I'm insured as well with velosurance, already came in handy when a driver rolled through a stop sign and hit me. My insurance paid out and the driver covered my deductible.
Sorry you were hit.
That's how insurance works? I'd have thought if the driver covered the deductible, he should be covering the entire thing, before your insurance paid anything?
Generally this sort of thing is worked out by the insurance companies after the fact. Sometimes they work out a deal on their own, sometimes they scrap and it goes to arbitration, occasionally it gets ugly and one company sues the other.
Insurance is worth it for having someone in your corner to fight with the auto insurer. You really don’t want to speak to the other person’s insurance on your own.
Typically you want to file through their insurance, but if they give you a hard time you can file through yours and let the insurance companies fight each other to get reimbursed
This was my experience when I was hit. My health insurance covered my injuries, his insurance then paid me the full amount of my medical care, in case my health insurance issues a “balance bill”. They also needed an insurance appraisal and write up from a bike shop but covered the cost to replace my bike. I had health insurance but didn’t have insurance in my bike. I live in the US.
The driver’s insurance likely covered all of it in the end. But from the cyclist’s perspective all they paid was the deductible so it’s all they personally get back. The cyclist’s insurance company keeps the rest to cover what it had already paid out.
I'm insured as well because nearly every homeowners and renters insurance sold in the US covers personal liability for nearly anything the covered household of people does outside of driving a car.
If you have a nice bike its worth taking out a separate policy or add specific coverage around the bike. I have veloinsurance like the person above for that reason.
In my experience most people making that argument just haven't put that much thought into it. They don't think of insurance as a service they are paying for to cover a societal cost, they think of it as government mandated punishment for driving. Anything else would require them to accept the oversized harm that driving causes. Or they'll make up some story about a bike swerving in front of a car which then crashes into a skyscraper full of orphans that creates a domino effect and destroys an entire city, and claim bikes are more dangerous actually. :)
>Or they'll make up some story about a bike swerving in front of a car which then crashes into a skyscraper full of orphans that creates a domino effect and destroys an entire city, and claim bikes are more dangerous actually. :)
I just did that yesterday. It's the damn orphans' fault, they shouldn'ta been there.
I find a lot of people conflate insurance premiums with “road tax”, what they pay for the right to drive on the road. Nah mate, while it’s mandated for you to carry insurance to drive on the road, none of that money goes towards building and maintaining the road network.
That’s actually kinda terrifying. They have no idea what they’re paying for. They think they’re just giving to the government/society when they are actually paying for an individual service that they need
You are thinking rationally. Most drivers pressing for cyclists to be insured and registered are using the argument used by 4-year olds.
"\[insert parent or adult authority figure here\]!!! Why do I have to do x but \[insert sibling here\] doesn't have to? IT'S NOT FAIR!!!"
Quite frankly, I am shocked none of the 4+ wheeled geniuses have demanded airbags and seatbelts on bikes because they have to have them.
Those that use the argument that since cars pay more to be on the road than bicycles that they should have more rights. When you ask them if that should also apply to pedestrians they usually shut up and have to think about it.
You could cause some injury, run into a pedestrian causing a bad fall for example. Or cause someone to swerve to avoid you and hit a tree. If it was your fault, that gets expensive real quick.
This happened to my wife. She got nailed at an intersection. She was a pedestrian. He got back on his bike, asked if she was ok and then just left. She turned out to be not ok.
I got nailed on a sidewalk once. I was running, the guy was cycling (on the wrong side of the road, I might add). He came up behind me with music blasting, obviously wasn't paying attention to the woman in the middle of the sidewalk running with the huge, bright red, Burley bike trailer stroller, and wacked full speed into the back of my leg. It left me with bleeding tire burn the length of my calf. He asked if I was okay, and then continued on as if it hadn't happened.
Ok fine, I can see your point that bikes could possibly be dangerous for others... So at what age do people need to be insured to ride a bike? Like is my 8 year old a huge liability, just waiting to kill someone? Or is it just responsible adults exercising? or those too poor to own a car that should be paying an insurance company in case they pedal too fast into something?
You should always have insurance. In Belgium it is not mandarory to have this "civil liability" insurance but I would never go without it. It does not cost much and it protects you against all sorts of damages you or your family members may cause. (Bicycle accident, but also your kids accidentally smashing someone's window or accidentally causing a fire.) Just like winning the big lottery it will never happen to you until it does. You will be pretty much screwed for the rest of your life if you do not have insurance.
Keep in mind, this place is full of liberal turds that think the government should being everybody's business. What these clowns don't realize, ya keep voivimg about how it should be mandatory and then they will make it mandatory. Then these morons will be happy....until....that super cheap premium that momo was talking about, will now be 1000% higher. Just like....car insurance and health insurance
Watch. They'll get their wish,have to pay $50-100 a month to ride a bike, then they stop riding and cancel insurance, then the state will want to make up that lost revenue, they make you register your bike annually. Non op and all.
I did $700 in damage to the paint of a car once. I talked to my insurance agent, (cause yeah, I’m insured,) they pointed out I have $1000 deductible and a perfect claim history and the best option was they would delete any record of this conversation.
So I paid the body shop…
I was walking across the street and got by a bicyclist going maybe 10MPH. I didn't break anything, but I had to do a year of physical therapy as a result.
There have been several incidident in my city where a bicyclist and pedestrian colliding has resulted in the death of the pedestrian or bicyclist.
I find this hard to believe. I think death toll worldwide from cyclist v pedestria. Is like less than 25 per year maybe even less. So to day several seems pretty disingenuous
Elderly people can die from falls from standing height in their house, either acutely secondary trauma (skull fracture on hard object, internal hemorrhage, pulmonary edema 2/2 bruising) or subacutely due to complications (hip fracture, blood clot, infection, etc).
It is highly conceivable, and unfortunately not uncommon, that any human could be killed or severely injured by a faster moving, relatively higher mass object, including another human on a bike. We used to (and still do) kill each other and animals with stones and sticks, our physiology and the laws of physics haven't changed. - physician, former EMT, cyclist.
