ACC won't cover motorbike accidents in future

**Ixion** · 10th July 2009, 18:36

Yes. it is full accident cover. BUT - the price the insurer must pay (and thus you must pay) is much reduced because ACC will pay the first whack. Your insurer will pick up the tab if ACC won't pay for some reason (very very unlikely). I would be enormously surprised (though I'll leave it to someone in the industry to comment) if there were any personal accident policy in NZ that did not invoke ACC cover as a first call. Go read the policy . i bet you find such a clause.

**NighthawkNZ:Me** · 10th July 2009, 18:40

Originally Posted by Ixion

Yes. it is full accident cover. BUT - the price the insurer must pay (and thus you must pay) is much reduced because ACC will pay the first whack. Your insurer will pick up the tab if ACC won't pay for some reason (very very unlikely). I would be enormously surprised (though I'll leave it to someone in the industry to comment) if there were any personal accident policy in NZ that did not invoke ACC cover as a first call. Go read the policy . i bet you find such a clause.

if thats what you want to think what ever...

but no...

**klingon** · 10th July 2009, 18:42

Originally Posted by monkeymcbean

Scenario: The now elected Government cans ACC as it is to expensive and forces people to take out private health insurance. (there has been mutterings in government for this to happen!)

Private Health Insurancers make a stance that Motorbike accidents will not be covered by them as to the high accident rate.

If this ever did happen, would you still ride your bike knowing you would have to foot the bills if you came off and had to pay for medical costs out of your own pocket?

So just to recap...

ACC won't pay
Private insurance won't pay.

I would keep riding.

If ACC was cancelled and replaced with private insurance, then we would regain the right to sue (which we lost when we accepted ACC). Therefore I would continue riding, and if I was injured I would sue the person or organisation who was at fault for my injury.

In my riding career of three years, I have been knocked off my bike twice. Once I was hit when I stopped for a stop sign (broken ribs, concussion, bruising). In the case of no ACC I would have sued the driver who hit me.

More recently I was the pillion, and the bike was knocked over by someone flinging his door open into traffic (minor bruising didn't need any medical treatment, therefore no ACC involved). If I had required treatment, and there was no ACC, I would have sued him.

Easy decision for me.

**Ixion** · 10th July 2009, 18:49

Originally Posted by NighthawkNZ

if thats what you want to think what ever...

but no...

If indeed you have discovered an insurer that insures you without an ACC component (and it would have to be an overseas insurer), then they would be in fairly serious breach of NZ law

The Injury Prevention, Rehabilitation and Compensation Act 2001 states

S123 Entitlements inalienable
(1) All entitlements are absolutely inalienable, whether by way of, or in accordance with, a sale, assignment, charge, execution, bankruptcy, or otherwise.

Cover under the Act is absolutely inalienable. Whether you like it or not, you ARE covered by ACC. And your insurers (not being idiots) WILL be taking advantage of that fact , and assessing premiums accordingly

What you are suggesting is simply legally impossible.

**Molly** · 10th July 2009, 18:49

I can't believe how few questions you're asked when buying car / motorbike insurance in NZ. Any move away from ACC and towards compulsory insurance would be good in my book. I'm an old fart, clean-ish licence, and have one of those safe, boring jobs. I'd expect to be paying less than I am now (assuming they did away with the ACC bit).

Also, if I could sue contractors for leaving gravel all over the road then maybe they'd f'kin' clean up after themselves.

**Ixion** · 10th July 2009, 18:53

Originally Posted by Molly

I can't believe how few questions you're asked when buying car / motorbike insurance in NZ. Any move away from ACC and towards compulsory insurance would be good in my book. I'm an old fart, clean-ish licence, and have one of those safe, boring jobs. I'd expect to be paying less than I am now (assuming they did away with the ACC bit).

I bet you wouldn't be paying less. Can you provide ONE example of a Western country with lower rates for personal injury insurance that covers motorcycling than ACC charge

I expect you are a Pom. So, how much did insurance cost you back in Pomgolia - adjusted for inflation etc ?

ACC has its faults , many and manifold. But it is remarkably good value.

**slofox** · 10th July 2009, 18:57

The thing to remember about private insurance of any sort, is that the company is there to make a profit. So when it comes to health insurance, the company wants to take in more money than it pays out.
If you have above average health, your premium will put more into the company than you will take out, so in that respect, private health insurance is a bad investment for you.
If you have below average health the opposite case applies - health insurance is worth it for you.
Course the trouble is, it's not always easy to know what is going to happen to your "above average" health as you age...I was always super fit and healthy when younger. Now that the years are accumulating, all the degenerative things are starting to happen; bits fall off, don't work so well, need a bump start etc etc etc. So I could use health insurance now but it's too friggin late because now everything is an "existing condition" and will therefore not be covered. They'll get you every time. To profit from being insured, you need bloody bad luck.
Just in case you're wondering, yes, I do have the bike insured, along with the cage, house, contents, business etc etc etc. But no life or health insurance.

**Owl** · 10th July 2009, 19:02

Originally Posted by p.dath

monkeymcbean just said that no insurance company would cover you because of the risk. You can not sort your own private insurance as a result.

So if you have a near fatal accident, you either get your visa card out if the ambulance arrives, or lie there to die.

So he did!

One option closes, another will open I'm sure. Either way I wouldn't stop riding!

**Molly** · 10th July 2009, 19:02

Originally Posted by Ixion

I bet you wouldn't be paying less. Can you provide ONE example of a Western country with lower rates for personal injury insurance that covers motorcycling than ACC charge

I expect you are a Pom. So, how much did insurance cost you back in Pomgolia - adjusted for inflation etc ?

ACC has its faults , many and manifold. But it is remarkably good value.

You may be right but comparisons with overseas are fraught with problems (fluctuating exchange rates, differing salaries and the cost of living). I just feel a 'blanket' payment to ACC lacks sophistication and I don't have any control over it - can't shop around.

I'm certainly not bitching about riding in NZ by the way. It just doesn't get any better.

**NinjaNanna** · 10th July 2009, 19:07

Originally Posted by Molly

Any move away from ACC and towards compulsory insurance would be good in my book. I'm an old fart, clean-ish licence, and have one of those safe, boring jobs. I'd expect to be paying less than I am now (assuming they did away with the ACC bit).

Not if Australia is anything to go by. Registration is bloody cheap here in comparision.

**Molly** · 10th July 2009, 19:48

In Oz to you pay the same country-wide or does it vary from state to state? Also, what does it cost?

**Brownstoo** · 10th July 2009, 20:03

Fuck yeah I'd keep riding. I have got health/life insurance but I'm not sure what it covers because it's still under my parents...

**Pedrostt500** · 10th July 2009, 20:25

I Will keep riding if ACC and private insurance won't cover me, then they have given me back the right to heavily sue if I am not the Cause of the accident.
ACC was set up so that we would not be using the court system to recover the costs of accidents, that is my take on it.