Travel insurance and riding motorcycles in Asia
5 min readIt isn’t all good news though—motorcycles are unfortunately far from the safest mode of transport. If you are going to ride a bike, it is vital that you have travel insurance covering motorcycling in Southeast Asia..
Making sure you are covered boils down to two things. Firstly, you need to be properly licensed. Secondly, you need to be careful: wear a helmet, stay sober and obey local road laws. Without both of these things going on, your travel insurance most likely will not cover you. And can you blame the insurers?
Insurance requirements for motorcycling in Asia
Specific motorcycle riding coverage varies depending on a variety of factors, including the country you are riding in and the country you are from. You’ll need to read the policy relevant to you to get the exact details, but broadly speaking, travel insurers will insist on one (or a combination) of the following:
1) You must have a license to ride that is viewed as valid in the country you’re riding in;
2) You must have a license to ride that is valid in your home country;
3) You must have a license to ride that is valid for the type of bike you are riding.
Ask yourself: “Am I licensed to ride a scooter?”
Read the small print thoroughly and see which of the above applies to you. While wording may vary somewhat between providers, the quote below, from SafetyWing is typical (with our emphasis):
“In case of an accident, while riding a motorbike, moped, or scooter, you are covered for your own eligible medical expenses as long as you are properly licensed for the area where you are driving and you are wearing proper safety gear such as a helmet. Driving while intoxicated and racing are excluded. Personal liability is excluded for operating any vehicle. You need to check with local authorities if your driver’s license is accepted in that area/state/country.”
Licensing requirements
Most travel insurers will require that at a minimum you are licensed for the vehicle you are driving or riding. Just as a car license doesn’t cover you for driving a truck, it doesn’t cover you for riding a motorbike either. You don’t have a motorbike license? Then chances are you don’t have insurance cover for when you are riding a motorbike in Thailand (or at home for that matter!). So before you read any further, remember: If you have no license, you most likely don’t have any insurance either.
The most straightforward approach to ensuring you are covered is to take two steps. First, get a motorbike license in your home country. Then, once you are licensed, get an International Driving Permit (IDP) endorsed for motorbike riding. Having done these two things should have you riding legally in Southeast Asia.
A second approach is to get a license in the country you are travelling in. However, this approach isn’t all that convenient to do for short-term visitors. It varies, but you’ll probably need to sit a written test (in the local language) and supply supporting documentation with your local address. Essentially this will be a similar process to your home country, but it will all be in a language you most likely do not speak, for road rules you may not be familiar with, and it will eat into your precious holiday time. Get the license at home.
Would you drive a car in your home country unlicensed? No? So don’t consider riding a motorbike in Cambodia, or anywhere else, unlicensed either.
General motorbike safety
Keeping the following in mind will help to keep you alive in the event of an accident. Not doing the following may invalidate your insurance, even if you do have a license.
Always, always, always wear a helmet.
Helmets are useful for keeping your skull and its contents intact. A full-face helmet (one that covers your chin area) will help to protect your face far better than an open-faced helmet in the event you come off the bike and use your face to slow down. If you have an accident and the insurer finds out you were not wearing a helmet (often this is obvious from the injuries), your coverage may well be voided.
Always wear footwear
Heavy trekking boots are ideal, then runners, then sandals, then, last of all, flip-flops. Never ever ride a bike barefoot. If you put a bare foot on the road while travelling at any speed, your foot may well be “de-gloved”—if there was ever a suitably descriptive term, de-gloving is it. It is an insanely painful and debilitating thing to have happen. Shoes will help protect you against it.
Dress sensibly
If you come off the bike, and all you’re wearing is your swimmers or a pair of shorts, you can expect, in the least, to lose oodles of skin. Wear clothes. Jeans and a jacket are ideal, in the least cargo pants and a shirt.
Be sober and straight
Being drunk or high will impair your driving skills, putting not just you at risk but also everyone else you’re sharing the road with. It will also invalidate your insurance.
Disclosure
We use SafetyWing travel insurance ourselves when we travel. If you purchase a policy from SafetyWing through a link on Travelfish, we may be paid a commission on that sale.
Further reading
Planning well is an integral part of getting the most out of your trip. Be it picking the right backpack,
the right vaccinations or the right country, the simple decisions are often the most important.