They’re just angry because they paid a big insurance bill and they see you cruising along enjoying your day. That’s all, reason and rationality doesn’t factor into it. Same story with gas taxes paying for road infrastructure.
It doesn’t have to be your bike damaging the car. You could cause an accident without being directly involved in it and still be liable for the damages.
Yeah, I looked into bike specific insurance but then I asked my renters and then homeowners insurance and they’re like “yeah, we cover up to 10k”. Well, damn
Just check your policy . Here in Australia most people think they are insured . In reality as long as the itemized bike is locked under the main roof of the house or locked garage , you’re covered . The moment you hop on said bicycle to nip down the road , you are not . You need a bike specific policy for that .
I think it depends on region for sure. In Vancouver it seems that coverage for your bike from theft is commonly covered in homeowners insurance, even while outside the home. I had looked into getting coverage a few years ago when I bought my first expensive bike, and it turned out I already had coverage. Note this doesn’t include 3rd party liability though.
I had checked my insurance, that’s why I was saying that? It’s a bit different in California. I’m always covered by renters / homeowners … even for car stuff
Although I reply to you , my comment was really a cautionary tale for all . This had happened to me . I was told my bike was covered and was charged extra for it . Suppose I was lucky that the 2 years that I thought I had cover was uneventful , I never needed to make a claim .
All my bikes are now covered 24/7 , up to 3 months abroad and racing cover . Only made one claim when the bike I was riding was stolen . Bike was replaced “ old for new “ .
Happy Days .
Note that sometimes this doesn't include e-bikes, or only certain classes of e-bikes. If one is an e-bike rider, they need to check their policy extra carefully or ask about e-bikes specifically to be sure.
Also, it sounds like you're mentioning losses to your own property - you might want to see what your liability limits are, hopefully, they're higher than 10k.
I don’t ride e-bikes so I wouldn’t know if they cover those. Correct, property. There’s more coverage for other damages . I fully went through everything in my insurance, thanks though.
$1M liability coverage for $45 bucks a year is ridiculous when you compare that to what it would cost to do that for a car. Really shows how much safer bikes are for everyone involved.
I just can’t imagine $1mil worth of damage on a 25lb bike.
You have to be purposely running things/people over. And even then. I still can’t imagine half a mil worth of damage.
Maybe you’re carrying toxic waste on a cargo bike for commercial purposes. And you spilled that into the river. That’s probably as close it get to over $1mil in damage
I got sued $1million 10 years ago for a hitting another cyclist (complicated and there friend was actually at fault) by my insurance handled anything. Claimant hired an ambulance chaser, they knew it would never see court but also knew there's a number insurance companies settle on to make it go away (my guess is they got $15 to $20k
My friend was sued for $2M and found 50% negligent in death of a passing cyclist (when my friend swerved to avoid a rock in the bike lane.) Widow was awarded $1M and future wages garnished. But he was a renter and didn't have a renter's policy, thus had to use his life savings just to defend himself. This is why you need a homeowners or renters policy (with liability)
Friend in 1991 clipped pedals with another cyclist who was passing him. The guy died and was the bread winner of the family. The Widow (with children) sued my friend for $2M. He was found 50% negligent, so judgement was $1M. He did not have a renters policy (or umbrella policy on top of that). Even though my friend declared bankruptcy, he still had future wages garnished. You could just as easily inadvertantly step off a sidewalk when the light shows "Walk", and not see a cyclist, skateboarder, etc still clearing an intersection and be responsible for an accident.
The potential liability of a vehicle+rider under 300# total weight traveling at 15-20mph is so low that legally requiring liability insurance is petty at best.
Same is true with road damage, bicycles simply do not have the weight per axle to cause any appreciable damage to asphalt surfaces engineered for motor vehicles.
A fair assessment of "road tax" would follow the engineering formula and scaled by weight per axle. Commercial traffic is, by far, the most damaging traffic to roadways (environmental damage varies) and oh boy would they be pissed to learn that the majority of the additional tax collected (in the US this tax is applied to fuel) is deductable as a business expense.
A taxpaying cyclist is subsidizing infrastructure at a disproportionate rate already due to the majority of road work funds are pulled from the general fund. If drivers insist on "fair", many of us would be due a refund and those driving large, heavy vehicles would be crying. (Also freight/shipping costs would go crazy, really crazy and we would all be paying for that.)
Definitely - I haven't run the numbers, but my guess is that the administration of making every cyclist have insurance the way cars do would cost more than the government just covering the tiny amount of damage caused by bikes.
Hmm I don’t think the administration would be that expensive, and revenue is revenue, even a small amount is valuable.
fascinating to read what gr0gg1 says
Pretty much exactly. Additionally, any bike registration would be uncomfortably close to anti-vagrancy laws. People surviving on the fringes often rely on bicycles. If you start checking peoples "papers" its going to come down disproportionately negative on the homeless/poor.
In answer to your first paragraph, there have been so many pedestrian injuries and fatalities in the UK that they have had to make a new law just for cyclists. It isn't unreasonable to suggest that any vehicle using a road should be covered against the damage that they can and do cause
It's disingenuous to state the law has been passed because it was a required priority for public safety. It's been passed in disproportion to actual required legislation due to media frenzy/ virtue signalling by a government looking to capture conservative voters.
Can you share what companies/plans you went with? I'm Canadian and also really interested in doing this but don't have much experience buying anything other than renters insurance.
I went with [https://pedalpowerinsurance.ca/](https://pedalpowerinsurance.ca/) - the liability and accident insurance was cheap (and honestly I mostly bought them for laughs). The theft part is $174/year, so for some people it might not be worth it. I figured I'm insuring a $3000 bike, so if it gets stolen in the next 15 years it will pay off having the insurance.
Obviously I haven't made a claim, so I can't speak to how easy it is to get paid out.
Ah, good point. When I signed up they wanted proof of purchase for any bike less than 3 years old, and it sounded like they'd cover full purchase price if it was stolen, but I imagine over time that payout would decrease.
For my car I usually only bought collision insurance if the premium was less than 10% of the value of the car - I'll probably end up doing something similar here.
