection to your motorcycle insurance policy can benefit you.

Personal Injury Protection Insurance Defined

This type of motorcycle insurance covers injuries sustained in an accident by yourself or one of your passengers, regardless of who is at fault.

Specific Expenses Covered by Motorcycle PIP

Personal injury protection coverage can pay for accident-related medical expenses up to your policy limits. It will typically cover the following:

  • Health insurance deductibles.
  • Medical co-payments.
  • Doctor's visits.
  • Hospital stays.
  • Dental care.
  • Psychiatric visits.
  • Prescription drugs.
  • Home nurse care.
  • Funeral costs.
  • Lost wages.

PIP will not pay for the damages you cause to other motorcyclists or drivers; that's covered by your bodily injury and property damage liability insurance.

Also, it won't pay for the cost to repair or replace your motorcycle following an accident; that's the role of your collision or comprehensive coverage.

PIP and Health Insurance

As you are shopping for motorcycle insurance and making the decision on whether or not to add PIP to your policy, you should consider your health insurance.

If you are confident that you have a strong and extensive heath insurance policy, you might not find very much benefit in having personal injury protection.

You should note that PIP can act as secondary or supplemental insurance that can help cover your medical costs after you are hurt in an accident. This means that if you exhaust your health insurance coverage, your PIP can help cover your additional expenses up to your motorcycle policy's limits.

PIP and Medical Payments Coverage

Medical payments coverage is a commonly offered type of motorcycle insurance coverage that has some significant similarities to personal injury protection.

Like PIP, medical payments will help pay for medical costs after you are hurt in a crash, no matter who was at fault for the accident. Medical payments, however, typically will not cover loss of income due to your injuries.

Some insurance companies will allow you to purchase both medical payments and personal injury protections. Generally, you would use medical payments coverage as a supplement to your PIP coverage.

NOTE: You may find that some insurance providers will not allow you to purchase both personal injury protection and medical payments coverage.

Where to Purchase PIP Motorcycle Insurance

Most motorcycle insurance companies in no-fault states should offer PIP coverage. Usually, you won't pay much for this coverage, as the personal limits associated with it are typically low. But, you should still shop around to make sure you're getting a fair price and the best coverage for your money.

Keep in mind PIP isn't meant to replace your health insurance. Instead, it's meant to supplement it so you're not saddled with a lot of expenses that aren't covered―either partly or fully―by your health insurance policy.

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