SEATTLE - Whether you drive a car, a truck or SUV, state law says you must have insurance. So why doesn't the same law apply to people who drive motorcycles?
A Seattle woman whose car was recently broadsided when a motorcyclist ran a red light was shocked to learn the motorcycle driver was not required to carry insurance. The damage to her car was in the thousands.
Motorcycle crashes are becoming almost daily occurrences across the country many with fatal results, partly because of the sheer number of motorcycles on the road today.
Latest sales figures from the Insurance Information Institute show the highest level of sales in 30 years. 1.1 million motorcycles sold in 2004, the latest statistics available.
That same year, there were 88,000 motorcycle crashes. While there are still many crashes that only involved the motorcycle, more and more collisions involve other vehicles.
In some cases a car or truck driver fails to yield right-of-way to, or even see the motorcyclist. Sometimes the motorcycle driver is at fault.
But according to my review of state insurance requirements, including a nationwide tally by the American Motorcyclist Association, Washington is the only state with no mandatory motorcycle insurance law. Motorcycles here are legally exempt.
As a result, if your car is damaged in a crash with a motorcyclist and it's the motorcycle driver's fault, you're essentially on your own, unless that motorcycle driver purchased insurance coverage voluntarily.
You're only options will be to file a claim against the uninsured motorists section of your own policy -- or sue the motorcycle owner if they don't pay out of their own pocket.
Motorcycle riders, insurance companies and state law makers all point out the answer is not as cut and dried as simply passing a new law.
The long standing argument has been motorcycle insurance would be cost-prohibitive for many people.
In testimony last year for a bill to make motorcycle insurance mandatory, opponents argued many motorcycle owners cannot afford insurance, especially for less expensive motorcycles.
Washington Road Riders Association Vice President Larry Walker says there's also concern motorcycle riders would be charged unfairly for premiums.
Even with mandatory insurance laws for cars and trucks, some 12 to 18 percent of all vehicles that are required to be insured in this state are being driven without insurance.
"The purpose of insurance is to protect your own assets," said Karl Newman of the Washington Insurance Council. "That's why it's so important that you motorists carry adequate coverage for uninsured or under-insured motorists."
Opponents of a mandatory law for motorcycles also point out that motorcycle drivers are usually the ones who get the the worst of it in a crash because the bikes offer so little protection from impact.
Insurance companies and the State Department of Licensing also argue that current financial responsibility statutes which require all motorists- including motorcyclists- to meet minimum financial requirements and establish proof of financial responsibility.
"An efficiently administered financial responsibility or safety responsibility law can be as effective as a compulsory or mandatory insurance law," said one insurance company spokeswoman.
Problem is, there's no real enforcement of the financial responsibility statue where motorcyclists are involved. There's no way for officers to determine if a motorcyclist is financially responsible, because they're not required to carry proof.
Last year's effort to establish mandatory insurance for motorcycles in this state didn't even make it out of committee. Senate Bill 5468 was sponsored by Senator Darlene Fairley of Lake Forest Park. When asked why the bill was shut down so quickly, a staffer said no one showed up to testify in support.
The lack of support for the proposal pretty much sends a message that the general public either doesn't know, or doesn't see the need for change.
http://dol.wa.gov/driverslicense/insurance.html
http://aps/leg.wa.gov/RCW/default.aspx?cite=46.30.020
SEATTLE - 101 days.
The Washington State Legislature gavels back into existance on January 8th next year.
I know.
That still a ways away, but I'm hoping a boot in the butt now may get something kick-started.
Motorcycle insurance.
Like a lot of people I was unaware that Washington is the only state in the country that doesn't have a mandatory insurance law.
Now, far be it for me to come across as sarcastic, but I can't believe our esteemed lawmakers have let this slide.
I mean, here we've got a busy-body group of legislators that has otherwise inundated us with a whole host of "nanny government" laws, from "Click it or Ticket", to making it illegal to play a game of internet poker in the comfort of our own home.
But when it comes to mandatory insurance for motorcycles, we're left hanging.
And the reasons we've been left hanging border on the absurd.
Arguments like: Premiums for motorcycle insurance might be too high, or that some motorcycle owners just can't afford to pay for insurance.
What a load of you-know-what!
Would those reasons get anyone out from under having to carry car insurance?
I don't know about you, but I'm not too keen on continuing to pick up the bill for two wheeling freeloaders.
101 days.
Let's get this fixed.