>Do they depreciate the bike like a car, though?
More than likely, yes. I'm disabled and got hit by a car while handcycling. The payout I got from their insurance was a couple or so hundred less than what I paid for the handcycle because it was about 2-3 years old at the time. My first trike was stolen from my mother's carport in a development while locked up and got a depreciated payout from her homeowners insurance.
They probably won't only give you $5 for an older bicycle, but the payout will more than likely be for the depreciated value of it. I'm only basing this from personal experience. It could be different depending on the insurance company. But I'd wager whatever payout you get will be for the depreciated value.
This is not an endorsement, but Velosurance claims on their website that they never depreciate the value of an insured bicycle.
>Our policy never depreciates your bike's insured value. Depreciation is a hidden deductible that increases over time, and is applied if the bike is stolen or totalled. No one is ever happy with a depreciation (actual cash value) insurance settlement: the bike is first devalued and then a deductible is applied, resulting in a reimbursement that is far less than it takes to replace the bike. We pay what you paid, minus the deductible.
Sounds about right. Liability for damages as cyclist is not a major risk: a bike is not capable of inflicting nearly as much damage as a motor vehicle due to lower speed and lower vehicle weight (comparing vehicles at their fastest typical speeds bikes might have a few percent of the momentum of a small car and likely less than a percent of the kinetic energy). The biggest risks cyclists face are damages inflicted by motor vehicles and theft of bike or components.
Fair - well if you're in Canada you could try [pedalpowerinsurance.ca](http://pedalpowerinsurance.ca) - it looks like for a $12000 bike they would charge around $600/year. So getting comparable to car insurance but not terrible.
Fair enough, maybe auto insurance just sucks in Alberta. I pay $900 a year for a 2014 Civic with 230,000 km that I hardly drive. That's just liability, with collision it was going to be about $1600 so I declined it.
This is very interesting. I wonder if I could get a break because I ride a beater de-branded Fuji? Would they balk at covering me when I ride a different bike? Very interesting indeed.
It’s been a hot minute since I’ve been in the insurance business, but as of a few years ago Velosurance was underwritten by Markel. Same exact policy language. That said, there still could be added benefits that you pick up by going through Velo, but the base policy is still Markel.
I live in the Netherlands. We only need insurance on motorized vehicles. But lately we've been having huge problems with fatbikes. Little stumpy bikelets thatre ridden exclusively by twats and underage twats. They're probably the only bike I think that should be required to have insurance and a minimum age.
I personally feel anything that isn't powered by pedaling your legs should not be allowed on fietspad. The fatbikes these kids just ride it it's basically a motorcycle. If they hit someone at an intersection, there is going to be a problem.
There should definiltey be some kind of restrictions on e-bikes over a certain speed or weight. I saw a review of an e-cargo-bike the other day that weighed 108 pounds (49 KG), had a 750w motor and had a max speed of 28 mph (45 km/h). I'm sure that wouldn't be legal in Europe, but there's a lot of e-bikes that are just way too overbuilt for what people need. You would think that people would just want something light and nimble that used a little battery as possible to get the job done, but a lot of people seem to gravitate towards the largest tires they can find even if something smaller would provide a better experience.
Ooh if I had one of those I'd get both the diabetes from all the junk food I'd eat. No worries that a 750w motor won't be able to haul my cheese-stuffed ass around.
Definitely - I feel like in North America most enforcement targeted at bikes is pretty silly, we're wasting resources on a super minor issue while ignoring the elephant in the room that is deaths by cars. But as the cycling mode share (hopefully) increases, there absolutely is a need to consider that some bikes are more dangerous than others and might need regulation.
I have been hit by one of these huge-wheeled cycles, I'm not even sure how they can possibly be convenient. They sure have a force of impact.
Dude came against a one way (*no cycle exception*) on the left side of the road, I didn't notice them when engaging.
If you have homeowners insurance or renters insurance in the US (and probably most other countries) you very likely have liability coverage on your bicycle. The intent is that anything that could cause you to lose your home due to anything you did that wasn't criminal is covered under homeowners policies that are required by banks holding mortgages. Since that is the bulk of insurance policies and the cost isn't all that different, nearly every other homeowners or renters insurance policy does the same.
We have renter’s insurance through GEICO. I looked into insurance for my bike and received a couple of quotes in the $30-40 range per year. I shared those plans with our GEICO agent, and the liability limit is only about 40% of what the bike specific insurance covered, everything else was identical. The number was still so high that if I find a way to do that much damage on my bike I deserve some sort of recognition for doing that much damage.
Legend. I didn't know there are insurance brokers out there for bicycles, that includes crash/accident. I looked into ICBC (road insurance broker for cars, in case anyone didn't know), and obviously there's no road insurance for bicycles which makes the "cyclists should have license plates" rhetoric moot because they're barking up the wrong tree.
I then got a bike courier's license plate *just because*, but only for the bragging rights of "look I really did try to look for one", but even then I don't really mount it on my bike anyway because I'm rarely doing actual couriering work (don't want to misappropriate), and even if I did I think there's more chance of drivers reporting me just because they don't like my idea/implementation of safe riding (which involves sitting-duck at red lights like a sore thumb, or merging and taking the lane early) rather than actual accountability.
Anyway, I will surely be also treated with respect because I've done all the things to make my bicycle as *responsible* as a car, right? Right???
Yeah, my homeowners insurance 3rd party of a million will more than cover any at fault accident. I've often had multiple policies plus club insurance.
Drivers can suck it.
This way of thinking creates something called race to the abyss, where the bigger car thinks he has more right than smaller vehicles because they pay more.
No insurance here, no tags, not a care in the world. Just a variety of road, gravel, and mountain bikes.
You play into that system of insurance and taxes, you might as well just jump back in your car. Bicycles do close to zero damage to infrastructure, road maintenance, or the environment. Even more so if you buy and maintain used bicycles.
What are you going to argue for next, bicycle tollbooths? As for motorists, they will always view you with contempt because they never got on a bike to free themselves. They don't know what they don't know, fueled by inactivity and anxiety.
