By David Neville, Esq.

No one has ever accused me of being a shill for insurance companies. Further, I am not trying to make money for the gecko or Flo. That being said, if there is one bit of information I want this column to impart to any biker reading it… it is this: PLEASE CARRY UNINSURED MOTORIST COVERAGE ON YOUR MOTORCYCLE. If I were your third grade school teacher, I would make you write it 100 times on the chalkboard.

In this or any economy, you cannot trust people you don’t know to spend money they may or may not have to protect YOU. YOU MUST take control of YOUR own life and destiny

I hate to punch people in the face with real life examples, but off the top of my head I have two. Both situations involved caged drivers at intersections. In each case, the car had no bodily injury coverage (which is insurance coverage drivers should buy to protect others they may carelessly injure – Bodily Injury coverage is not required by Florida Law). In both cases, the biker had no Uninsured Motorist coverage (which is insurance coverage drivers should buy to protect themselves in case they are carelessly injured by another driver – Uninsured Motorist coverage is also not required by Florida Law). Thankfully, both bikers survived the accidents. After long uphill battles, thankfully, both bikers made nearly full recoveries. The bikers each had tens of thousands of dollars in medical bills they could not pay. The bikers were sent to collections by doctors and hospitals. The bikers each had their credit ruined. And both bikers KNEW they should have had Uninsured Motorist coverage, and both bikers MEANT to get Uninsured Motorist coverage prior to their accidents. If they had carried Uninsured Motorist coverage, like they MEANT to, there would not have been such a financial burden after the crash.

Don’t let this situation happen to you. As I said, YOU MUST take control of YOUR life and destiny. If you ride a motorcycle in Florida, and you choose not to carry Uninsured Motorist Coverage, then YOU are gambling with your financial future. A 2009 study released by the Insurance Research Council estimated that 23% of Floridians are uninsured, and estimated that soon, as many as 1 in 6 drivers nationally will be uninsured. In Florida, YOU are ultimately responsible for paying YOUR own medical bills, even if the accident was not your fault. Unfortunately, we can not choose who carelessly hits us.

In conclusion, if you are going to gamble, DO NOT bet your financial future by riding under-insured. Place a bet that will pay off for you. GET UNINSURED MOTORIST COVERAGE ON YOUR MOTORCYCLE.