Florida Motorcycle Insurance
Florida Motorcycle insurance law has most motorcycle owners confused. Most motorcycle owners believe that they will be covered by their automobile insurance or by the adverse driver’s insurance if they are involved in a motorcycle accident. Unfortunately, nothing could be farther from the truth. In Florida, insurance is not required for the owner and rider of a motorcycle. And the PIP coverage a motorcycle owner may have on his car, will not cover the owner if injured in a motorcycle accident.
PIP COVERAGE
As you may know, PIP coverage is Florida’s no-fault auto insurance that pays 80% of your medical bills and 60% of your lost wages for an automobile accident, no matter who is at fault . This coverage is required if you own a car, but will not cover you if you are in a motorcycle accident. Some insurance companies do offer a special motorcycle PIP that is similar to the coverage offered for an automobile. However, since motorcycle PIP is not required by Florida law, the coverage is not regulated by Florida law. Motorcycle PIP is governed by the terms of the insurance contract. The following coverage should be carried by all persons who own and ride motorcycles.
PROPERTY DAMAGE
Property damage liability coverage protects you if you damage someone else’s property with your motorcycle by driving negligently. It does not protect you for any bodily injury the other person sustains due to your negligence.
UNINSURED MOTORIST COVERAGE
If you are injured in a motorcycle accident, the negligent person’s Bodily Injury (BI) liability coverage should cover your medical bills, lost wage and pain & suffering. However, what if your bills, lost wages and suffering exceed the coverage that person has? Or worse, that person causing the motorcycle accident has no BI coverage at all? You must have uninsured motorist (UM) coverage to protect you. UM coverage takes the place of the BI coverage the negligent driver did not have or will supplement the BI coverage if it is insufficient to cover all your damages. Since most motorcycle accidents result in serious injuries to the rider, many minimum BI policies (often only $10,000) are not enough to cover all the rider’s damages. You can also get “stacked” UM coverage, which increases your UM by the number of vehicles you own. Please note that if you have UM coverage on your car, it will cover you on the bike. However, the “stacking” option will make sure your UM limits are high enough to cover significant medical bills, lost wages and pain and suffering. If you wait until after the motorcycle accident, it will be too late!! If you have any questions, feel free to call.
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