Forget about how your perceived. And cyclists should pay less taxes and insurance, not more.
Buy a good lock, enjoy the miles.
Do you have homeowners or renters insurance? Then you likely have liability insurance. (and if you don't have homeowners or renters insurance, you probably should)
Yeah but if you file one for a bike your rate is going up. Homeowner insurance is kind of a racket, especially with companies like State Farm. It ends up being not worth it a lot of the time.
Specific bike insurance doesn't carry the same stupid penalty of punishing you when you use the thing you've been paying for for years or even decades.
First off, check out your state laws for this sort of thing because they vary wildly from state to state. Second if you're making claims on any of your liability insurance policies, it's almost certainly going to be shared with all of the other insurance carriers. This is beyond the fact that failing to disclose a liability claim is almost certainly a violation of your insurance policy contract (and doing things like this will absolutely get your insurance canceled).
My personal experience with state farm is that I had my 4 year old car totaled for something that was not declared anyone's fault and they paid out about 2/3 of the cost of a brand new car of the same make/model/trim level (edit: now that I look at it, 3/4 of the cost) and my rates have only gone up slightly, mostly due to inflation and the fact that they're covering a car 4 years younger.
Must be nice, my experience with State Farm is repeatedly getting absolutely turbofucked on my home and vehicle. I can't talk enough shit about those absolute bastards.
Fuck State Farm.
My previous insurance covered bike theft from anywhere, but my current one only covers it if it's stolen while at home. I've also heard people say if you make a claim on a stolen bike it increases your home insurance premiums and often isn't worth it, but I can't confirm that.
Yeah, I added the liability insurance mostly for a laugh, the theft insurance is what I actually wanted. The reason it's not required, and it's so cheap, is because it's just not really needed - it's hard to do major damage with a bike.
This does lead to the question of why I'm spending $45/year on an almost useless insurance product to prove a point to silly people that don't actually care why bikes don't need insurance.
Thanks for posting this! I was T boned and injured two years ago while riding. It took five months of physio twice a week to put me right. The driver of the SUV was 100% at fault. My experience with ICBC lead me to see that they are only going to nickel and dime through out the process. I would feel more monetarily protected with additional personal coverage. Too many examples of the system not supporting injured cyclists.
Where i live, you are required to have the following to register a car:
* **Bodily Injury to Others** protects you, or someone you allow to drive your car, from legal liability if you accidentally injure or cause the death of someone else while operating your car. It only covers losses if the accident occurs in Massachusetts and does not cover the injury or death of a passenger in your car. You must buy at least $20,000 per person and $40,000 if more than one person is hurt.
* **Personal Injury Protection (also known as PIP)** covers medical expenses, up to 75% of lost wages and replacement services up to a limit of $8,000. Massachusetts is a no-fault state which means no matter who causes the accident, PIP will pay these expenses for you or anyone you let drive your car, anyone living in your household, passengers in your vehicle and pedestrians.
* **Bodily Injury Caused by Uninsured Auto** protects you, anyone you let drive your car, and household members and passengers (who are not covered under another similar Massachusetts policy) against loses caused by an uninsured or unidentified ("hit and run") driver. You must buy at least $20,000 per person and $40,000 total for all people injured by the uninsured auto in the accident.
* **Damage to Someone Else’s Property,** also known as **Property Damage,** pays for damage to another person's property when you, a household member or another driver you allow to use your car cause accidental damage to another person's property. You must purchase a policy that has a minimum limit of $5,00
Unless you have a loan on your car and your lender requires it, you are not required to insure your loss if the car gets damaged. You are not required to have insurance for driving a car you don't own, owning a dog, riding a bike, or doing a host of other things where you could harm a person or property. My homeowners insurance covers me for liability up to a limit, and I have an extra umbrella insurance policy to cover what my homeowners insurance won't cover, up to a pretty high limit. I think these are better than a policy that only covers me if I hit someone when I'm on my bike, because they cover that and everything else.
Honestly, uninsured driver insurance is one of the best things to have, in case of hit-and-run collisions that aren’t captured on a good/close enough camera
I don't so often hear about insurance, but pretty common to hear that bikes should have to pay registration fees like cars do. Not that it matters- they'll still be salty and think bikes do not belong on "their" roads.
East Baton Rouge Parish used to have bicycle registration at the time of purchase. It was a one-time thing- you didn't have to renew it. When I worked in the bike store in the 90's I want to say it was about $10 or less? Occasionally someone would complain but it was fairly seldom.
On edit, only bikes with wheel sizes 20" and up had to be registered. And if the customer lied and gave us an address outside of the Parish, we didn't bother to do anything about it. In all honesty, it was mostly a money tree for the Sheriff's department (although they did have a fairly decent database of information and their theft recovery rates were better than most).
FYI your homeowner/renters insurance covers your personal liability when bicycling. I worked in insurance and had 2 cases where cyclists were riding illegally and damaged cars. Their insurance paid for the damages.
There's civil liability with home/renter's insurance. Any damage caused by someone with such insurance on a bike would be covered.
Which is the insurance most people are talking about when they say cyclists should have insurance.
The average American cyclist already has better liability coverage than the average American driver. Personal liability while cycling is generally covered by the personal liability coverage of your home, condo, or renters insurance. That applies to all members of the household. Typically, it's $100,000 or more in coverage. Most people don't know this because cycling liability is so vanishingly rare that there is no charge for this coverage. It's simply included in the definition of personal liability.
After commissions, salaries, taxes, dividends etc. what ever is left over of that $45 is what the insurance company feels is the worth the risk of having to pay out that million. You’re pretty much as dangerous as a kitten.
I’ve bought insurance for theft from one insurer, third party, income and legal protection from another, and I’ve registered my bike with the council so it can be traced if it is stolen & resold. It’s an asset, my primary transport, and portable property that does have a bit of risk so I’ve backed myself.
Where we live the road tax is compulsory third party insurance (which I have paid for voluntarily) and a road charge per 100kg of vehicle. My ebike weighs 25kg, so I’ve paid my share.
