RE: Liability Insurance for ATVs in MD
I wrote a pretty extensive legal brief on this issue and Md is one of many states passing similar laws.
The number of ATV accidents is skyrocketing, leaving homeowners' and health insurance policies to foot the bill.
Many of those policies are now offering express exclusions on ATV use, which hangs the user out to dry.
It's simply a mechanism which puts the cost of insuring the risk on those who actually create the risk. Before this legislation, the costs of those injuries were being fixed into any and all insurance policies. It just helps keep the money where it belongs, and makes people think before they engage in hazardous activity.
Personally, I think the penalty is a little light and the insurance policy limit requirements are set too low. Who really thinks $15,000 is adequate compensation for the loss of a child???
They had to do something, b/c the personal injury firm in which I work gets a LOT of ATV injury calls. We take none of those clients. The contributory negligence is always very high and too many insurance policies won't cover.
This was a necessary step, IMHO.