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.

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