Alaska Motorcycle Insurance Requirements

Alaska has several requirements for riding motorcycles, including insurance requirements. The requirements are for your safety while riding on public roads and off road. The State of Alaska also requires you to insure scooters and mopeds. While there is no law that states an insurance company cannot insure you if you do not follow safety regulations, it may not pay a claim or could drop you entirely if it is found that you did not follow the safety regulations and the breach contributed to the accident.

Safety Requirements for Riding in Alaska

The State of Alaska requires all riders under the age of 18 to wear a helmet; and requires all passengers, regardless of age, to wear a helmet. You must also wear a helmet of you have an instruction permit. Eye protection is required unless you have a windscreen that is 15 or more inches above the handlebars. Even if you have a tall enough windscreen, it is advisable to wear eye protection. A windscreen may not keep everything out of your eyes; and should a bug or piece of dust or dirt get into your eyes, it could cause you to lose control of your bike.

If you wish to carry a passenger, the bike must be equipped with a passenger seat and passenger foot pegs. Also, the law requires that motorcycles and other two-wheeled vehicles have two mirrors. In addition, the handlebars cannot be higher than 15 inches above the seat of the motorcycle or two-wheeled vehicle.

How Does Alaska Define a Two-Wheeled Vehicle?

The State of Alaska defines a two-wheeled vehicle as any vehicle with two or three wheels that has a motor, including mopeds, motorized scooters, motorcycles, anything with three wheels that is not classified as an ATV or a tractor. Any two-wheeled vehicle must be registered and insured — or you must otherwise provide financial responsibility — unless you live in an area that is exempt from these rules.

Establishing Financial Responsibility

The State of Alaska allows you to establish financial responsibility in three ways:

• Self insurance
• Posting a bond with the Department of Motor Vehicles
• Obtaining insurance

To post a bond or to self insure, you must submit a large sum of cash, so usually only dealers use these methods.

Minimum Insurance Requirements for Motorcycles

Should you choose to insure your motorcycle, you must purchase at least the minimum allowed limits. The limits are quite low, so depending on your financial responsibility and the type of motorcycle you have, you may want to increase the limits.

The minimum limits are:

• $50,000 for the injury or death of one person in any one accident
• $100,000 for the injury or death of two or more people in any one accident
• $25,000 for property damage in any one accident

You should shop around to find the best premium price for your motorcycle insurance, but because riding motorcycles is not common in Alaska, you may find, depending on your location within the state, that few insurance companies offer motorcycle insurance.

Penalties for Failure to Show Financial Responsibility

If you are caught riding without proof of insurance, you may get a ticket or get your license suspended. If you have insurance or other financial liability, but did not have proof with you when you were stopped or when you got into an accident, you may be able to avoid a fine if you can show proof of insurance or another type of proof of financial liability for that day. If you cannot show proof of insurance or proof of another type of financial liability, you will be required to obtain financial liability before you can rid the bike again.

Off Road Riding

If you want to ride off road, you must wear a helmet if you are under the age of 18. Eye protection is not required. The State of Alaska does not have a minimum age for driving an off-road motorcycle. It is advisable to wear a helmet and eye protection while riding off road, especially in a sporting event.