Motorcycle Safety

You're no kid and that's no 10-speed. To stay safe, you need complete command of your machine and the best safety gear you can get. We also have some helpful tips to keep in mind as you're heading for the highway.

Be Prepared and Protected

• New Gear? Update Your Policy
  Your Safeco motorcycle policy covers up to $3,000 in custom parts and equipment—but you have to make sure each piece of equipment is listed on your policy. Any time you buy new leathers or safety equipment or customize your bike, update our customer care professionals before you head out on the highway.
• Training saves
  One out of four motorcycle drivers involved in fatal crashes in 2006 were driving with invalid licenses.* Safeco offers discounts to riders who attend the Motorcycle Safety Foundation's safe riding courses or are active in one of 10 approved groups that promote safe riding. Do both those things and you can reduce your premium by up to 10 percent.
• No one's too old to wear a helmet
  A motorcycle rider not wearing a helmet is forty percent more likely to sustain a fatal head injury in a crash than a rider without a helmet.* A National Highway Traffic Safety Administration study reports that "helmets saved 1,658 motorcyclists' lives in 2006, and that 752 more could have been saved if all motorcyclists had worn helmets."* Buy a full-face helmet for the best protection for your head and eyes. Wear other protective gear as well: heavy leather or synthetic gloves, long pants and jacket, and over-the-ankle leather boots.
• In a crash, the SUV wins
  When cars and motorcycles collide, it's usually because the driver of the car failed to see the cyclist. With more SUVs on the road, it's even more critical to take extra steps to become more visible. Use your headlamps—both night and day—and wear yellow, red or orange jackets to make yourself easy to see. Make a point of positioning yourself in your lane for visibility.
• Ride sober
  Driving impaired is more deadly for cyclers than other drivers. In fact, more than half of all motorcycle deaths occur when the rider has been drinking.*

* Source: NHTSA's 2006 Traffic Safety report on Motorcycles.