Wearing a helmet when riding a motorcycle, regardless of whether state law dictates it or not, is a smart practice. While it won’t directly affect your insurance rate, it can affect it indirectly. Just as you shouldn’t need a state law to tell you it is smart to wear a helmet, you don’t need to save on your insurance to realize the proactive effect of protecting your premium.
How It Works
It is an unfortunate fact that a vast majority of motorcycle accidents result in traumatic injury or death. When wearing a properly designed helmet, a cyclist is less likely to suffer a head injury. Fewer head injuries mean fewer insurance claims for medical and personal injury expenses, and therefore over time, a continued lower premium.
The state of Florida allows motorcyclists to ride without a helmet as long as they are insured for at least $10,000 in medical benefits to cover injuries incurred as a result of a crash while operating or riding on a motorcycle. Florida law also requires motorcyclists 20 and younger to wear a helmet, but requirements vary from state to state. For example, if you’re planning to ride into another state such as Alabama, Georgia, North Carolina, or Mississippi it is important to know that all riders (regardless of age) are required to wear a helmet. But South Carolina, like Florida, requires only riders 20 and younger. Still, regardless of your age or which state you decide to drive your motorcycle through, you have to ask yourself, why NOT wear a helmet?
Types of Motorcycle Helmets
There are six types of motorcycle helmets:
- Full-face face helmets
- Modular (flip-up) helmets
- Open face (¾) helmets
- Off-road (dirt bike, motocross, or MX) helmets
- Dual-sport (crossover, ADV, hybrid, enduro) helmets
No matter which type of helmet you need or technological advancements like built-in Bluetooth, there are four essential components to safe helmets: an outer shell, a shock-absorbing inner shell, a padded layer for comfort, and a chin strap or other retention system.
Sizing a helmet properly is crucial to its safety effectiveness. Make sure to learn about sizing a helmet and try on different helmets and sizes before you buy one.
If you do find yourself in an accident, you’ll need several documents when securing an attorney. These include:
- Any police reports made a the time of the accident including witness statements
- Photographs of the scene where the accident took place
- The vehicles involved
- Your injuries
- Medical reports you might have that explain your injuries
- Records showing your normal wages and time lost from work due to the accident
Your insurance company is likely to require the same documents.
Saving on insurance is just a residual bonus of saving lives through proper motorcycling. Wearing proper gear including a helmet, learning to ride in adverse weather conditions, and serving your motorcycle properly will reduce the risk of accidents and decrease the severity of any accident that does occur.
Finding A Reliable Attorney with Experience
Choosing to wear a helmet saves both money and health in the long run. Still, motorcycle accidents are statistically likely to result in injury. At DRG Law Firm, we believe those insured should receive the compensation they are entitled to after a motorcycle accident, especially if it resulted in injury. We work closely with Miami residents and their insurance to understand what happened and collect as much evidence as possible to prove that you were not at fault. Call us today to schedule a FREE consultation.
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