Do You Need Insurance in the Winter?

27 May 2015 by Elijah Steward

As the winter season approaches, you might have unique needs when it comes to insurance. While you may not need insurance for a vehicle you don't use in the cold season, you should add insurance for other vehicles. Here is what you should know about insurance in the winter for different types of vehicles.

Car Insurance

The first type of insurance you may need winter insurance coverage for is with your car. You need car insurance year-round, so you will be adding to the coverage during the winter months. What you want to do is consider what your new risks are during the winter that you don't necessarily have for the rest of the year.

For example, if your regular car insurance coverage does not include roadside assistance, now is the time to add it. You may be at a higher risk for getting stuck in a snow pile or ditch due to the weather, so it is a good idea to have this. You should also consider adding collision coverage since you are at a greater risk of getting into an accident from the snow or ice.

Boat Insurance

On the other hand, usually the boat insurance plan is deactivated during the winter. If you live somewhere that experiences extremely low temperatures, you won't be able to drive your boat for the majority of the winter. Contact your insurance company to determine if you can put a hold on your policy. Of course if you live somewhere that doesn't have a lake freezing over, there may still be a need for your boat and insurance. In this case, find out if there are other types of coverage you can add for a few months to give you extra protection from winter-related accidents. You may also find that your deductible changes during the winter since your boat has more risk of accidents.

Motorcycle Insurance

Similar to when you have a boat, you first need to decide if you can ride your motorcycle in the winter. There are a few changes you can make to your insurance policy during the winter. The first thing you might want to do is raise your deductible. Since you might not be driving it as often, this can lower your monthly premiums. The out-of-pocket expenses won't be much since you might be barely riding the bike. You can also deactivate extras from your insurance policy when you aren't riding your motorcycle, such as collision coverage or medical coverage. Since canceling your policy might come with penalties, it helps to at least have liability but to cancel all extras from your policy when you aren't using your motorcycle.

For more information on car insurance, talk to a professional like TLC Associates.

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