Michigan Motorcyclists Face a No-Fault System That Wasn’t Built for Them, Here’s the Reality

Riding a motorcycle in Michigan carries real legal risk that most riders don’t fully understand until after a crash. Michigan’s no-fault system, which provides automatic medical and wage loss coverage to car and truck drivers, treats motorcyclists fundamentally differently, in ways that can devastate an injured rider’s financial recovery. The rules are counterintuitive and the injuries are almost always severe. Scott Reizen has spent over two decades handling these cases. He knows what Michigan motorcyclists are actually entitled to, and what the insurance industry hopes they don’t find out.

What Michigan Law Says About Motorcycle Accident Claims

The single most important, and most misunderstood, rule in Michigan motorcycle law: motorcyclists are not covered by their own auto insurance policy for Personal Injury Protection (PIP) benefits unless a motor vehicle (a car or truck) was involved in the crash.

This is not a coverage gap that results from a bad policy choice. It is the law. Michigan’s No-Fault Act was written to exclude motorcycles from first-party PIP coverage in single-vehicle crashes or motorcycle-on-motorcycle crashes. If a motorcycle rider crashes without any motor vehicle involvement, they are thrown back on whatever health insurance they carry, and any gaps in that coverage become their personal financial burden.

If a motor vehicle was involved in the crash, the analysis shifts. In that situation, the motorcyclist can access PIP benefits, but from which insurer depends on a priority scheme under MCL 500.3114. Generally, the injured motorcyclist first looks to the policy of the motor vehicle involved in the crash; if that vehicle is uninsured, the rider’s own household auto policy may apply.

For a third-party tort claim against the at-fault driver, seeking compensation for pain, suffering, and noneconomic losses, motorcyclists must meet the serious impairment threshold under MCL 500.3135(5), just like any other accident victim. The at-fault driver must be 50% or more at fault under MCL 600.2959.

Michigan’s helmet law under MCL 257.658 was revised in 2012. Riders 21 or older may legally ride without a helmet if they have held a motorcycle endorsement for two or more years (or completed an approved safety course) and carry minimum $20,000 in first-party medical coverage. Riding without a helmet lawfully does not eliminate your right to sue, but it can affect damages arguments. Riding without a helmet unlawfully, failing to meet the statutory requirements, can be used to argue comparative negligence.

The statute of limitations is three years from the crash under MCL 600.5805.

How Motorcycle Accident Cases Work in Michigan

The liability insurer for the at-fault driver treats motorcycle cases as high-value claims requiring aggressive defense. Juries, unfortunately, carry biases about motorcyclists, that they ride recklessly, that they assumed the risk, that their injuries are partly their own fault. Insurance defense attorneys know this and use it.

Comparative negligence arguments are especially common in motorcycle cases. Was the rider speeding? Lane-splitting? Without a helmet? Were they wearing high-visibility gear? Each fact becomes ammunition to attribute some percentage of fault to the rider and reduce, or eliminate, their noneconomic recovery. Under MCL 600.2959, if the rider is found 50% or more at fault, noneconomic damages are barred entirely.

Crash reconstruction is critical because the physical evidence at the scene is often ambiguous. Skid marks, debris fields, and vehicle positions can be interpreted in multiple ways. A qualified accident reconstruction expert who understands motorcycle dynamics is essential to establishing what actually happened.

The absence of PIP coverage in non-motor-vehicle crashes means the financial pressure on injured riders escalates faster. Without automatic medical payment, bills accumulate while litigation plays out. Understanding the full coverage picture , including whether Uninsured Motorist coverage is available and whether health insurance applies, is essential from day one.

What The Reizen Law Group Does Differently

Scott has represented injured motorcyclists throughout southeastern Michigan for over two decades. He understands both the legal landscape that makes these cases uniquely difficult and the practical challenges riders face when their PIP safety net doesn’t exist.

From the defense side, he learned how insurers build comparative fault cases against motorcyclists, what facts they look for, what experts they use, and how they frame the rider’s conduct to juries. That knowledge directly informs how he builds the plaintiff’s case: anticipating those arguments and neutralizing them before they take hold.

He also knows how to navigate the PIP priority scheme in motor-vehicle-involved crashes, which is more complex than most attorneys realize. Identifying the correct insurer and knowing when to dispute a priority determination matters to the injured rider’s bottom line.

Thousands of cases resolved. Over two decades of experience.

Common Motorcycle Accident Scenarios

  • Left-turn crashes: The most common motorcycle collision type; car turns left across the bike’s path
  • Rear-end collisions: Driver following too closely; motorcycles stop faster than drivers expect
  • Lane-change crashes: Driver changes lanes without seeing the motorcycle in a blind spot
  • Intersection T-bones: Drivers running red lights or stop signs; high-speed impact
  • Road hazard crashes: Gravel, potholes, uneven pavement, debris; more dangerous on two wheels
  • Drunk driving crashes: Clear liability but contested damages; aggressive insurer response
  • Single-vehicle crashes caused by a road defect: May involve a government entity and the notice requirements that come with it

Frequently Asked Questions

If I crash my motorcycle with no other vehicle involved, am I covered for medical bills?