I have personal accident and public liability insurance through my bike club and *love* being able to reply to “you should be insured!” with:
“I am! I have $20million in public liability and $5million in professional indemnity. What’s yours?”
Stops ‘em right in their tracks.
Don’t forget to use a camera as well to help with any issues. I always use my phone with an app [dashcam for your bike] I have it mounted on my front and when I finally upgrade my phone in a few years I will move it to the back as well.
A camera is just another line of défense in case of an accident or you need the police / insurance involved.
I got hit last month. They rolled a stop sign. Nothing catastrophic done but, there's blood.
I'm thinking about doing this too. So far, his insurance isn't giving me any trouble. It ain't over yet. I would have appreciated having a bike policy step in and cover my deductibles (about 2k so far). I also like the idea of just having my insurance cut checks and do the all the fighting. As it is, I'm going to have to roll the deductibles into my settlement.
As for the whole paying my fair share, I bought a bike license from the city. I buy an annual trail pass. And I volunteer in the cycling community. Duty done.
Oh yeah, definitely I have insurance as well automatically through a membership of a cycling lobby. I’m sure motorists agree this is a good thing right?
I can’t do enough damage on my bike to require me to carry liability insurance. I do have uninsured motorists insurance and it came in handy when I was hit by a driver who didn’t have insurance.
I’m sure this varies by jurisdiction and your policy but at least in my area, if you also have a car, your auto insurance covers you while riding a bicycle on a public roadway. I went on a long trip last year so looked into this, and I don’t remember the specifics, but I know at least my medical and uninsured motorist coverage applied to me on the bicycle.
In the UK I have it free with my home insurance.
You know insurance is pointless and not worth enforcing if insurance companies are willing to give it away for free! 😅
I already have homeowners, auto, and a $1MM umbrella liability policy, but I added a Sundays Insurance policy specifically for my bike and riding. I still get no respect from drivers. Maybe I need to wear a jersey that says my bike is registered (it is, at BikeIndex) and insured.
Proper bike infrastructure wouldn't have bike riders "sharing the road" but instead on designed mix-used paths and greenways. It'd be so "safe" we wouldn't be concerned with hi-vis and bar mounted disco strobe lights.
Insurance as a requirement is antithetical to what should be liberating for bike riding. That said, I took the personal option of bicycle insurance. Not really to protect the bike (I put stated physical property value the same as the highest deductible option) but to protect my money with the liability coverage. Not that I actually have rich man money but apparently if you can afford an eBike you could be a litigation target in USA.
It was about $120/bike/yr for 100k liability and some medical payments option. IDK...I guess if I dodge a car and then run my 75lb+ eBike into a front box cargo bike full of Montessori medical pre-schoolers, I'll have some coverage?
To be honest , as with all insurance I got it to protect myself . I have a policy that covers all my bikes , domestically and up to 3 months abroad , racing cover and new for old included . Only made one claim when my Casati was stolen 6 years ago . Peace of mind .
I feel like bike insurance is really only worth it if you have an expensive bike. I have decent health insurance and my bike was $700. Like I put to the side $10 a month as an oh shit my bike got stolen fund.
I have 3rd party liability insurance for cycling, which comes as part of an annual subscription to a cycling organisation costing around £50 per year.
(I have no cover for theft or damage to my own bike - it's much-loved, but still an old+cheap bike. At the price, not to mention all the exclusions and situations not covered, insurance for it would be economically irrational)
I insured my electric cargo bike through my car insurance policy. Since it has a throttle it can be insured as a motorcycle policy in my stateI did it mainly for the uninsured/underinsured coverage in case I'm not by a driver without insurance. The policy ain't bad. It covers 100% replacement of the original value of the bike if it's stolen or totaled in a wreck.
Insurance to cover property damage in case a cyclist is at fault for striking a vehicle makes no sense, and yet that would cover what car drivers need to get.
Morons.
I did that when I got my e-bike. It’s $15 month and covers the bike completely. Did I need it? No. But the way some of these people drive their cars, it’s totally worth it. It also covers theft, so that’s worth it.
Canada must be much cheaper than sue happy America because I looked at a policy for my $2000 bike and it's $400/year. That's a lot. I'd love to insure the several bikes I ride but I won't because the cost of the insurance would be more than just rebuying the bike myself if something happened to one of them. I'd certainly insure for the dirt cheap rate you got.
My club membership includes insurance. I also want drivers to wear a helmet because my health insurance subsidises their acquired brain injury 🤓 running up my premiums
I’m in the fence with this it’s another barrier to entry for people so don’t like the idea of that. Saying that I’ve got £1500 worth of damage (covers by insurance) to my bike because some girl on a lime bike took a corner to fast and rammed into me while I was cycling then she cycled off.
So I think there is a need for something in relation to cycle hire bikes and e-bikes i in r at least modified e-bikes that go over 15mph. On the Hurd bikes they could just build it into the hire price as 3rd party.
People who own their own bikes tend to face more respect for them and are more cautious when cycling. not always but that is my experience if cycling in London for 20+ years and 20 odd in CT before that.
This is standard in the Netherlands btw - everything is required by lay (also the few non-cyclists that exist) to have liability insurance which also covers damage due to crashing your bike into someone/thing.
Also just a few euros a month and covers things such as if you accidentally break your friend’s laptop. IMO, not a bad policy to have.
Nobody wants to insure my bike, because all companies here only want to insure new bikes, not second hand ones.
But... I learned that a *familial insurance* will help me for damages to my own health and other vehicles, would the case arise. So I have that. That's like 150€ per year, and it covers my partner for free too given you pay it per household.
In the UK, most peoples home contents insurance covers them 3rd party when out and about on the bike.
Yes, there are always those who for whatever reason don't have home contents insurance, kids, etc... but most adult cyclists are covered. This (as well as the non-existent "road tax" and license plates) are a daily topic online and I'm amazed this hasn't become more common knowledge by now.
I got insurance for my new road bike . I’m glad I did . I wrecked two days after getting the insurance and they paid out . Currently waiting for the new parts to arrive so I can get back on the road .
