Car Insurance

Insurance coverage for motorcycle owners

Motor cycle insurance is mandatory by law if you possess and drive as well as park a motorcycle. The motorcycle insurance policy is necessary to protect you or your vehicle and in certain cases the third party and vehicle involved in the case of an accident. There are several companies offering motor cycle insurance quotes and it is important that you know how much cover you would prefer to have. Motorcycle insurance quotes are offered at competitive rates and most of the times cover legal expenses in case of an accident.

Here are some measures to save money on your motorcycle insurance policy.

* Opt for a single motorcycle insurance company in order to insure all your motor vehicles.
* Companies offer multi-line discounts in case you purchase other lines of insurance with the same motorcycle insurance company.
* Correctly determine the value of your vehicle before purchasing insurance on it. Avoid collision and comprehensive coverage on older vehicles that you can replace.
* Check out on discounts available for anti-theft devices, anti-lock brakes and similar equipments.
* Some insurance companies provide discount for drivers over 40 or 50.
* Check out the various collision and comprehensive deductibles available and select the highest one that you can afford.
* Certain insurance companies provide discount on your motor cycle insurance for being ‘accident free’ over a period of time.

There are three types of motorcycle insurance -

Third Party Insurance - This is the minimum amount of insurance that you must have for your motorcycle. Under the motorcycle insurance policy, only damages done by your vehicle to another vehicle or third party/your fellow passenger are covered. In the case of your vehicle being damaged, you will have pay for the repair yourself.

Third party, fire and theft insurance - Under this insurance policy, third party cover is included as well as compensation for damage or loss of your car by fire and theft.

Comprehensive insurance - This is the most reliable form of insurance covering third party insurance and damages to your vehicle. Certain comprehensive insurance policies come with an additional clause including coverage of death or any bodily injury to you/co-passenger/family member.

Motorcycle Insurance Quote : Information to obtain an insurance quote for motor cycle online

When purchasing motorcycle insurance, it is important to ask for motorcycle insurance quote or potential motorcycle insurance policy options from a number of insurance companies. This will enable you to make a rational and intelligent choice from a heap of insurance policies available. You need to zero in on an insurance policy that will provide the necessary coverage.

You may obtain instant online insurance quotes for motorcycle by submitting the online forms provided by the insurance companies or agents. It is possible to obtain your online motor cycle insurance quotes by submitting minimum information such as your name, area zip code, the make and model of your vehicle, year of purchase, the primary use of the vehicle and the annual mileage range. Personal details such as name, gender, marital status, age, occupation, Annual Income, Driver’s license state, status of drivers license etc is required to effectively calculate the motorcycle insurance quote. While obtaining a motorcycle insurance quote online, it is essential to compare the various insurance vendors available in the market. It is important to opt for an motorcycle insurance company that offers great insurance prices at the same time provides good services in case of an accident.

Keep in mind the following when choosing from motorcycle insurance policy- You will need to compare among policy options i.e. what is specially included in the policy and what restrictions they may have. Some motorcycle insurance companies may specify a minimum age limit for possessing the policy i.e. 18 or 21 and may require you to have a license or other forms of legal proof. Take into consideration the amount of excess you may have to pay yourself. Certain companies may require you to pay a higher amount of excess, that is an initial payment where the premiums may be cheap. Certain times, the motorcycle insurance company may offer a discount of about 10% to older drivers or women drivers.

The auto insurance business has gone to war online. Insurance companies such as esurance have emerged from nowhere to capture a significant portion of the auto insurance market, wholly through online marketing and sales. Theirs is a completely electronic empire. The company is underwritten by an established insurance firm and provides all of its customer service through a half dozen regional call centers scattered around the country.

Auto insurance is perhaps the most egregious example of insurance/internet collision. Every major insurance company offers “quotes” online for health insurance, life insurance, property and casualty and a host of lesser policies such as motorcycle and watercraft coverage. Long term health insurance is the new online product that many insurance companies are featuring, even those that don’t carry a full line of health insurance products. The internet has become a showcase for “bargain” policies and for new products.

Limits to Online Insurance Sales

Fortunately for the independent agent, in the insurance business the “devil is in the details.” Health and life policies can be complicated agreements; people who are buying them need to understand the importance of every clause in the policy. While they can read a policy that has been purchased online, they may well have difficulty finding someone who can explain it to them if it hasn’t come through a local insurance agent.

Accordingly, the big firms like Metlife, Aetna, Farmers and Allstate will provide quotes online but then will usually direct online inquiries to local agents. There are a number of large firms that take pride in their network of local agents and use the national websites to support their independent agents.