Not through no-fault PIP. Michigan’s No-Fault Act does not extend PIP coverage to motorcyclists in crashes that don’t involve a motor vehicle. You’ll need to rely on personal health insurance or other coverage. This is one of the most significant financial realities of riding in Michigan, and one of the strongest arguments for carrying robust health insurance and uninsured motorist coverage.

If a car hit me, whose no-fault insurance pays my medical bills?

The priority order under MCL 500.3114 generally places the insurer of the motor vehicle involved in the crash first in line to pay PIP benefits to the injured motorcyclist. If that vehicle was uninsured, the analysis shifts to other available policies. This priority determination can be disputed and is worth evaluating carefully.

Does wearing or not wearing a helmet affect my case?

If you met the statutory requirements of MCL 257.658 (age 21+, two years endorsement or safety course, $20,000 medical coverage), you were riding lawfully and a helmet-free choice should not bar recovery. Defense attorneys may still argue that not wearing a helmet contributed to your injuries. If you weren’t legally entitled to ride without a helmet, that can be used as a comparative fault argument.

What is UM/UIM coverage and should motorcyclists carry it?

Uninsured Motorist and Underinsured Motorist coverage pays noneconomic damages when the at-fault driver had no insurance or insufficient insurance. For motorcycle riders, who face serious injuries and a no-fault system that doesn’t automatically cover them, UM/UIM coverage is one of the most important protections available. Scott strongly recommends it.

The insurance company is saying I was partially at fault. What happens to my recovery?

Under Michigan’s modified comparative negligence rule, MCL 600.2959, your noneconomic damages are reduced by your percentage of fault if you are 49% or less at fault. If you are found 50% or more at fault, noneconomic damages are barred. Economic damages like medical bills and lost wages are subject to a proportional reduction but are not fully barred. The percentage of fault attribution is contested and often the central dispute in the case.

How soon should I contact an attorney after a motorcycle crash?

Immediately. Evidence changes fast, witness memories fade, and camera footage gets overwritten. If a government entity may share responsibility for a road defect, notice deadlines can be as short as 120 days. The sooner an attorney gets involved, the better the evidence foundation for your case.

Talk to Scott

Motorcycle accident cases in Michigan require understanding a legal system not designed to make recovery easy for riders. Scott Reizen has spent over two decades fighting for injured motorcyclists throughout southeastern Michigan, with an insider’s knowledge of how the insurance industry approaches these claims and what it takes to win. Free consultation, no fee unless we win. Call (248) 554-3440.

Motorcycle Accidents

Michigan Motorcyclists Face a No-Fault System That Wasn’t Built for Them, Here’s the Reality

Riding a motorcycle in Michigan carries real legal risk that most riders don’t fully understand until after a crash. Michigan’s no-fault system, which provides automatic medical and wage loss coverage to car and truck drivers, treats motorcyclists fundamentally differently, in ways that can devastate an injured rider’s financial recovery. The rules are counterintuitive and the injuries are almost always severe. Scott Reizen has spent over two decades handling these cases. He knows what Michigan motorcyclists are actually entitled to, and what the insurance industry hopes they don’t find out.

What Michigan Law Says About Motorcycle Accident Claims

The single most important, and most misunderstood, rule in Michigan motorcycle law: motorcyclists are not covered by their own auto insurance policy for Personal Injury Protection (PIP) benefits unless a motor vehicle (a car or truck) was involved in the crash.

This is not a coverage gap that results from a bad policy choice. It is the law. Michigan’s No-Fault Act was written to exclude motorcycles from first-party PIP coverage in single-vehicle crashes or motorcycle-on-motorcycle crashes. If a motorcycle rider crashes without any motor vehicle involvement, they are thrown back on whatever health insurance they carry, and any gaps in that coverage become their personal financial burden.

If a motor vehicle was involved in the crash, the analysis shifts. In that situation, the motorcyclist can access PIP benefits, but from which insurer depends on a priority scheme under MCL 500.3114. Generally, the injured motorcyclist first looks to the policy of the motor vehicle involved in the crash; if that vehicle is uninsured, the rider’s own household auto policy may apply.

For a third-party tort claim against the at-fault driver, seeking compensation for pain, suffering, and noneconomic losses, motorcyclists must meet the serious impairment threshold under MCL 500.3135(5), just like any other accident victim. The at-fault driver must be 50% or more at fault under MCL 600.2959.

Michigan’s helmet law under MCL 257.658 was revised in 2012. Riders 21 or older may legally ride without a helmet if they have held a motorcycle endorsement for two or more years (or completed an approved safety course) and carry minimum $20,000 in first-party medical coverage. Riding without a helmet lawfully does not eliminate your right to sue, but it can affect damages arguments. Riding without a helmet unlawfully, failing to meet the statutory requirements, can be used to argue comparative negligence.

The statute of limitations is three years from the crash under MCL 600.5805.

How Motorcycle Accident Cases Work in Michigan

The liability insurer for the at-fault driver treats motorcycle cases as high-value claims requiring aggressive defense. Juries, unfortunately, carry biases about motorcyclists, that they ride recklessly, that they assumed the risk, that their injuries are partly their own fault. Insurance defense attorneys know this and use it.

