I posted this some place but cant find it.
My question is: Have any of you ever heard of an Insurance NOT paying off on a death or injury because the rider was wearing a "novelty Helmet" instead of a DOT helmet?
thanks
Carl

 

I don't know, but if I'm injured in my company car and I'm not wearing a seatbealt the insurance only pays 50%.

 

I too would that answer. I ride with a non DOT hat and always wondered What If?

Steve

 

Your insurance company can and will do everything it can to deny your claim. Wearing a novelty helmet in a state that requires DOT helmets is no different than not wearing a helmet. They can deny your claim. Similarly, most insurers won't cover you if you're riding without a motorcycle endorsement on your license.

 

I have often wondered about this. I guess the best way to find out would be to call your insurance company.
For me, I only carry Liability on my bike, so if I'm injured in an accident which I cause it's my health insurance or life insurance that will cover me, not my auto/bike insurance. If caused by another, it's their ins.

Now, some things to think about. Not wearing a DOT helmet is a safety issue. It's a small violation and is basically a fix-it ticket.

So,

- If I am in an accident in my car with tinted windows, does insurance pay? Yes

- If I'm injured in an accident and not wearing my seat belt, does insurance pay? Yes. My father was hospitalized this way. The other persons ins paid for hospital bills, pain & suffering, and totalled value of his car. No issue in the fact that he was not wearing a seat belt.

- If a person is struck by a car while illegaly j-walking, will insurance cover? I'm pretty sure they will.

- If your truck is illegaly modified, Jacked to the sky or slammed to the ground, does this cause a problem with personal injury claims? I donno.

I'm not trying to say they will cover you if not wearing a DOT helmet. These are just the things I think of whenever I wonder the same thing. As I said, I guess it'd be best to call your insurance.

 

Life insurance may not, but I do not think it would affect the motorcycle medical coverage, which does not cover your life, but medical bills as a result of an accident. I can pull out the coverage and look tonight.

Sounds like you are taking about a life insurance policy. If so, and the rider is breaking the local law law by not wearing a required helmet in the state they are in, then there is most likely an exclusion on a life insurance policy. If the insurance company can show that the death was in part or whole a result of the law breaking offense. Same thing as dying from cocaine over dose or while robbing a bank, etc.

Okay, enough insurance jargon for one day!

 

I haven't looked closely at my Progressive policy, but I can tell you that my Liberty Mutual policy specifically said that you weren't covered without an endorsement or a DOT helmet in DOT states. I've been told that the endorsement exclusion is pretty much universal. Don't know about the helmet one.

Remember, insurance companies don't make money when they pay out claims, and they'll do whatever they can to get out of paying.

 

Ok, so where do we get those DOT stickers for the back....

 

Hey, don't like it, don't buy the policy. Go to another company. If they paid for all risks, no one would be able to afford insurance and we would be in a true socialist society.

 

Who said anything about me not liking it? It just is what it is. Insurance is a racket, and in a mandatory insurance state like Maryland, you're forced to buy into it. I won't ride without a helmet, and I have an endorsement, so I'm covered. I was just answering the OP's question with my experience.