The Value of a Local Agency Online

There are also quite a few independent insurance agencies that have developed websites trumpeting their independence and claiming it as a virtue. While local agencies don’t carry competing products, they will carry different types of policies from an assortment of firms. The more aggressive independent agencies use 800 telephone numbers and online quote inquiries to make themselves appear larger than they perhaps are. Agents must be licensed to operate by the state where they are doing business; there aren’t many locally based agencies that are licensed in more than one state.

That doesn’t mean that an agency in Eugene Oregon, for example, can’t service the entire state of Oregon. With a well designed website a local firm can blow itself up into a regional enterprise. 800 numbers contribute to this image as do expanded business hours and online claim forms. Those claim forms may simply generate a phone call from the office to the customer, but to the policy holder it seems like a large business entity providing full service and attentive support.

An independent agent can promise something that no online insurance sales operation can deliver: a face-to-face conversation and a step-by-step, page-by-page explanation of an insurance policy. Agents can use the websites operated by the underwriters they represent: many of the national websites have excellent FAQs on their policies and explanations of policy options. It’s a good place for a consumer to start, and the independent agent can link his agency’s site to those informative pages - and then reel the customer back in. Like politics, in the end all insurance is local. A website can expand what local means for an independent agent, both by online presence and through the use of search engine optimization.

Watford, 57, was riding a motorcycle on a street when a school bus made a left turn in front of him. Watford collided with the bus’s mirror, sustaining a brain stem contusion and hemorrhage, and fractures to his pelvis, leg, and ankle. His past medical expenses totaled approximately $445,800, and his future medical care and expenses are estimated at $5 million. Formerly a sheet metal and tile mechanic earning approximately $55,000 annually, Watford is unable to return to work. His income loss is estimated at $1.17 million.

Watford sued the driver and the school district that employed him, alleging the driver was negligent in driving a school bus despite having medical conditions that caused blurred vision. Plaintiff asserted the driver was not immune from liability under the state sovereign immunity statute, Va. Code § 22.1-194, because he had not yet picked up the first student on his bus route for the morning. Suit against the school district alleged vicarious liability for the driver’s negligence.

The court entered declaratory judgment that the school board is immune for damages in excess of $50,000. Although it found the bus driver was not immune, the court noted the driver was still covered under the school board’s insurance. The parties settled before trial for $7.5 million.

Plaintiff’s experts included Robert D. Voogt, life-care planning, Virginia Beach, Va.; Charles DeMark, rehabilitation, Portsmouth, Va.; Warren Foer, neurosurgery, Virginia Beach, Va.; Richard B. McAdam, neurosurgery, Hampton, Va.; and Jeffrey Carlson, orthopedics, Newport News, Va.

Defendants’ experts were Richard P. Bonfiglio, physical medicine/rehabilitation, Pittsburgh, Pa.; Seth Oppenheim, ophthalmology, Hampton, Va.; Linda McKinley, life-care planning, Glenn Allen, Va.; and Horace W. Sawyer, rehabilitation counseling, Gainesville, Fla.

Motorcycle advertisements are hitting their target, as evidenced by those Sailors who flock to local dealers to purchase one. Unfortunately, some who buy motorcycles aren’t really prepared for two-wheeled transportation.

In FY2004, the Navy had 25 motorcycle fatalities, four total disabilities, two partial disabilities, and 51 Sailors with major injuries (missed five or more workdays). The previous fiscal year’s totals were 23 motorcycle fatalities, one total disability, two partial disabilities, and 49 Sailors with major injuries.

What do these statistics say to me? When you’re in a motorcycle crash, it’s either very minor, or it’s fatal. Given that fact, every Sailor who rides a motorcycle or is thinking about buying one should be aware of the risks and the rules that apply–some are common sense, but others are Navy law.

To obtain a base decal, a motorcyclist has to be licensed, must have insurance, and must have graduated from the Navy’s motorcycle-safety course. The bike also needs to be registered and to have a valid safety inspection.

Sailors who operate motorcycles–on or off base–have to meet the requirements outlined in OpNav Instruction 5100.12G (Navy Traffic Safety Program) for standard dress. They must wear a DoT approved helmet, long trousers, long-sleeved shirt, full-finger gloves, hard-soled shoes (with heels that protect the ankle), protective eyewear, and a reflective vest. These rules are not negotiable, and failure to comply can spell disaster for your health, life or military career. If you disregard OpNav Instruction 5100.12G and are involved in a motorcycle mishap, you can be charged with failure to follow a general lawful order (Article 92, UCMJ). Also, if you’re injured and require convalescent leave, that time can be added on to your expiration of active obligated service.

“How would the Navy know if I broke the rules?” you may be wondering. It’s really quite simple. Navy Shore Patrol monitors all police-radio traffic and is notified anytime a service person is involved in a mishap. Shore Patrol responds and files a preliminary report that indicates whether a motorcyclist was wearing the required safety equipment. Every motorcycle crash involves a line-of-duty misconduct investigation, and one of the determining factors is whether the motorcyclist was complying with OpNav Instruction 5100.12G.

