We'd like to remind Forumites to please avoid political debate on the Forum... Read More »
We're aware that some users are experiencing technical issues which the team are working to resolve. See the Community Noticeboard for more info. Thank you for your patience.
📨 Have you signed up to the Forum's new Email Digest yet? Get a selection of trending threads sent straight to your inbox daily, weekly or monthly!
Should I get an insurance for biking?
Options

andreauk2009
Posts: 181 Forumite
Hello there,
Having a general chat on commuting with some people, I got a doubt about my cycling habit.
Should I get a personal liability insurance?
What would happen if I fall for some reason and, let's say, I hit a car? Or what about a pedestrian that cross outside the zebra or suddenly walk out the pavement. What if I hit one of them?
Thanks
Having a general chat on commuting with some people, I got a doubt about my cycling habit.
Should I get a personal liability insurance?
What would happen if I fall for some reason and, let's say, I hit a car? Or what about a pedestrian that cross outside the zebra or suddenly walk out the pavement. What if I hit one of them?
Thanks
0
Comments
-
Well I'd certainly advise you to get insurance. I'm a member of British Cycling and that includes insurance.
http://www.britishcycling.org.uk/membership?gclid=CNi8hdvA7b4CFVMRtAod_mAAcA0 -
Work out what it is that you want to be insured against - if it's third party liability, i.e. cover in case you are involved in an accident that's your fault, you can get this as part of your membership of several cycling organisations, including British Cycling, the London Cycling Campaign, and the CTC. Third party cover is not expensive and gives you peace of mind that if you did cause damage to a person or car, you wouldn't have to pay for it yourself.
If you want to be covered against your bike being stolen, your home contents policy may well cover you if your bike is worth under a specified limit (mine's under £500) or you can add the bike as a specified item if it's worth more than that. Note that this will probably only cover you if your bike is stolen from your home/outbuildings.
Your home contents insurance may also provide legal assistance if you're involved in a collision with a driver who is at fault, in terms of recovering costs. You don't need insurance to do this, though, as you can claim on a driver's insurance without it.
There are some specific cycle insurance policies which cover all of the above, but you may find that you don't need that if you're already covered by an existing policy. It also depends on the value of your bike - if your bike was not particularly expensive, you may prefer to 'self insure'.
Hope this helps!2015 comp wins - £370.25
Recent wins: gym class, baby stuff
Thanks to everyone who posts freebies and comps! :j0 -
Most house insurance provides third party insurance as well, check you may well already be insured.0
-
andreauk2009 wrote: »What would happen if I fall for some reason and, let's say, I hit a car?andreauk2009 wrote: »Or what about a pedestrian that cross outside the zebra or suddenly walk out the pavement. What if I hit one of them?
Thanks
Pedestrians don't usually step out into the road, the bigger problem is cycle tracks which are shared with footpaths when pedestrians can't hear a bike approach and step into your path.
I believe most people don't have cycle insurance. In the end the chance of causing an accident which damages someone else or their vehicle is much less in a bike than a car and any accident should cause less damage as bicycles usually travel much slower and weight less.0 -
Pedestrians don't usually step out into the road
I think this is rather location dependant, as this is not my experience (from a lot of commuting by bike in London). Pedestrians routinely step out without looking - coincidentally, earlier today a girl at work was sporting a very grazed face as a pedestrian had stepped out in front of her and she had braked and gone over handlebars.
Anywhere within about 50 metres either side of a pedestrian crossing is a likely place for pedestrians to step out whenever lights start to change to red, as pedestrians focus on the slowing cars and forget about cyclists who may well have a nice free bus lane ahead of them and so don't need to brake until much closer to the lights than the queue of traffic alongside.
Heavy, slow-moving traffic is most dangerous, again pedestrians focus on cars and step out and particularly between large vehicles (and especially buses) without looking.
Pedestrians stepping out without looking to cross in front of a stationary bus after alighting is also common.
Crossings with lots of people can lead to some people starting to walk across when still green for traffic, aiming to walk behind the cyclist as they go past. This leads to a sheep reaction and others cross without looking assuming it is safe.
Then there is simple bad judgment and complete arrogance, where pedestrians expect traffic to yield to them if they just walk out slowly into the road (common in some of the busier shopping areas on my route). And the completely oblivious, usually sporting headphones and looking into a smart phone.
I'd hit a few pedestrians every year if I didn't cycle in a way so as to anticipate their stepping out in the road without looking.
But as to the original question, I think dedicated cycle insurance such as via British Cycling is cheap and also helpful to have free legal support in the event you are hit is useful. I just view it as one of the costs of cycling, in the same way as repairs and depreciation/replacement.0 -
Not sure if you need extra insurance if you already have legal assistance on your home insurance. Having been hit by a driver, whilst on my bike, I was given free advice and they also covered all costs for making a claim against the driver.0
-
hugheskevi wrote: »I think this is rather location dependant, as this is not my experience (from a lot of commuting by bike in London). ....
That's the reason why I'm asking. There are so many bad careless pedestrian sometimes and once I almost hit a car leaving without their indicator.
In that circumstance it would have been very difficult demonstrate the fault by all mean.
Nobody was there other than me and the person driving.0
This discussion has been closed.
Confirm your email address to Create Threads and Reply

Categories
- All Categories
- 350.9K Banking & Borrowing
- 253.1K Reduce Debt & Boost Income
- 453.5K Spending & Discounts
- 243.9K Work, Benefits & Business
- 598.7K Mortgages, Homes & Bills
- 176.9K Life & Family
- 257.2K Travel & Transport
- 1.5M Hobbies & Leisure
- 16.1K Discuss & Feedback
- 37.6K Read-Only Boards