Protection for You and Your Rider

More Advice from Tom McGrath, Motorcycle Atorneys

Ask Tom - August 2006

Protection for You and Your Rider

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I am frequently asked if the increased coverage is going to cost a lot of money. No! If you have a good driving record, the average premium charge for an increase from $25,000 to $100,000 of liability insurance on your auto policy is roughly $20 to $25 every six months, (less than the cost of an oil change) and the increased premium on your uninsured/underinsured motorist coverage is about $2. Notice, I said on an automobile policy, that’s where you want the additional coverage. Why, you ask, would I put it on my automobile? Simple . . . it is less expensive to increase your coverage on an automobile than it is on a motorcycle. Motorcycle insurance premiums are higher than auto insurance premiums. So, add it to your car insurance. My advice is, buy all the liability coverage you can on your car, $300,000, $500,000, whatever; you’ll automatically get the additional uninsured/underinsured motorist coverage for a few dollars.

Liability coverage of $500,000 costs about $372.00 per year. A typical premium for uninsured/underinsured motorist coverage of $500,000 costs $56.00 a year. What does this have to do with a motorcycle? Plenty, in Virginia, your car policy uninsured/underinsured coverage is also available to you even if you wreck on a motorcycle provided the wreck is the fault of the other person. The better news is it is also available for any member of your family who lives with you. So, by increasing your liability coverage you can get this additional uninsured/underinsured protection for your family as well as yourself.

Hey, here’s some more good news, if you have more than one motor vehicle policy in your household, you get to add them together. For example . . . If you have a policy on your car which has $100,000 of liability and $100,000 uninsured/underinsured motorist protection and a policy on your motorcycle of $25,000 of liability and $25,000 uninsured/underinsured motorist protection, you have available $125,000 of uninsured/ underinsured protection. Here’s an example of how it works: Joe Blow pulled out in front of you, you struck his car, he had $25,000 of coverage and you only had $25,000 on your motorcycle, but you had $100,000 uninsured/underinsured protection on your car. Since you are insured under both policies, you get to add these policies together to determine the amount of coverage available to you. You have available $125,000 because Virginia allows you to stack or add together separate policies of motor vehicle liability insurance in the same household owned by family members to determine the available uninsured/underinsured coverage. Once his company offers its $25,000, you are eligible to recoup $100,000 from your underinsurance protection. If he had no insurance, then you have available $125,000 of uninsured motorist protection. You may be eligible to receive compensation from all the other policies in your household also.

Why not call your agent and take care of your number one priority. . You.

Obtaining proper compensation for your injuries can be complicated, so you need an attorney if you are injured. However, to purchase additional protection for you and your family, you only need the ability to speak with your agent. Find out what it will cost to increase your liability coverage on your automobile and on your motorcycle. Once you’ve purchased the higher liability limits and thus increased your uninsured/underinsured coverage, you’ll congratulate yourself for being so smart by protecting yourself and your loved ones.

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Questions: Please call 1-800-321-8968

The preceding is for informational purposes only and should not be considered legal advice. Before attempting to settle any claim you should contact an attorney. The rules governing insurance coverage may be different in your state .

Tom McGrath is a personal injury lawyer with credentials that are rare in his profession. When Tom's not lawyering, he's lobbying to protect your rights, or crisscrossing the Commonwealth teaching motorists and motorcyclists about their rights, helping them to understand the insurance laws and how to protect themselves and their loved ones. Got a question? Send Tom an email at tom@tommcgrathlaw.com, or visit http://www.motorcyclevirginia.com/.

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