1. 992 POINTS
    Phil Tuccy
    Owner, Insurance Group Consulting, LLC, Florida
    It depends on your State's requirements for carrying liability insurance for snowmobile operations. Some require it and others do not. Check that out first, if you are really willing to drive one, without covering yourself for liability exposure. Check out the terms and circumstances where coverage is required.
    Regardless of whether or not your State requires it and under what circumstances...for example, in NY, you may only need coverage if you are riding on public property...you would be wise to check with several local insurance agencies, to determine the cost of obtaining snowmobile liability insurance.
    You might find that it is well worth the cost, to cover yourself for damages caused to others. Otherwise, you could be putting your assets at significant risk. Snowmobile accidents can be very nasty and very costly to you if you injure another person or persons and/or their property .
    Answered on February 16, 2015
  2. 14231 POINTS
    Tom Sheehan
    Agency Owner, The Thomas G Sheehan Agency, 27 Glen Road Sandy Hook, CT 06482
    Talk to your Insurance Professional about your state's insurance requirements for snowmobiles and other off road recreational vehicles. Registration and insurance may or may not be a requirement for you. However, it would in my opinion be a very good idea to buy insurance even if there is no requirement. Unfortunately, accidents, some rather severe, do happen with snowmobiles, ATV's, PWC's, boats and motorcycles,
    Answered on February 16, 2015
  3. 37376 POINTS
    David G. Pipes, CLU®, RICP®
    Business Development Officer, T.D. McNeil Insurance Services, Fresno, California
    Your state might require that you carry insurance. However, common sense would indicate that someone can get hurt on a snowmobile and that a snowmobile can hurt other people. A snowmobile could also destroy property. So, you could be hurt, your snowmobile could be damaged and you could be sued. It seems to me those are good reasons to carry insurance.
    Answered on February 18, 2015
  4. 21750 POINTS
    Jim Winkler
    CEO/Owner, Winkler Financial Group, Houston, Texas
    That is a great question! If you are living in one of the Northern States where snowmobiles can see some use, it's a good bet that you'll be required to have some insurance coverage.
    There are a few really good reasons why it makes sense to get a policy. The first is that any damages or personal injuries that might occur on your property as a rule won't be covered by your homeowners policy. If something bad were to happen, you would be left unprotected for the liabilities of costs and damages.
    Your snowmobile (and trailer, if you have one) won't be covered under your auto policy either. So again, you would be liable for any damages if something bad were to happen.
    So what should you purchase? I'd strongly recommend the same kind of coverage that you'd buy for your car - full coverage with comprehensive, collision, and liability. Here's why - collision is obvious, if you run into something, or roll your sled, it will be covered by this part of the policy. The comprehensive portion covers the other stuff - hitting a deer, water damage busting thru ice, etc. The liability part covers you for damage to riders, or property.
    You can add trailers to your policy coverage with some carriers, and that makes sense, as it's cheap, and doesn't get covered by most auto coverage.
    Sled policies are generally fairly inexpensive, and often can be discounted with multiple sleds, proof of training classes, and bundling with other policies. Most will not charge for non-use periods also.
    I'd say it's definitely something to have before you ever get on your sled, okay? (I love this question, I'm from up North originally myself, and don't get to answer too many of these type questions here in Texas!) Be safe, have fun, and thanks for asking!
    Answered on February 25, 2015
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