How your work affects motorbike insurance?
Do you know why work is an important factor for an insurer? Let’s find out why.
Using Your Motorbike For Work
Many people use their motorbike for work mainly because of the advantages it offers. Motorbikes are usually less costly to operate than a car. They can sometimes perform better than other modes of transportation since they can help you avoid morning traffic, so you can get to your destination faster.
If you ride your motorbike to work every day or if it’s an important part of your career, it’s crucial that you find the right motorbike insurance to cover your needs.
Key Points
- Even if you only use your motorbike to commute to work, your premium is likely to be affected by your job.
- You must be very specific about what you use your bike for, particularly if you’re a courier or delivery driver. This is because the insurer will have to consider the products you’re carrying as well as you, your bike, and third parties.
- It is your employer’s obligation to check that you have the right level of insurance if you use your motorbike for work.
What Are Categories of Bike Use?
One way to find the best motorbike insurance for you is to know and understand the different categories when it comes to classifying how you use your motorbike. Your insurance must know exactly how you use your bike. If you give the wrong information, they could refuse to pay out when you need to make a claim.
- Social, domestic, and pleasure – This is when you use your motorbike exclusively for social purposes and not for commuting to work. For instance, taking a ride with friends or going shopping.
- Commuting – You can use your bike for social, domestic, and entertainment activities purposes as well as to drive to one fixed work location daily.
- Business use – This is valid for every work-related destination, including training courses and bank visits. You need to insure your motorbike for business use if you ride it to several locations for work. If you don’t tell your insurer about your trip, even if it’s a one-time trip and you normally only fly to one place of work, your insurance can be invalidated. If your career requires you to travel more, notify your insurance company right away to get your policy updated.
- Courier and delivery – This is when you deliver or pick up goods on your motorbike. Many insurers would recognize jobs like door-to-door sales as part of this category, even though you aren’t bringing the products you’re selling.
How Does Your Job Affect Your Premium?
Even if you only use your motorbike to commute to work, your premium is likely to be affected by your job. This is because insurers measure the risk associated with each occupation using data from previous claims submitted by similar jobs.
For example, if you are a delivery driver, you are likely to be on the road during busy times, increasing your risk of being in a traffic accident. Therefore, your job is very important for insurers if you use it for work.
It is vital that you are clear about what you use your motorbike for, especially if it’s an essential part of your job.
No matter what you do or what your work is, you must let your insurer know because if you do not tell them, your insurance policy can be invalidated.
What Are Your Employer’s Responsibility?
If the motorbike is your own personal vehicle, then you are responsible for it and its insurance. However, if you’re using it for work, your employer has to be aware of the type of bike you use and whether it’s safe to ride or not. It is also their obligation to check that you have the right level of insurance. However, the liability for choosing and maintaining the right motorbike insurance policy is with you as the policyholder, not the employer.
If the motorbike is your own personal vehicle, then you are responsible for it and its insurance, even if you use it for work.
How to Secure Your Motorbike at Work?
If you ride your bike to work, make sure any monitoring devices you have on your motorbike, such as a tracker, alarm, or immobiliser, are turned on any time you leave your bike unattended. Ensure you aren’t parked too close to other vehicles and that the bike is visible from any CCTV cameras.
You may ask your boss if you can use a locked car park or garage or if you can have a ground anchor installed to lock your bike. When leaving your bike parked at work, take precautions to reduce the risk of injury, vandalism, and theft to keep your bike safe and your insurance rates low.
Can You Carry Your Colleagues As Pillion Passengers?
If you have a pillion rider or someone who rides behind you on the motorbike as a passenger, you must ensure that they are protected by your motorbike insurance policy.
You can only ask passengers to contribute against fuel and other operating costs if you’re providing a lift share. If you ask for more, insurers can infer that you’re running a ‘hire and reward’ taxi service.