Florida Motorcycle Insurance Requirements
- Motorcycle insurance is a must-have for cyclists.motorcycle image by Goran Bogicevic from Fotolia.com
Insurance is one of the few ways that people have to mitigate the risks of daily life. And in no other arena is insurance more important than with moving vehicles. Many states require that the owners and operators of cars, trucks and motorcycles obtain and maintain a certain level of insurance coverage to protect themselves and other drivers. For motorcycle riders in Florida, for example, state law requires that each rider continuously maintain a basic level of coverage to legally operate on public roads and highways. - Every driver--whether they operate a car, truck, van, motorcycle or commercial vehicle--must have basic coverage by law in the State of Florida. Liability coverage protects motorcycle riders from the legal ramifications of traffic accidents by providing a base of coverage. However, liability coverage does nothing for the policy holder. Instead, liability coverage protects the policy holder from litigation seeking damage awards by other parties involved in an accident with the policy holder. Florida State law requires that motorcycle riders maintain $10,000 per person Bodily Injury coverage, $20,000 total Bodily Injury, $10,000 Personal Property damage liability and $30,000 in Single Limit liability coverage.
- Florida State law does not require motorcycle riders to keep or maintain any form of comprehensive insurance coverage. Types of coverage that are actually beneficial to the policy holders themselves--such as Personal Injury Protection or Collision coverage--are not required, but they are certainly recommended. In situations when you are involved in an accident with uninsured or under-insured drivers, it is helpful to have your own form of coverage and protection. Remember that the minimums required by the State of Florida do not cover the costs to repair your motorcycle following a crash, nor do they provide any compensation for your own medical costs.
- The State of Florida is considered a No-Fault state for accidents, meaning that claims can be made and processed regardless of who is determined to be at fault for a particular accident. Because of this, it helps to purchase extended coverage beyond the required minimums put forth by the State of Florida. In addition to seeking out your Personal Injury Protection and Collision coverages, you should also strongly consider acquiring a higher level of Personal Property liability coverage than what the state requires. For Florida, $10,000 in property liability may not be sufficient to cover serious accidents.
