If your motorcycle is not insured, it will be illegal to ride it on Maryland’s roads. Motorcycle owners are required to have liability insurance in order to prove that they have established financial responsibility should accident happen.

Two-Wheeled Vehicles

Scooters or mopeds do not need to be registered or insured. However, you must still possess the proper license to operate them.

• Scooters have no pedals and have an engine of 50 ccs or less and brake horsepower of 2.7 or less.
• A moped has pedals, a motor with1.5 brake horsepower or less; and an engine of 50 ccs or less.

Note: You may be able to get these insured as property instead. A motorcycle, which is defined as a two-wheeled or three-wheeled vehicle (not ATVs or tractors) with engines bigger than 70 ccs, must be registered and thus ensured. You can use it to insure your ride, save money on motorcycle insurance in the future, and receive instant quotes for auto insurance.

Motorcycle Insurance Requirements

The minimum amounts of liability insurance for all motorcycles are:

• Bodily injury: $20,000/person and $40,000/two people or more.
• Property damage: $15,000.
• Uninsured motorist coverage for the same amounts.

The state of Maryland also requires:

• Personal Injury Protection (PIP): $2,500 for medical expenses related to an accident for your passengers.

Helmet Requirements

You are not allowed to ride a motorcycle in Maryland without wearing a DOT Certified helmet, regardless of the amount of insurance you have. Also, you must wear proper eye protection in case your helmet does not have a visor.

Financial Responsibility

If you want to establish financial responsibility in this state you must purchase liability insurance from a licensed insurance company.

Proof of Insurance

You have to file form FR-19, or proof of insurance, with the Motor Vehicle Administration when you register your motorcycle.

• Obtain an FR-19 from the insurance company. A copy is also acceptable. The insurance company can also fax it to the MVA.
• FR-19 states that for as long as you register the motorcycle, you will keep up the insurance.

If you let the insurance lapse, the insurance company will notify the MVA. You better send a new FR-19 to the MVA if you switch insurance companies. If you don’t do that, they will get a notice from your old company that you dropped them and think that you have no insurance at all. That way you could be facing penalties.

Tickets can also be a problem. The MVA will send you a letter asking for a new FR-19, if you have enough points, and you will be required to have more expensive insurance.

Penalties

If you don’t have proof of insurance you could be facing the following penalties:

• $150 for the first 30 days of no insurance, and $7 per day afterward.
• A year in prison or $1,000 in fines if you give false proof of insurance.
• Revocation of your registration and license plates, with a $25 reinstatement fee.
• The inability to register another vehicle until you settle all the claims.
• Court costs and penalties.

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