After the long, dull winter, it’s finally time to start getting ready for summer fun! You’re probably already daydreaming about days spent on the water or cruising the open highway on your way to a sunny destination, and we’re right there with you! Before you go, though, it’s good to make sure that you’ve got proper coverage in place, so that you can really relax knowing that your boat, car, RV, or whatever vehicle you’ve got is well protected. Here’s a crash course in insurance coverage for some of the most common summertime vehicles. Shopping for a new toy this summer? Don’t hesitate to contact us for a quote!
Boat Insurance
Some people assume that your boat is covered under your homeowner’s insurance, but that’s actually a bit of a gray area. In most cases, you’ll get only very limited coverage for a boat, and larger boats are required to have their own insurance (the size limits vary from state to state, but if it has a motor, it probably needs insurance). Boat insurance or personal watercraft insurance (PWC) can help in cases of damage or theft, as well as covering personal property (like fishing equipment or phones that may be damaged or lost if the boat sinks) and liability for accidents. In some cases, you may or may not have uninsured boater coverage for accidents involving other boaters who don’t have insurance, and hurricane coverage, which is especially good to have if you live in the eastern or southeastern U.S.
Jet Ski Insurance
Jet Skis usually fall under the umbrella of PWC insurance, and while it isn’t required by law in most places, it is a very good idea to have. A Jet Ski (or any similar vehicle like a Wave runner) is a high speed, high risk vehicle, making both property and liability coverage important to have, as well as theft coverage. Some things you should definitely ask about your policy are if it covers the trailer for transporting the Jet Ski, if it includes coverage for uninsured motorists or boaters, and if you’re still covered if someone else besides you is operating your Jet Ski at the time of an accident.
Motorcycle Insurance
Nearly all states in the U.S. require motorcycle insurance by law. Most insurance plans will offer collision coverage, comprehensive coverage for non-collision damage and theft, and possibly medical coverage and personal injury protection, both of which are good to have since (like Jet Skis) riding a motorcycle has a fair bit of inherent risk involved. Some other common options that might be worth asking about are things like trip interruption coverage and transport trailer coverage.
RV Insurance
Nothing beats a road trip in an RV! You get the total simplicity of knowing that no matter where you go, you’re bringing all the comforts of home along with you. RV insurance, however, can be a bit more complicated, starting with whether you even need it or not. Any RV that is driven by itself does need insurance in almost all states, but some RVs that are towed might not. However, if you’re taking out a loan in order to buy your home away from home, it’s likely that your lender will require you to have physical damage coverage. Collision coverage and comprehensive coverage are also usually found in basic RV insurance policies.
Sports Car Insurance
When you’re tearing up the road in a sleek, fast sports car, you’re probably not thinking about how dangerous it is compared to any other type of vehicle; you’re just loving the thrill. Your insurance provider, on the other hand, has to think about it, which is the reason that insurance for sports cars is almost always higher than other types of auto insurance. Whether the assumption is fair or not, sports cars are widely associated with speeding and other risky driving behaviors, and they also have a higher intrinsic value than other types of cars, all of which totals up to higher premiums. Aside from this, however, sports car insurance will mostly resemble any other type of auto insurance, and standard policies will include things like collision coverage, comprehensive coverage, property damage coverage, bodily injury coverage, and uninsured motorist protection.
While this is a lot of information to juggle, once you’re out there enjoying fun in the sun you’ll be glad you took the time to get your insurance in order! Nothing gives you the peace of mind you need to relax like knowing that you’re covered just in case. Enjoy the summer!
