We’re all going to get older, and no one can avoid that. As you age, you might find yourself facing driving risks that you have not encountered. If you own a motorcycle, you don’t want this to get in the way of being able to enjoy your set of wheels. However, you must realize that you should take further steps to ensure your safety on the bike. What are some of the things you can do to make arrangements for your age as you continue to bike?
Your new safety procedure should involve considering your medical needs and looking at your insurance coverage. However, you’ll often find these adaptations easy to make. Let’s look at the issue a little more closely.
How can age affect insurance coverage?
It’s an unfortunate fact. Insurers can consider a driver’s age when determining their policy prices. Often, as you get older, you might face the risk of paying more for your motorcycle insurance.
Older drivers (and bikers) often face challenges that younger drivers don’t. As a result, their likelihood of experiencing an accident while riding might go up. Because of this higher risk, many insurers charge higher premiums for older bikers.
Let’s look at this risk in context. As you age, you might start to experience poorer eyesight, slower reflexes or diminished reaction time. Therefore, you might not be able to avoid roadway hazards, which could lead to accidents. The resulting damage might create additional cost risks to an insurance provider. To continue providing your coverage, they might have no choice but to raise premium costs.
Improving Insurance Costs as You Age
With the correct care, you can improve and stabilize your insurance costs, in spite of your age.
First, ask your insurance agent about some of the discounts they offer for older drivers. Some offer senior citizen discounts. However, you might have to fully retire and drive below a certain mileage per year to qualify. Memberships in auto clubs, or other groups like AARP, might also qualify you for discounts.
Furthermore, many insurers offer discounts for drivers who enroll in safe driving courses. These classes help drivers re-familiarize themselves with safe driving practices. Therefore, your chances of having an accident might decrease. As a result, savings could prove worthwhile.
Keep in mind, some insurers will not offer these types of discounts. Also, because you must insure your bike separate from your car, motorcycle insurance might not offer certain discounts that other drivers can obtain. Still, ask your insurer where you can qualify for savings. You might even save more if you pay your premium up-front, online or through automatic bank drafts.
At times, you might be able to drop certain elements of coverage from your policy. That could leave to savings. However, older drivers must approach such decisions with extra scrutiny.
- Once you’ve paid off the bike, you might no longer see the need to carry collision or comprehensive coverage. The bike’s value might no longer make sense to carry replacement coverage on the vehicle itself.
- Increasing your deductibles means you will pay more out of pocket for a claim, before your policy covers further costs. If you have the means to afford this cost increase, your insurer might drop your rates. Higher deductibles might mean lower cost risks for the company.
- Older drivers usually should not drop liability, personal injury or medical payments coverage. Liability insurance covers the losses you cause others. As you might have a higher risk of accidents, not being able to repay others could put you in a precarious position. Medical payments coverage covers personal injuries. As you age, you might find all possible medical assistance rewarding in case of injuries.
Every year, take the time to review your motorcycle insurance. Ask your insurance agent how your age might impact your coverage costs. Then ask them what you can do to safely adjust your coverage limits.
Safety Precautions as You Age
It’s no secret that aging might lead to certain physical challenges on the bike. However, with appropriate care, you can mitigate some of these losses. Some of the steps to take include:
- Always wear safety gear, particularly a helmet. Some states require helmets, while others do not. Regardless, wear these items at all times when riding. Other clothing to wear includes sturdy shoes, pads, protective clothing and eye protection.
- Ensure you keep your endorsements to ride the motorcycle on your license.
- If you have driving restrictions, follow those whenever you ride. For example, if you must wear glasses or contacts when driving, wear them when biking as well.
- Make sure the bike receives regular maintenance. Before every ride, test the bike’s vital systems to make sure they operate correctly.
Notice when you might feel more challenged behind the handlebars. For example, you might not feel secure riding on crowded interstates, at night or in certain weather. If you ever feel that you can no longer handle certain conditions, it might be safe to only use your standard car, rather than bike.
With the correct care, you can still enjoy your motorcycle as you age. However, you will likely need to make certain adaptations to keep yourself safe. Contact us to discuss your Georgia motorcycle insurance options with one of our experienced agents at 478-788-9188.
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