With the economic climate as depressed as ever, more and more college students are turning to two-wheeled transportation instead of the traditional four. In most cases, motorcycles are more affordable to buy, to fuel, and to insure than a regular car, truck, or SUV. Furthermore, they emit fewer emissions and not only save money on fuel costs, but allow an owner to feel less dependent on foreign oil – big advantages for the environmentally conscious student.
But depending on the make and model of a student’s scooter or motorcycle, insurance could be more expensive than you might expect. For example, a male in his early twenties insuring a sportbike could expect to pay as much as 20-30% of the value of his bike in yearly premiums. Obviously, scooter insurance is typically much less expensive.
In either case, there are significant discounts available on student motorcycle insurance. Let’s look at them in detail.
>Motorcycle Safety Training Discounts: when it comes to auto insurance, drivers under 21 can usually receive a discount from their insurer by completing a defensive driving or driver’s ed course. When it comes to motorcycles, you don’t necessarily need to be under 21 to reap savings by completing a motorcycle safety course. The best courses are offered by the Motorcycle Safety Foundation, or MSF. Graduation from such a course is typically worth a 5% discount. However, you must factor in the price of admission, which is often $250-$300. That said, the street-riding techniques learned are priceless.
>Good Student Motorcycle Insurance Discounts: just like with auto insurance policies, insurers will often give “good student” discounts for those collegians who maintain a 3.0 GPA, appear on the Dean’s List, or are in the top 20% of their class.
>Low Mileage/Infrequent Driver Discounts: if you only use your motorcycle for a very short commute to campus, and the bike only accrues a few thousand miles per year, you may be eligible for a low mileage discount. Most insurers expect a car to be driven about 15,000 miles per year. If your bike falls far beneath this amount, ask your insurance agent or representative whether you can save on your policy with a low mileage discount.
>Multiple Motorcycle Discounts: most of the time, this kind of discount is relevant to a student only when they can add their vehicle to a parent’s existing insurance policy. Most insurers provide big discounts for having multiple vehicles under a single policy. The high rates of student motorcycle insurance may be mitigated by not opting for an independent policy. In some cases, a college student can add his or her bike to a parent’s policy, and then pay their parents back for the monthly cost it adds.
You can ride safer by following these quick tips on motorcycle safety:
1. Always assume that you and your motorcycle are totally invisible to other drivers.
2. Leave plenty of space in front and back and to the sides from all other vehicles.
3. Beware of motorists turning left in front of you at intersections.
4. Never drink or take drugs and try to ride a motorcycle.
5. Avoid riding at night, especially late Saturday night and early Sunday when drunken drivers may be on the road.
6. Beware of taking curves that you can’t see around. A parked truck or a patch of sand may be awaiting you.
7. Do not try to ‘get even’ with another rider or motorist by giving in to road rage.
8. If someone is tailgating you, either speed up to open more space or pull over and let them pass.
9. Take a motorcycle safety course to learn what to look for to avoid accidents.
10. Wear protective clothing and a helmet.
There is no New York No-Fault insurance available to motorcycle riders. This means that in the event of injury in a motorcycle accident, private health insurance must pay the bills. If the rider wins a lawsuit, these bills must usually be paid back to the health insurance carrier. If there is no health insurance available, the issue of medical bills and paying for medical care becomes complicated, indeed. Consult an experienced accident and personal injury attorney.
As a lawyer and rider who has held a motorcycle license for many years, I have some definite thoughts on this topic. But I’d like you to “cram down” some statistics about motorcycle safety, which relate to accidents and injuries, and which I find fascinating:
1. Approximately 3/4 of motorcycle accidents involve collision with another vehicle; most often a passenger automobile.
2. Approximately 1/4 of motorcycle accidents are single vehicle accidents involving the motorcycle colliding with the roadway or some fixed object in the environment.
3. Vehicle failure accounts for less than 3% of motorcycle accidents, and most of those are single vehicle accidents where control is lost due to a puncture flat.
4. In single vehicle accidents, motorcycle rider error is present as the cause about 2/3 of the time, with the typical error being a slideout and fall due to overbraking, or running wide on a curve due to excess speed or under-cornering.
5. Roadway defects (pavement ridges, potholes, etc.) are the accident cause in 2% of accidents; animal involvement causes 1% of accidents.
6. In multiple vehicle accidents, the driver of the other vehicle violates the motorcycle right-of-way and causes the accident 2/3 of the time.
7. Drivers inability to recognize motorcycles in traffice is the main source of motorcycle collisions. The driver of the other vehicle involved in collision with the motorcycle does not see the motorcycle before the collision, or does not see the motorcycle until too late to avoid the collision.
8. Deliberate hostile action by a motorist against a motorcycle rider is a rare accident cause.
9. The most frequent accident type is the motorcycle proceeding straight and the automobile making a left turn in front of the oncoming motorcycle.
10. Intersections are the most likely place for the motorcycle accident, with the other vehicle violating the motorcycle right-of-way, and often violating traffic controls.
11. Weather is not a factor in 98% of motorcycle accidents.
12. Most motorcycle accidents involve a short trip associated with shopping, errands, friends, entertainment or recreation, and the accident is likely to happen close to the place the trip began.
13. The view of the motorcycle or other vehicle involved in an accident is limited by glare or obstructed by other vehicles in almost 2 of multiple vehicle accidents. on thi bang lai xe
14. Visibility of the motorcycle is a critical factor in multiple vehicle accidents, and accidents are significantly reduced by the use of motorcycle headlamps (on in daylight) and the wearing of high visibility yellow, orange or bright red jackets.
15. Fuel system leaks and spills are present after 62% of motorcycle crashes. This means that there is usually a fire hazard.
16. Significantly overrepresented in accidents are motorcycle riders between the ages of 16 and 24; motorcycle riders between the ages of 30 and 50 are significantly underrepresented. Although the majority of accident-involved motorcycle riders are male (96%), female motorcycles riders are significantly overrepresented in accidents.
