If you’re an off-road enthusiast, you already know that its on-the-edge aspects of risk and unpredictability are the things you appreciate most about the sport. In fact, unless the state in which you live insists upon it, the daredevil in you may see no reason to purchase off-road vehicle insurance. Nevertheless, that could be one chance you’re better off not taking.
Who Needs ATV Insurance
Although ATV insurance will afford protection for your own off-road vehicle, its value reaches much further than that. The truth is that an accident can harm much more than your own ATV, and the resulting expense can amount to far more than you bargained for. The unwelcome financial impact can come in the form of:
- Damage to someone else’s property. ATVs can collide with one another, and it can be all too easy to crash into some homeowner’s fence, run a ditch through his expensive lawn or take down his child’s cutting-edge swing set. When damages such as these occur, off-road insurance can carry the financial load.
- Injury to another individual. If you should accidentally hit a pedestrian while riding your off-road vehicle or a friend who takes it for a spin should hurt himself in the process, responsibility for their medical bills and costs will fall on no one’s shoulders but your own.
- Personal injury costs. Even when you’re doing everything by the book, the bad driving of an uninsured motorist may one day result in harm to you. A person with no medical insurance coverage will usually be unable to pay for your medical needs. If you have had the foresight to purchase uninsured- or underinsured-motorist coverage, however, it will take care of those bills for you.
In most locations, the law does not require the purchase of ATV insurance. The choice is up to you, but given the numerous ways in which an accident could happen, do you really want to be without it?
Types of Off-Road Vehicle Insurance
There are different types of ATV protection, and it’s important to select the one that suits your particular needs. If you ride only occasionally, basic coverage may be sufficient. If you are an avid enthusiast, though, you’ll need to purchase insurance with sufficient clout to absorb your higher risk for injury or property damage.
Fortunately, the addition of one or more off-road insurance options makes it easy to customize your coverage. Depending on your particular needs, you may choose to add:
- Liability coverage. if you are ever found to be at fault for having caused an accident, you’ll be glad to have purchased liability insurance. In addition to paying property damage, it will also assist in covering an injured party’s medical bills up to the limits you have chosen.
- Collision and comprehensive insurance. If you damage your ATV by rolling it over, hitting another vehicle or running it into an immovable object, collision coverage will assist in covering the cost of its repair or replacement. Comprehensive insurance, on the other hand, protects your off-road vehicle against such hazards as theft, fire and falling objects. If your vehicle should suffer a total loss, either collision or comprehensive can pay you its current cash value less your chosen deductible.
- Uninsured or underinsured motorist insurance. Injuries caused by a driver who lacks insurance could leave you holding the bag for exorbitant medical bills. Uninsured/underinsured motorist coverage will either pay the majority of these bills or make up the difference between your actual costs and what the underinsured driver is able to pay.
In addition to these usual add-ons, the conscientious off-road vehicle enthusiast may also wish to add coverage for medical payments, optional equipment and damage to a transport trailer.
Making the Decision
Unless your state insists upon it, the purchase of off-road insurance is optional. You may feel entirely able to cover harm to your ATV, purchase a new one if necessary or make good on someone else’s property damage or potentially exorbitant medical bills. However, if you would rather avoid such expenses, All Kinds of Insurance can help. By shopping many carriers, we can get you the off-road vehicle insurance you need at the price you want to pay. Call us at 702-534-4697 or click on Get a Quote to speak with a representative today.