Motorcycle Tire Safety

If you want to ride a motorcycle, then you need to know about tire safety. The only thing between you and total disaster on a motorcycle is the tires so make yourself an expert on them real quick.

For optimum performance and fuel economy, make sure your tires are not over inflated or under inflated. Keep a tire pressure gauge with you every time you go for a ride on your motorcycle. Adequate tire tread not only ensures tire integrity, it allows water to be channeled away from the contact patch, which helps maintain grip under wet conditions.  Using a quarter, ensure that when placed within the tread groove, the top of the tire does not extend below the top of Washington’s head.  If tread depth is 1-2mm it is time to replace your tires.  Wear on one side of the tread or flat spots in the tread may indicate a problem with the tire or vehicle.

Don’t overload your bike! It can place stress on the tires and cause poor handling and gas mileage, and get your wheels properly mounted and aligned. Improper mounting can cause accidents.

New tires should not be run at high speeds, or pushed into leans or hard cornering until after 100 miles. The most common motorcycle breakdown is for tire damage. Inspect your tires for excessive or uneven wear. Bald tires can cause skidding or blow outs. Motorcycle tires are often designed with reinforcements aimed at minimizing centrifugal growth. Check your motorcycle wheels and tires any time you experience an unusually bumpy ride (potholes, rocks, etc. It’s easier to check motorcycle wheels if you raise your bike using a lift or a center stand.

If you put in a claim against your NY motorcycle insurance policy because you wrecked your bike and it was due to negligent care and unusual wear and tear from it, your insurance claim may be denied as well.

Life Jackets

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Like them or not, they are a must when boating. You may remember when you applied for your boat insurance in NY, the question “are life jackets kept on board?” You may have also seen people get ticketed on the waters for boating without them.

Life jackets are designed to protect persons in the unexpected event of a water accident, and lets face it, accidents happen all the time. That’s why we carry insurance. Life jackets also help your body retain heat if you should fall into cold water.  Life jackets, vests, and life preservers never should substitute for good judgment and adult supervision. That will almost guarantee an accident. When boating, make sure you always have enough life jackets on board for every passenger.

Life jackets, of course, must always be worn by toddlers on deck, or anyone that can not swim at all. Believe it or not, they even make life jackets and vests for your pets now.

Life jackets should be tested for wear and tear at least once per year, and stored out of direct sun light.

Staged Accidents

According to a report from the National Insurance Crime Bureau, the number of staged car insurance claims has risen in recent years. This always seems to be the case when nationwide economic hardship is on the rise. Questionable claims are up 46% from 2007 through 2009.

While New York is usually the state with the highest amount of fraudulent insurance claims, this time it is not isolated to our little corner of the world. In fact, fraud is up significantly nationwide and other countries as well.  The Insurance Bureau of Canada estimates that insurance fraud is now costing policy holders and insurance companies billions.

Insurance fraud can be a serious issue that raises rates for everyone  and some states are aiming to battle the bulge.

Everyone’s auto premiums rise because insurance companies have to pass the costs of bogus claims onto their policyholders, don’t forget, they are a business and need to make money. If wholesale prices rise, retailers like grocery stores pass that cost down to the consumer. So don’t blame your insurance company for rate increases. Another reason why premiums can go up because of fraud is because each year insurance companies spend millions of dollars guarding themselves against misleading car accident claims. Not just any accident, but a carefully orchestrated and scripted accident where you become the victim of a scheme to dupe your insurance company out of thousands of dollars. Often these accidents are staged by organized crime rings that bilk hundreds of unsuspecting drivers. In NY taxi drivers have some of the highest insurance coverage requirements and subsequently the highest premiums. That cost gets passed down to the passenger and voila, you cant take a taxi anywhere with paying through the nose now.

If you think you’ve witnessed a scam or are being scammed, contact you insurance provider immediately. Insurance companies and state insurance departments have SIU’s (special investigation units) set up specifically to combat insurance fraud.

Hudson Valley Agents is an insurance agency that has helped battle insurance fraud many times over the last twenty two years, and also offers some of the most competitive low cost NY insurance rates available.