Will my auto insurance cover an ATV accident?

Insurance can sometimes be complicated, even for those of us working in the industry. To better answer this question, we might need to clear things up a bit.

First of all, we need to understand the scenario of this accident.

Scenario 1: You were driving your car or truck and crossed paths with another person operating an ATV and an accident happened.

If the accident was deemed your fault (say you accidentally drove into the ATV operator, while he or she was trying to cross the road), then your third party liability (covers property damage or injury to others) which is mandatory coverage that you must have in order to operate a vehicle in Canada, might cover for any injuries or damages done to the third party (the ATV operator).

This would be treated like a regular auto insurance accident. So, coverage here would depend on whether or not you were at fault and general circumstances surrounding the accident.

Scenario 2: You have a car and an ATV; your car carries insurance and your ATV does not. While operating your ATV, you got into an accident with another ATV operator or you hit a pedestrian and are wondering if the coverage you have on your auto insurance will automatically cover the ATV accident.

Unfortunately, the answer here is no, your car insurance will not cover this ATV accident.

Your car and ATV are two separate risks and each requires its' own insurance. Once you purchase an ATV, you would need to purchase insurance coverage for it. Some insurance companies let you insure it on the same policy as your auto but as two separate risks, with separate coverage.

The insuring process is no different than insuring your car; there are different options for ATV insurance that you can choose from depending on the coverage you want.

It is always a great idea to speak to your insurance representative to ensure that you are making an informed decision.

I hope this answers your question.