Pennsylvania motorcycle insurance: What you need to know.

Pennsylvania motorcycle insurance differs from auto insurance. In Pennsylvania, you have to choose full tort or limited tort for your car insurance. For motorcycle insurance, there is no tort option. So, there is no restriction on recovery of money damages for pain and suffering for injuries you may sustain in a motorcycle accident.

Medical expense benefits for motorcyclists

In Pennsylvania, you can get medical expense benefits on your motorcycle policy. This coverage pays your medical bills resulting from any injuries you suffer in a motorcycle accident. Covered medical expenses will be listed in your insurance policy so be sure to review this information carefully.

Bodily injury liability coverage for motorcyclists

A minimum of $15,000 in bodily injury liability coverage is required by Pennsylvania. This required coverage does not pay benefits to you. It pays any claims against you if you are found legally responsible for causing an accident.

Remember, $15,000 is the minimum required for any driver. So, if you are injured by another driver who has been found legally responsible for your accident, there may only be $15,000 in bodily injury liability insurance coverage to pay you for your injuries.

Underinsured and uninsured coverage for motorcyclists

Our Firm strongly believes that purchasing Underinsured motorist coverage and Uninsured motorist coverage is essential to further protect yourself.

• Underinsured motorist coverage pays benefits to you in the event you are injured by a person who doesn’t have enough insurance to pay your claim.
• Uninsured Motorist Coverage pays benefits to you in the event you are injured by a person who has no insurance to pay your claim. Although auto insurance is required in Pennsylvania, there are a surprising number of uninsured motorists on our roads.

Many people only have the minimum required amount of insurance, or none at all. If you suffer a serious injury, $15,000 in medical expenses can be quickly reached. The value of your legal claim could easily go higher than the minimum required levels of insurance. If that is all the coverage the at-fault driver has, then you may not receive all the benefits to which you are entitled.

Underinsured motorist and Uninsured motorist are essential coverages for a motorcycle and should be offered by your insurance company. You must protect yourself from those with too little, or no insurance at all.

Our Firm recommends that motorcyclists carry a minimum of the following levels of underinsured motorist coverage and these same levels for uninsured motorist coverage:

• $100,000 per person
• $300,000 per occurrence

Beware!!! Rejecting underinsured motorist coverage and uninsured motorist coverage on a motorcycle sends a terrible ripple effect throughout your other policies. Insurance agents often suggest underinsured and uninsured coverage be rejected or reduced.

Our law firm strongly recommends that you insist your agent include both of these coverages on your policy. We recommend that you do not reject or reduce these coverages.

Plus, if you reject or reduce underinsured or uninsured coverage on your motorcycle, you are disqualified from collecting such coverage from your automobile policy even though you have paid premiums for the coverage.

If available, our Firm strongly recommends that your motorcycle be insured on the same policy as the other automobiles in the house. While certain areas of motorcycle law are in a state of flux, many insurance companies have sought to avoid paying underinsured and uninsured motorist coverage to victims of motorcycle accidents if the motorcycle is not included on the policy along with the other cars in the house.

Stacking coverage on policies held by motorcyclists

If you insure more than one motorcycle on a policy or a motorcycle on the same policy with your automobiles, be sure to request stacking. In Pennsylvania, purchasers of auto insurance have the option to stack uninsured and underinsured motorist coverage.

When you choose "stacking," this means that you can add the coverage together for each vehicle you have insured under the same policy. For example, if you have two vehicles on the same policy each with in uninsured or underinsured motorist coverage of $100,000/$300,000, you can stack the coverages and have $200,000/$600,000 available in coverage. Our Firm strongly recommends that you always choose stacking.

Injured in a car accident? Put our experience to work for you.

For over 25 years, our attorneys have represented more than 30,000 people who have been injured in all types of accidents including car accidents. In addition our legal team has answered over 350,000 injury-related legal questions. When an injury from a car accident occurs and legal help is needed, experience counts.

Free Legal Evaluation

If you, or someone you care about, have been injured in a car accident, you can contact our law firm for a free evaluation by:

• Filling out a simple online form so we can evaluate your claim
• Calling toll free 1-866-227-6038. Our phones answer 24 hours a day/7 days a week

Our law firm will evaluate your claim free of charge and advise you on your legal rights to collect compensation. There is no obligation to use our services, and there is never a fee unless we get money for you.