Phoenix Motorcycle Collision Attorneys
Attorney Representation in Phoenix, Arizona Since 1996
What are the Biggest Mistakes Made by Motorcycle Riders in Arizona?
There are many Arizona motorcycle car collisions and many of these accidents are ones that motorcycle riders could not avoid so what are the biggest mistakes that Arizona motorcycle riders make? Actually it has to do with insurance. Many riders are making a huge mistake before they get on a bike to ride they don't even know it because they don't truly understand how insurance works in Arizona with an injury claim.
If you do not have the right insurance and get in a motorcycle accident in Arizona, there can be devastating effects - not just physically but financially. I received a call the other day from a rider who had read our book, The Arizona Motorcycle Accident Book. He had just started to read it and was asking questions about insurance coverages. I was very glad he was calling to ask the questions about motorcycle insurance coverage and what it meant if he were involved in a motorcycle accident and had a personal injury claim. He started out the conversation by saying he felt funny calling a lawyer, but by the end of the conversation he was very happy he had reached out to call us because she learned a lot of information about insurance coverage, motorcycle accidents and the law in Arizona for insurance. Funny, he wasn't even in an accident and he felt funny somewhat uncomfortable calling a lawyer. Most people feel somewhat uncomfortable or uneasy calling a lawyer after an accident, but once they talk to an injury lawyer they trust, they are very confident they made the right decision to call the attorney.
So back to insurance coverage.... there are all different types of insurance coverage. Insurance coverage in Arizona is sold in a way I call "a la carte." In some states other than Arizona insurance is sold where all the types of coverage is sold together. In Arizona, when you purchase motorcycle coverage or insurance for a motor vehicle as well, the important coverages are all sold separately. That is, you can buy some coverages and not buy other important coverage. When most people buy insurance coverage for their bike, they leave away thinking that they have "full coverage" when in all actuality they do not have full coverage at all. many people think they have sufficient limits as well but they do not understand what is a good amount of limits. Understanding the type of coverage is very important because almost always people think they have full coverage and don't figure out otherwise until they are in an accident.
Here are some of the different types of coverage you can purchase for your bike:
Liability: liability coverage is required by law and is an automatic. Liability coverage protects yourself if you are at fault for an accident. The minimum coverage in Arizona is 15/30. This is what is will say on your declaration page of your insurance coverage. Your declaration page is basically the page that summarizes your coverage. 15/20 means that there is $15,000 available of coverage for one person if you are the cause of the accident and $30,000 available for two or more people if you are the cause of the accident. This coverage is required by law however many drivers in Arizona do not carry any insurance at all. This is quite unfortunate but in a time where people are unemployed and are lacking funds many times insurance coverage is the first thing that drivers cancel. If you are driving without insurance you will get a citation that comes with hefty fines but still many people choose to drive without insurance.
Uninsured: Uninsured coverage can be purchase separate from liability coverage. Uninsured coverage will cover a motorcycle rider when they are hit by a person who has no insurance at all. This coverage is very important as stated above many people do not have insurance at all.
Underinsured coverage: Underinsured coverage will cover a motorcycle rider if they are hit by a person who does not have enough insurance to cover the rider's injuries. This is the case in many motorcycle accident cases because when a motorcycle rider is in an accident almost always the medical bills are significant or at least the claim is going to be worth over $15,000 which is the minimum insurance and the amount most people in Arizona carry on their vehicle.
The caller who I referred to above asked me why he should have underinsured and uninsured coverage if he had health insurance by his work. This is a great question. First, health insurance does not cover everything. Most cases we handle the hospital bill alone is very expensive and the health insurance requires a co-insurance or a co-payment. If you are seriously injured and have high co-payments or high co-insurance, you are going to want to look at the adverse party to pay these bills. If the at fault party has no insurance and you have no uninsured coverage and you are injured you are ultimately responsible for your medical bills. If the other party has no insurance they can just bankruptcy out of paying for any of your medical bills caused by the accident. Also, if the at fault party has no insurance chances are that the at fault party has no job and no money so even if you did file a lawsuit against them, you would never be able to recover any money from them.
In addition, just because you have health insurance does not mean you are covered for your lost wages, your future medical bills, your pain or suffering, and many other things. Imagine you are seriously hurt in a motorcycle accident and the other party has no insurance at all, how are you able to pay all your medical bills if you cannot work for a few months or in a worse case scenario you are not able to return to work at all. Also, what if your health insurance has minimums and you meet them and then have no medical coverage. These are just some circumstances that show you the important of having uninsured and underinsured coverage. When you purchase insurance on a bike, you need to ask if you are purchasing separate coverage for uninsured and underinsured coverage otherwise many times you will just be getting liability coverage and buying no protection at all for yourself and your passengers on your bike. The amazing thing about these types of coverage is that liability coverage is the most expenses. Adding underinsured coverage and uninsured coverage is very inexpensive.
Again, there are other important coverages that you can buy to protect yourself as a motorcycle rider but having uninsured and underinsured are two of the most important coverages. Don't think that you have these coverages and that you have full coverage without having a lawyer or professional agent look over your insurance policy. You are important, so make sure you protect yourself if you are riding.
We offer a 100% free consultation on your insurance coverage. Bikers can call and ask for a free consultation on their declaration page and we will let you know what type of insurance coverage you should have as well as what we would recommend for your policy limits. In addition, we can explain to you in more depth how the insurance coverages would work for each individual scenario. We have done many of these consultations and are sure that the individual biker has learned more about their coverages and how they work and what steps they can do to protect themselves after they speak with us. Much of what we share is much different than what your insurance agent discusses with you because as Arizona motorcycle injury lawyers, we look at the policy and the effects of the policy in a different way because we are looking at the coverage in terms of if you were to be involved in an accident, whether you are the at fault party or if you are the injured party.
