| Motorist
Awareness
Insurance Industry Involvement
Enforcement & Adjudication
Traffic Safety Community
Attitude
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| ISSUE
STATEMENT |
Insurers can provide incentives to encourage and enhance motorcycle
safety and can provide information about motorcycle loss data to
help determine where future safety measures are needed.
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| WHERE
WE ARE |
Insurers employ limited avenues to enhance and encourage motorcycle
safety.
• Some insurance companies offer premium discounts for motorcyclists
who have taken an MSF-recognized rider training course (see Rider
Education & Training, page 17). Some states also
require such incentives (see Appendix
J).
• An inordinate number of motorcycle crashes occur when
unlicensed riders are operating the motorcycle. However, not all
insurers verify that all operators have a motorcycle license,
endorsement, or make a valid endorsement a requirement for the
policy to be effective (see Licensing,
page 21).
Motorcycle insurers are not currently required to provide motorcycle-specific
loss data for analysis or use in a safety-related database as
they are, for example, with automobiles.
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| WHERE
WE WANT TO BE |
Insurers could further motorcycling safety efforts and reduce their
own losses by supporting certain responsible riding practices with
incentives.
• Specify that all users of insured motorcycles must possess
a valid motorcycle operator’s license for coverage to be
effective.
• Provide premium discounts to motorcyclists who have received
a certificate of completion or equivalent from an appropriate
(i.e., basic or experienced) MSF-recognized rider-training course.
Insurers could help devise safety countermeasures by providing
loss information to motorcycle safety and traffic safety organizations.
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| HOW
TO GET THERE |
The insurance industry should work with the motorcycling community
and other entities concerned with motorcycle safety to understand
the loss patterns of motorcycling and reward safe motorcyclists
with incentives. Insurers should:
• Offer incentives for rider training.
• Encourage proper licensing for motorcycle operators of
insured vehicles and discourage use by improperly licensed operators.
• Create a system for collecting loss data that can be used
to devise safety countermeasures.
• Offer insurance discounts for remaining crash-free.
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