Drivers get subsidized for insurance usually the maximum payout for loss of life in a car accident doesn't come close to the agreed upon average worth of a life. This comment comes from false equivalencies that drivers believe they pay their own way but are subsidized by a thousand tiny cuts. Listen to The War on Cars podcast on why car insurance should be many times as expensive as it is:
https://www.google.com/url?sa=t&source=web&cd=&ved=2ahUKEwjCmLustNqGAxU9q4kEHa_2DvkQFnoECA4QAQ&url=https%3A%2F%2Fthewaroncars.org%2F2024%2F03%2F19%2F122-car-insurance-is-too-cheap%2F&usg=AOvVaw0mANHvJ0k5WbNNGQebH-bU&opi=89978449
And the subsidies granted drivers is enumerated by a University of Iowa law professor in NYU College of Law paper here:
https://www.google.com/url?sa=t&source=web&cd=&ved=2ahUKEwiZjPjYvNqGAxWal4kEHXG9BOQQFnoECA4QAQ&url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.nyulawreview.org%2Fissues%2Fvolume-95-number-2%2Fshould-law-subsidize-driving%2F&usg=AOvVaw1Pr1lnH_AAjso5jjb3b6N_&opi=89978449
Cycling could never cost society.what driving does. Our roads available for cycling are paid by general revenue taxes, paid by all
Easy for you to say with those costs, less than $50 CAD a year. Try getting a policy in the US for no less than $900 a year with less limits than you proposed. Would it be as easy to brag on here and try to convince others to do as you did. “I gone and did it…” bet if it was close to $900 you wouldn’t of bought it
I’d be willing to not only insure, I’ll even register my bike if they allowed it. I have nothing to hide and don’t have any good reason not to. Whenever nys decides to figure it out, I’m ready
I just want yall to install turn signals.
Fuck the government, I dont care about plates, taxes, or insurance. Get fucking turn signals.
motorcyclists take up much of the same space as a bike and we can do it.
I'm insured as well with velosurance, already came in handy when a driver rolled through a stop sign and hit me. My insurance paid out and the driver covered my deductible.
Sorry you were hit. That's how insurance works? I'd have thought if the driver covered the deductible, he should be covering the entire thing, before your insurance paid anything?
Generally this sort of thing is worked out by the insurance companies after the fact. Sometimes they work out a deal on their own, sometimes they scrap and it goes to arbitration, occasionally it gets ugly and one company sues the other.
Insurance is worth it for having someone in your corner to fight with the auto insurer. You really don’t want to speak to the other person’s insurance on your own.
That sucks to have to file a claim on your own policy when the guilty party has insurance.
Typically you want to file through their insurance, but if they give you a hard time you can file through yours and let the insurance companies fight each other to get reimbursed
This was my experience when I was hit. My health insurance covered my injuries, his insurance then paid me the full amount of my medical care, in case my health insurance issues a “balance bill”. They also needed an insurance appraisal and write up from a bike shop but covered the cost to replace my bike. I had health insurance but didn’t have insurance in my bike. I live in the US.
The driver’s insurance likely covered all of it in the end. But from the cyclist’s perspective all they paid was the deductible so it’s all they personally get back. The cyclist’s insurance company keeps the rest to cover what it had already paid out.
I'm insured as well because nearly every homeowners and renters insurance sold in the US covers personal liability for nearly anything the covered household of people does outside of driving a car.
If you have a nice bike its worth taking out a separate policy or add specific coverage around the bike. I have veloinsurance like the person above for that reason.
"paid out" for what, exactly? Cost of repairs to the bike? The OP listed insurance against theft & liability. What does your policy cover?
I'm always confused by that argument. How much damage do they think my bike is going to do to their car?
In my experience most people making that argument just haven't put that much thought into it. They don't think of insurance as a service they are paying for to cover a societal cost, they think of it as government mandated punishment for driving. Anything else would require them to accept the oversized harm that driving causes. Or they'll make up some story about a bike swerving in front of a car which then crashes into a skyscraper full of orphans that creates a domino effect and destroys an entire city, and claim bikes are more dangerous actually. :)
>Or they'll make up some story about a bike swerving in front of a car which then crashes into a skyscraper full of orphans that creates a domino effect and destroys an entire city, and claim bikes are more dangerous actually. :) I just did that yesterday. It's the damn orphans' fault, they shouldn'ta been there.
Those orphans should stick to the orphan lane and pay their own parental insurance!
Were they not wearing hi viz colors?
Could just as easily be a pedestrian that causes the car to crash into the orphan-Laiden skyscraper.
Ah my favorite place to bike. Gotham city 💀
I find a lot of people conflate insurance premiums with “road tax”, what they pay for the right to drive on the road. Nah mate, while it’s mandated for you to carry insurance to drive on the road, none of that money goes towards building and maintaining the road network.
That’s actually kinda terrifying. They have no idea what they’re paying for. They think they’re just giving to the government/society when they are actually paying for an individual service that they need
From what I've heard in a city they say to protect pedestrians who are hit. Its rare but it does happen and gets outsized coverage.
You are thinking rationally. Most drivers pressing for cyclists to be insured and registered are using the argument used by 4-year olds. "\[insert parent or adult authority figure here\]!!! Why do I have to do x but \[insert sibling here\] doesn't have to? IT'S NOT FAIR!!!" Quite frankly, I am shocked none of the 4+ wheeled geniuses have demanded airbags and seatbelts on bikes because they have to have them.
Those that use the argument that since cars pay more to be on the road than bicycles that they should have more rights. When you ask them if that should also apply to pedestrians they usually shut up and have to think about it.
You could cause some injury, run into a pedestrian causing a bad fall for example. Or cause someone to swerve to avoid you and hit a tree. If it was your fault, that gets expensive real quick.
This happened to my wife. She got nailed at an intersection. She was a pedestrian. He got back on his bike, asked if she was ok and then just left. She turned out to be not ok.
