Insurance Issues

From the start, insurance companies do not see motorcyclists as responsible motorists. Companies tend to buy into unfair stereotypes that paint riders as reckless thrill-seekers who choose to ride a motorcycle because it is “cool” and “dangerous.” As any rider can tell you, this is not the case. We are motorists just like everyone else in that we want to get from point A to point B safely, but on a motorcycle, the journey is frequently more important than the destination.

Most motorcycle riders have a heightened appreciation for the potential risks that a motorcyclist faces that a “box” driver never thinks about or, more often than not, thinks the motorcyclist doesn’t think about. A “box“ driver may say to themselves as they pass a motorcyclist, “ that looks like fun, but it is just too dangerous. They must be a fool to drive one of those.” They fail to realize that the motorcyclist knows it is dangerous, primarily because the “box” drive is not paying attention.

The motorcyclist, most of the time, only needs the car/bus/truck driver to be as thoughtful and focused while driving as the motorcyclist is while on the road. Insurance companies play to the car driver’s stereotype.

Jason Taylor often comments that when he is picking a jury in a motorcycle case, he knows the other side will get rid of the bikers on the jury. Before they can do that, he questions them about how they ride their motorcycle versus driving their cars/trucks. He uses these stories to educate the jurors who don’t ride motorcycles. At the end of the trial, when the actual jury is non-bikers, Jason reminds them of what the folks who had sat next to them said and why they are no longer on the jury. The defense doesn’t want you to think like a biker because you would know what happened and who is at fault if you did. The insurance wants to write an insurance policy, but they don’t want you to use it. They don’t want to pay a claim, and they fight you over everything from the depreciation of your bike to the severity and value of the injuries you suffered.

Our North Carolina & South Carolina motorcycle accident attorneys work fast to dismantle any insurance company objections rooted in stereotypical ideas of a motorcyclist. Using our personal experiences, we can anticipate what they will say or do and what needs to be done in response.