BIKERS: instead of laws, what about insurance breaks & benifits?

Question

there are 2 major laws that seem to be causing more & more friction between police/politicians & free spirited motorcyclists.
they are the helmet laws & the noise pollution laws.
but instead of making all these rules & fines, what if there were to be a deal made out with insurance companies.
for I've seen commercials of a car insurance company (i believe it's state farm, or all state, but nonetheless...) that offers rewards & such for good drivers. can we offer the same for motorcycle insurance? as in, there should be a mandated law for one to wear a helmet & to keep the sound of their hog or crotch rocket to a minimum, but instead say that if they do such things, the high cost of insurance might go down a bit.
or something of a manor of that, please tell me what you think, this idea is just in its rough draft stages. thank you.

Answer 1

I asked my wife about that a few days ago. She's been in a major insurance company for 30+ years. She said no, that if there is no helmet law in a state, that they can't impose on that, or make a discount for riders who agree to always wear a helmet. She can't elaborate on that (typical insurance company gal I guess, all smoke and mirrors, even to her husband!), but she says they can't make the people they cover wear a helmet if the state they live in says they don't have to.

Answer 2

When a person can get their license today and get any screaming bike they want tomorrow, insurance will be high for that person regardless. I see people on the highway doing wheelies all the time. A helmet can only do so much. When you start to get grey in the hair and prove your a reponsible rider, thats when your insurance goes down. The bikes are to fast and just as easy to lose control of for insurance to go down. Motorcyclists will fight tooth and nail over both the helmet and loud exhaust issues. Search for a loud exhaust or helmet question and you'll see what I'm talking about. When the troops are jumping ship it's hard to put up a good fight.

Answer 3

Reason why motorcycles cost more insurance wise : nothing around them to protect the driver if theres an accident. Its either likely that the driver of the bike will die or be seriously injured - hence hospitalization costs.
Im not saying all motorcycle drivers are bad drivers, but from the many ive seen around here - well, lets say Death is hovering overhead - with them weaving in and out and speeding , its a matter of time.
Its also a fact here, with a large deposit, you can drive with no helmit - that also lowers your chance of surviving a crash.

Answer 4

I pray to god that Tom B was being sarcastic in his assesment that the government is an entity that needs to meddle in whats good or bad for me and if thats true maybe I could opt to be taxed at a higher rate in exchange for them leaving me the hell alone about my lack of a helmet and loud pipes and as for his point about pollution going after coorporate beef feed lots would be far more effective than targeting the 3 or 4 bikers on a 200 mile stretch of highway besides if my skull is crushed in an accident Im done and will cost the world nothing however if I happen to be wearing an approved but ineffective helmet and only become a vegitable then all of you good and loving tax payers will be taxed with the burden of my care and feeding in closing let me just say that I am against Goverment intrusion into my personal life in any form even under the giuse of protecting me from me .

Answer 5

On the helmet issue, I agree, but on noise, I disagree, here's why:

If a person is not wearing a helmet, they are not disturbing anyone else, point and fact!

A person running around with loud pipes, is disturbing everyone closeby, and it is not right to disrupt another person on the road, listening to their favorite song on the radio, or even bother them using their phone for an important call. I do not like loud pipes, and I think the only true reason people run them is to announce their presence for vanity reasons. My bike is quiet, even downright silent, and I prefer it that way. I get enough attention as I am, and I don't need anyone's approval.

Too many bikers are out there trying to show their badass status, like peacocks showing their plumage, instead of enjoying their bikes, and riding.

Also, on loud pipes, according to the people who run them, they should see a discount in their insurance for being more noticable, which is nonsense.

Answer 6

I think we should offer the same for motorcycle insurance. But many friends i meet on a site called bikerkiss have the different opinion with me.

Answer 7

Translation of the commercial:
"We'll charge you less if you do what you are already supposed to instead of being like everyone else."

Or, "We'll charge less if you obey the existing laws."

The thing is, these laws that exist concern control of your vehicle. Neither helmets nor exhaust fall in that category.

Answer 8

Not unless being independently wealthy, self sufficient, or maybe even retired. Who knows? You don't indicate where you live.. last time I looked, it is not a crime to be able to support yourself without a job. I don't work. Maybe I should be looking for the politically correct police to come after ME.

Answer 9

Insurance is a joke anyway the whole system should be revanped it should be opional if you dont have it and crash your responsible for it your insurance should cover your car and the people in it and thats it

Answer 10

helmet laws are there to protect you, government knows whats best for you, government wants all motorcycle riders to be safe so they can continue to work and pay taxes.
emission laws are going to be stickily enforced on motorcycles, cause motorcycle exhaust gases contribute to global warming, all new motorcycles must pass a new lower emission compliance and some require catalytic converters that are part of the muffler system, removing the exhaust and installing aftermarket pipes will be illegal