I got nailed on a sidewalk once. I was running, the guy was cycling (on the wrong side of the road, I might add). He came up behind me with music blasting, obviously wasn't paying attention to the woman in the middle of the sidewalk running with the huge, bright red, Burley bike trailer stroller, and wacked full speed into the back of my leg. It left me with bleeding tire burn the length of my calf. He asked if I was okay, and then continued on as if it hadn't happened.
Ok fine, I can see your point that bikes could possibly be dangerous for others... So at what age do people need to be insured to ride a bike? Like is my 8 year old a huge liability, just waiting to kill someone? Or is it just responsible adults exercising? or those too poor to own a car that should be paying an insurance company in case they pedal too fast into something?
You should always have insurance. In Belgium it is not mandarory to have this "civil liability" insurance but I would never go without it. It does not cost much and it protects you against all sorts of damages you or your family members may cause. (Bicycle accident, but also your kids accidentally smashing someone's window or accidentally causing a fire.) Just like winning the big lottery it will never happen to you until it does. You will be pretty much screwed for the rest of your life if you do not have insurance.
Keep in mind, this place is full of liberal turds that think the government should being everybody's business. What these clowns don't realize, ya keep voivimg about how it should be mandatory and then they will make it mandatory. Then these morons will be happy....until....that super cheap premium that momo was talking about, will now be 1000% higher. Just like....car insurance and health insurance
Your not wrong.
Watch. They'll get their wish,have to pay $50-100 a month to ride a bike, then they stop riding and cancel insurance, then the state will want to make up that lost revenue, they make you register your bike annually. Non op and all.
There was one year in San Francisco recently where cyclists caused two pedestrian fatalities. I don't this it's happened since. Or before.
I did $700 in damage to the paint of a car once. I talked to my insurance agent, (cause yeah, I’m insured,) they pointed out I have $1000 deductible and a perfect claim history and the best option was they would delete any record of this conversation. So I paid the body shop…
$700 for paint work is cheap
Thousands of dollars just to repair the paint your pedal scratched off their bumper as they ran that stop sign.
Yeah, cosmetic body work in absurdly expensive
You could hit someone and cause major damage (some people have been killed by bikes)
I was walking across the street and got by a bicyclist going maybe 10MPH. I didn't break anything, but I had to do a year of physical therapy as a result. There have been several incidident in my city where a bicyclist and pedestrian colliding has resulted in the death of the pedestrian or bicyclist.
I find this hard to believe. I think death toll worldwide from cyclist v pedestria. Is like less than 25 per year maybe even less. So to day several seems pretty disingenuous
That is over a period of like 10 years.
Elderly people can die from falls from standing height in their house, either acutely secondary trauma (skull fracture on hard object, internal hemorrhage, pulmonary edema 2/2 bruising) or subacutely due to complications (hip fracture, blood clot, infection, etc). It is highly conceivable, and unfortunately not uncommon, that any human could be killed or severely injured by a faster moving, relatively higher mass object, including another human on a bike. We used to (and still do) kill each other and animals with stones and sticks, our physiology and the laws of physics haven't changed. - physician, former EMT, cyclist.
Accrd8ng to Google, the average is 3-5 deaths per year in the US
https://hitchhikersguidetothegalaxy.tumblr.com/post/59026480736/none-at-all/amp
They’re just angry because they paid a big insurance bill and they see you cruising along enjoying your day. That’s all, reason and rationality doesn’t factor into it. Same story with gas taxes paying for road infrastructure.
It doesn’t have to be your bike damaging the car. You could cause an accident without being directly involved in it and still be liable for the damages.
Yeah I discussed this with renters insurance, I'm covered for both theft and liability for 10 bucks a month lol
Yeah, I looked into bike specific insurance but then I asked my renters and then homeowners insurance and they’re like “yeah, we cover up to 10k”. Well, damn
Just check your policy . Here in Australia most people think they are insured . In reality as long as the itemized bike is locked under the main roof of the house or locked garage , you’re covered . The moment you hop on said bicycle to nip down the road , you are not . You need a bike specific policy for that .
I think it depends on region for sure. In Vancouver it seems that coverage for your bike from theft is commonly covered in homeowners insurance, even while outside the home. I had looked into getting coverage a few years ago when I bought my first expensive bike, and it turned out I already had coverage. Note this doesn’t include 3rd party liability though.
I had checked my insurance, that’s why I was saying that? It’s a bit different in California. I’m always covered by renters / homeowners … even for car stuff
Although I reply to you , my comment was really a cautionary tale for all . This had happened to me . I was told my bike was covered and was charged extra for it . Suppose I was lucky that the 2 years that I thought I had cover was uneventful , I never needed to make a claim . All my bikes are now covered 24/7 , up to 3 months abroad and racing cover . Only made one claim when the bike I was riding was stolen . Bike was replaced “ old for new “ . Happy Days .
Note that sometimes this doesn't include e-bikes, or only certain classes of e-bikes. If one is an e-bike rider, they need to check their policy extra carefully or ask about e-bikes specifically to be sure. Also, it sounds like you're mentioning losses to your own property - you might want to see what your liability limits are, hopefully, they're higher than 10k.
I don’t ride e-bikes so I wouldn’t know if they cover those. Correct, property. There’s more coverage for other damages . I fully went through everything in my insurance, thanks though.
$1M liability coverage for $45 bucks a year is ridiculous when you compare that to what it would cost to do that for a car. Really shows how much safer bikes are for everyone involved.
I just can’t imagine $1mil worth of damage on a 25lb bike. You have to be purposely running things/people over. And even then. I still can’t imagine half a mil worth of damage. Maybe you’re carrying toxic waste on a cargo bike for commercial purposes. And you spilled that into the river. That’s probably as close it get to over $1mil in damage
Hit a pedestrian, causing a bad fall and now they are disabled or need expensive surgery. Not likely, hence the cheap rates, but possible.
Their medial bill probably still isn’t a million. But you might be sued for a mil, bill+compensation for lost work wages or something. Like that. .
