Motorcycle Insurance California - A Guide to Motorcycle Insurance in California
Sunny California is a great place to ride motorcycles because
of the scenic roads and the great weather. Most of California also
has a riding season that lasts all year long. California is also
a relatively sale place to ride motorcycles because of the very
progressive motorcycle laws and regulations. Because of the lower
motorcycle accident rates in California, motorcycle insurance tends
to be relatively more affordable as well. However, due to the popularity
of super bikes in California, and the culture that goes along with
them, insuring a high performance sport bike can be very expensive
especially if you are young.
Much of the success of motorcycling safety in California is due
to the California Motorcyclist Safety Program. The California Motorcyclist
Safety Program was created in 1987 and has trained almost a hundred
thousand riders. Funding for the California Motorcyclist Safety
Program is paid by a two-dollar charge per vehicle and currently
training in the California Motorcyclist Safety Program is mandatory
for any new rider under twenty-one years of age. Completing the
California Motorcyclist Safety Program allows a rider to waive
the DMV riding skills test.
In the past nine years the rate of fatal motorcycle accidents
in California have dropped 69%. This shows what a huge impact proper
training can have on accident rates. Another factor is the mandatory
helmet law. While many riders do not agree with helmet laws, the
fatality rate for riders dropped again in 1991 while the law was
passed. The combination of the California Motorcyclist Safety Program
and mandatory helmet law has given California one the lowest motorcycle
fatality rates in the world. Another forward thinking motorcycle
law in California is lane splitting. Many motorcyclists are injured
and killed while stopped at stoplights or while in slow-moving
traffic on the freeway, and so it is imperative to get California Motorcycle Insurance that properly covers you. Allowing motorcyclists to split the lanes
is actually much safer for everyone. While many drivers feel it
is unfair and dangerous for riders to split lanes, it is actually
a benefit for everyone. When motorcyclists have to ride in slow-moving
traffic, such as rush hour traffic, inattentive drivers often hit
them from behind.
There are some major risks, however, for California riders. Southern
California does not get a lot of rain, so when it does rain the
drivers are usually inexperience and ill prepared. Accident rates
soar in California whenever it rains and this can lead to drivers
hitting motorcyclists because they hit the brakes too late or were
unable to see the bike in the rain. Unlicensed and impaired riding
are also huge problems in California. Unlicensed riders have a
three times higher fatality rate than licensed riders and around
half of all motorcycle fatalities are alcohol related. Insurance
companies take the good and the bad into consideration when insuring
you. Being a licensed rider that has taken the California Motorcyclist
Safety Program or Motorcycle Safety Foundation course will lower
your insurance rates. Buying a standard or cruiser will also allow
you to get lower rates than buying a sport bike. Sport bike groups
are very popular in California and insurance companies see young
sport bike riders are a huge insurance risk.