Comparative negligence arguments are especially common in motorcycle cases. Was the rider speeding? Lane-splitting? Without a helmet? Were they wearing high-visibility gear? Each fact becomes ammunition to attribute some percentage of fault to the rider and reduce, or eliminate, their noneconomic recovery. Under MCL 600.2959, if the rider is found 50% or more at fault, noneconomic damages are barred entirely.

Crash reconstruction is critical because the physical evidence at the scene is often ambiguous. Skid marks, debris fields, and vehicle positions can be interpreted in multiple ways. A qualified accident reconstruction expert who understands motorcycle dynamics is essential to establishing what actually happened.

The absence of PIP coverage in non-motor-vehicle crashes means the financial pressure on injured riders escalates faster. Without automatic medical payment, bills accumulate while litigation plays out. Understanding the full coverage picture , including whether Uninsured Motorist coverage is available and whether health insurance applies, is essential from day one.

What The Reizen Law Group Does Differently

Scott has represented injured motorcyclists throughout southeastern Michigan for over two decades. He understands both the legal landscape that makes these cases uniquely difficult and the practical challenges riders face when their PIP safety net doesn’t exist.

From the defense side, he learned how insurers build comparative fault cases against motorcyclists, what facts they look for, what experts they use, and how they frame the rider’s conduct to juries. That knowledge directly informs how he builds the plaintiff’s case: anticipating those arguments and neutralizing them before they take hold.

He also knows how to navigate the PIP priority scheme in motor-vehicle-involved crashes, which is more complex than most attorneys realize. Identifying the correct insurer and knowing when to dispute a priority determination matters to the injured rider’s bottom line.

Thousands of cases resolved. Over two decades of experience.

Common Motorcycle Accident Scenarios

  • Left-turn crashes: The most common motorcycle collision type; car turns left across the bike’s path
  • Rear-end collisions: Driver following too closely; motorcycles stop faster than drivers expect
  • Lane-change crashes: Driver changes lanes without seeing the motorcycle in a blind spot
  • Intersection T-bones: Drivers running red lights or stop signs; high-speed impact
  • Road hazard crashes: Gravel, potholes, uneven pavement, debris; more dangerous on two wheels
  • Drunk driving crashes: Clear liability but contested damages; aggressive insurer response
  • Single-vehicle crashes caused by a road defect: May involve a government entity and the notice requirements that come with it

Frequently Asked Questions

If I crash my motorcycle with no other vehicle involved, am I covered for medical bills?

Not through no-fault PIP. Michigan’s No-Fault Act does not extend PIP coverage to motorcyclists in crashes that don’t involve a motor vehicle. You’ll need to rely on personal health insurance or other coverage. This is one of the most significant financial realities of riding in Michigan, and one of the strongest arguments for carrying robust health insurance and uninsured motorist coverage.

If a car hit me, whose no-fault insurance pays my medical bills?

The priority order under MCL 500.3114 generally places the insurer of the motor vehicle involved in the crash first in line to pay PIP benefits to the injured motorcyclist. If that vehicle was uninsured, the analysis shifts to other available policies. This priority determination can be disputed and is worth evaluating carefully.

Does wearing or not wearing a helmet affect my case?

If you met the statutory requirements of MCL 257.658 (age 21+, two years endorsement or safety course, $20,000 medical coverage), you were riding lawfully and a helmet-free choice should not bar recovery. Defense attorneys may still argue that not wearing a helmet contributed to your injuries. If you weren’t legally entitled to ride without a helmet, that can be used as a comparative fault argument.

What is UM/UIM coverage and should motorcyclists carry it?

Uninsured Motorist and Underinsured Motorist coverage pays noneconomic damages when the at-fault driver had no insurance or insufficient insurance. For motorcycle riders, who face serious injuries and a no-fault system that doesn’t automatically cover them, UM/UIM coverage is one of the most important protections available. Scott strongly recommends it.

The insurance company is saying I was partially at fault. What happens to my recovery?

Under Michigan’s modified comparative negligence rule, MCL 600.2959, your noneconomic damages are reduced by your percentage of fault if you are 49% or less at fault. If you are found 50% or more at fault, noneconomic damages are barred. Economic damages like medical bills and lost wages are subject to a proportional reduction but are not fully barred. The percentage of fault attribution is contested and often the central dispute in the case.

How soon should I contact an attorney after a motorcycle crash?

Immediately. Evidence changes fast, witness memories fade, and camera footage gets overwritten. If a government entity may share responsibility for a road defect, notice deadlines can be as short as 120 days. The sooner an attorney gets involved, the better the evidence foundation for your case.

Talk to Scott

Motorcycle accident cases in Michigan require understanding a legal system not designed to make recovery easy for riders. Scott Reizen has spent over two decades fighting for injured motorcyclists throughout southeastern Michigan, with an insider’s knowledge of how the insurance industry approaches these claims and what it takes to win. Free consultation, no fee unless we win. Call (248) 554-3440.