Insurers’ health tips to biking clientele

[Bob]

Insurance company Manitoba Public Insurance has put out the following set of safety tips to their biking customers for the Summer:

1. Slow down. Going too fast increases your risk of making a serious mistake and makes it harder to correct driving errors.

2. Make sure you're highly visible to other drivers. Wear bright-coloured clothing and keep your motorcycle's headlight on in daytime.

3. Wear a full-coverage helmet, boots and gloves and protective clothing such as leather Cordura.

4. If you're a new rider, don't carry passengers or heavy loads. They affect your cycle's balance, turning, braking and acceleration. Practice away from the street before riding with passengers or baggage.

Or of course, you could just stay in and not ride the bike!

[Posh Tourer :P]

It all reduces your chances of having to make a claim. So do they reduce premiums if you do all this? Or is it just a scheme to make sure they pay out less

(Don't take me seriously)

[Bob]

I will never, ever understand why insurers ask some of the questions.

Great example - my last place did not have a garage. This was a specific question. So when I moved - all of two miles away - to a place with a garage, I rang up my insurance broker to tell them, thinking I would get a discount.

"No mate, doesn't make any difference".

So if it isn't important, then WHY ASK ME IN THE FIRST PLACE?

[Jackrat]

I will never, ever understand why insurers ask some of the questions.

Great example - my last place did not have a garage. This was a specific question. So when I moved - all of two miles away - to a place with a garage, I rang up my insurance broker to tell them, thinking I would get a discount.

"No mate, doesn't make any difference".

So if it isn't important, then WHY ASK ME IN THE FIRST PLACE?

It's makes no difference to you/us but they will use it as an edge to try not paying out if the bike get's nicked and it wasn't locked in a garage.
They will claim you didn't take all care in keeping it secure.
I worked for an insurance Co' and have seen them do it.

[Bob]

I worked for an insurance (well reinsurance) broker before changing jobs, so I know what they're like!

I reckon any broker that has me for a client is relieved to get any work for me out of the way as a result! I know what they're like, so I tend to go in all guns blazing - when my GPZ was written off, I got the assessment from the dealer, 2nd opinion from the insurer's assessor, valuation of replacement bike agreed and cheque in my hand within three weeks!

That said, I did get details of every party involved - demanded assessor details from insurer etc. That way I could hammer them directly. Nothing like being a nuisance for getting your claim sorted quickly, so they get you off their backs.

Got to find a new broker at next renewal though - changed bike, quote was awful, so found a better one elsewhere. So gave current broker the chance to beat it - no surprise, they did. And then it went wrong from there.

Old insurer gave unlimited milage as standard. So nobody spotted the glaring error on their computer system that said I rode 3,000 miles a year or less! I have a 20 mile commute every day - something they knew! So up went the premium, up went my temper... and they paid the difference in premium.

Then they had me down as only riding one bike - never, ever told them that. And insurer only offers 'own bike' policies. So I'm unable to ride my wife's bike - which I sometimes need to do if it is going into the dealer and she is working on a Saturday.

So as I say, another insurer or broker is needed at renewal time!

Sigh - it really makes you want to