My goal isn’t to alienate those who own and operate motorcycles. I’m confident most handle the machines safely. Every once in a while, though, I read a report that makes me shake my head in disbelief. For example, a Sailor was traveling an interstate highway going 115 mph. When he started to pass an SUV, he misjudged his speed and distance to the SUV and hit it. That Sailor isn’t with us today.

Before you hop on your bike the next time, I urge you to think hard about what could happen. You may be a great driver, but are you willing to bet your life on the skills of all the drivers around you? While you never can eliminate all the risk that comes with riding a motorcycle, you can reduce the danger by being smart.

Six Months After Entering New Jersey, Progressive Direct(SM) and Drive(R) Insurance from Progressive Lower Auto Insurance Rates and Bring New Products to Market

New Jersey drivers may be able to save money on car insurance - and bikers and boaters now have more insurance options - thanks to moves announced today by The Progressive Direct Group of Insurance Companies (Progressive Direct) and The Drive Group of Progressive Insurance Companies (Drive Insurance).

Since entering the Garden State last September, Progressive Direct has reduced auto insurance rates an average of 9 percent, and Drive Insurance has taken rates down an average of 5 percent. The Progressive Direct brand of insurance, which was previously only available to New Jersey drivers online at progressivedirect.com, is now also available in New Jersey by phone at 1-800-PROGRESSIVE. The Drive brand is sold through more than 200 local independent agencies. Consumers can locate a Drive agent near them by visiting driveinsurance.com.

“Our message to New Jersey drivers is simple: If you haven’t shopped with us yet, now is a good time to see what we have to offer,” said Jeff Briglia, Progressive Direct product manager. “Or, if you shopped with us and didn’t find what you were looking for, check us out again; you may find things have changed.”

“We’re always reviewing our business results, and when we find that we can pass savings along to our customers, we move quickly to change our rates,” said Mike Esposito, Drive Insurance product manager. “The fact that the regulatory environment enables us to respond quickly to changes in the marketplace is one of the reasons we came to New Jersey.”

The product managers also announced that each of their respective businesses is now offering motorcycle and boat insurance. Riders or boaters who want to buy online or over the phone can purchase a Progressive Direct motorcycle or boat policy, while those who prefer to work with an independent agent can purchase Drive motorcycle or boat insurance. Together, Progressive Direct and Drive Insurance are the number one writer of motorcycle insurance in the country.

“Because we insure more motorcycles than anyone else and because many of the people who work in our motorcycle business are riders themselves, we understand what riders want and need in terms of insurance coverage,” said Briglia. Both Progressive Direct and Drive Insurance will offer a variety of motorcycle coverages, including up to $30,000 in coverage for custom parts and equipment. A wide range of coverages are also available for vehicles such as mopeds, scooters, ATVs, and even the Segway(R) Human Transporter (HT).

Specialized boat insurance products are also now available from both companies, including coverage for items like personal effects and fishing equipment, and services such as fuel spill clean-up and wreckage removal. Boaters also can purchase total loss replacement coverage, so that if their new boat is stolen or destroyed within the first five years, they’ll get a brand new boat of the same or similar make and model, regardless of the cost in today’s dollars.

The introduction of the motorcycle and boat products comes six months after the companies began selling private passenger auto insurance in New Jersey and four months after the introduction of commercial auto insurance, which caters primarily to small business owners with vehicles such as delivery vans, tow trucks and dump trucks. Recreational Vehicle insurance is the only product from Drive Insurance and Progressive Direct that is not yet available in New Jersey, but the companies expect to introduce RV insurance next year.

“We welcome Progressive’s entry into the motorcycle and boat insurance markets, further expanding availability of insurance products to New Jersey consumers and the competitive marketplace created by the 2003 auto insurance reforms,” said Steven M. Goldman, commissioner, New Jersey Department of Banking and Insurance.

The Progressive Group of Insurance Companies, in business since 1937, ranks third in the nation for auto insurance and number one for motorcycle insurance based on premiums written and provides drivers with competitive rates and 24/7 in-person and online service. The products and services of the Progressive Direct Group of Insurance Companies are marketed directly to consumers by phone at 1-800-PROGRESSIVE and online at www.progressivedirect.com through the Progressive Direct(SM) brand. The products and services of the Drive Group of Progressive Insurance Companies are offered by more than 30,000 independent insurance agencies and online at www.driveinsurance.com through the Drive(R) Insurance from Progressive brand. The Common Shares of The Progressive Corporation, the Mayfield Village, Ohio-based holding company, are publicly traded at (NYSE:PGR). More information can be found at www.progressive.com.

Jeff Briglia, New Jersey product manager, Progressive Direct, and Mike Esposito, New Jersey product manager, Drive Insurance from Progressive, are available for interview.