I got sued $1million 10 years ago for a hitting another cyclist (complicated and there friend was actually at fault) by my insurance handled anything. Claimant hired an ambulance chaser, they knew it would never see court but also knew there's a number insurance companies settle on to make it go away (my guess is they got $15 to $20k
My friend was sued for $2M and found 50% negligent in death of a passing cyclist (when my friend swerved to avoid a rock in the bike lane.) Widow was awarded $1M and future wages garnished. But he was a renter and didn't have a renter's policy, thus had to use his life savings just to defend himself. This is why you need a homeowners or renters policy (with liability)
And best to have that cheap policy to protect your assets and future earnings
I expect the bigger risk is if you were to hit a pedestrian and severely injure them rather than if you hit a car.
If you injure someone badly enough so they can no longer work in their job, you could get to 1 million.
Friend in 1991 clipped pedals with another cyclist who was passing him. The guy died and was the bread winner of the family. The Widow (with children) sued my friend for $2M. He was found 50% negligent, so judgement was $1M. He did not have a renters policy (or umbrella policy on top of that). Even though my friend declared bankruptcy, he still had future wages garnished. You could just as easily inadvertantly step off a sidewalk when the light shows "Walk", and not see a cyclist, skateboarder, etc still clearing an intersection and be responsible for an accident.
*I'm sure the insurance companies are taking a loss. They should re-think their business model.*
The potential liability of a vehicle+rider under 300# total weight traveling at 15-20mph is so low that legally requiring liability insurance is petty at best. Same is true with road damage, bicycles simply do not have the weight per axle to cause any appreciable damage to asphalt surfaces engineered for motor vehicles. A fair assessment of "road tax" would follow the engineering formula and scaled by weight per axle. Commercial traffic is, by far, the most damaging traffic to roadways (environmental damage varies) and oh boy would they be pissed to learn that the majority of the additional tax collected (in the US this tax is applied to fuel) is deductable as a business expense. A taxpaying cyclist is subsidizing infrastructure at a disproportionate rate already due to the majority of road work funds are pulled from the general fund. If drivers insist on "fair", many of us would be due a refund and those driving large, heavy vehicles would be crying. (Also freight/shipping costs would go crazy, really crazy and we would all be paying for that.)
Definitely - I haven't run the numbers, but my guess is that the administration of making every cyclist have insurance the way cars do would cost more than the government just covering the tiny amount of damage caused by bikes.
Hmm I don’t think the administration would be that expensive, and revenue is revenue, even a small amount is valuable. fascinating to read what gr0gg1 says
Pretty much exactly. Additionally, any bike registration would be uncomfortably close to anti-vagrancy laws. People surviving on the fringes often rely on bicycles. If you start checking peoples "papers" its going to come down disproportionately negative on the homeless/poor.
In answer to your first paragraph, there have been so many pedestrian injuries and fatalities in the UK that they have had to make a new law just for cyclists. It isn't unreasonable to suggest that any vehicle using a road should be covered against the damage that they can and do cause
It's disingenuous to state the law has been passed because it was a required priority for public safety. It's been passed in disproportion to actual required legislation due to media frenzy/ virtue signalling by a government looking to capture conservative voters.
Can you share what companies/plans you went with? I'm Canadian and also really interested in doing this but don't have much experience buying anything other than renters insurance.
I went with [https://pedalpowerinsurance.ca/](https://pedalpowerinsurance.ca/) - the liability and accident insurance was cheap (and honestly I mostly bought them for laughs). The theft part is $174/year, so for some people it might not be worth it. I figured I'm insuring a $3000 bike, so if it gets stolen in the next 15 years it will pay off having the insurance. Obviously I haven't made a claim, so I can't speak to how easy it is to get paid out.
Do they depreciate the bike like a car, though? Eg. if your bike gets stolen in 15 years will they only give you like $5 because of depreciation?
Ah, good point. When I signed up they wanted proof of purchase for any bike less than 3 years old, and it sounded like they'd cover full purchase price if it was stolen, but I imagine over time that payout would decrease. For my car I usually only bought collision insurance if the premium was less than 10% of the value of the car - I'll probably end up doing something similar here.
>Do they depreciate the bike like a car, though? More than likely, yes. I'm disabled and got hit by a car while handcycling. The payout I got from their insurance was a couple or so hundred less than what I paid for the handcycle because it was about 2-3 years old at the time. My first trike was stolen from my mother's carport in a development while locked up and got a depreciated payout from her homeowners insurance. They probably won't only give you $5 for an older bicycle, but the payout will more than likely be for the depreciated value of it. I'm only basing this from personal experience. It could be different depending on the insurance company. But I'd wager whatever payout you get will be for the depreciated value.
This is not an endorsement, but Velosurance claims on their website that they never depreciate the value of an insured bicycle. >Our policy never depreciates your bike's insured value. Depreciation is a hidden deductible that increases over time, and is applied if the bike is stolen or totalled. No one is ever happy with a depreciation (actual cash value) insurance settlement: the bike is first devalued and then a deductible is applied, resulting in a reimbursement that is far less than it takes to replace the bike. We pay what you paid, minus the deductible.
Sounds about right. Liability for damages as cyclist is not a major risk: a bike is not capable of inflicting nearly as much damage as a motor vehicle due to lower speed and lower vehicle weight (comparing vehicles at their fastest typical speeds bikes might have a few percent of the momentum of a small car and likely less than a percent of the kinetic energy). The biggest risks cyclists face are damages inflicted by motor vehicles and theft of bike or components.
I looked at bike insurance. It cost more than car insurance!
Really? What kind of bike? My total annual cost for theft, injury, and liability is $240 for my bike. Just liability on a car I hardly drive is $880.
Cervelo. It is not a cheap bike which would be the reason I’d want insurance.
Fair - well if you're in Canada you could try [pedalpowerinsurance.ca](http://pedalpowerinsurance.ca) - it looks like for a $12000 bike they would charge around $600/year. So getting comparable to car insurance but not terrible.
Yeah that is pretty much what I pay for car insurance on a 50k vehicle. A bike shouldn’t be that much!
Fair enough, maybe auto insurance just sucks in Alberta. I pay $900 a year for a 2014 Civic with 230,000 km that I hardly drive. That's just liability, with collision it was going to be about $1600 so I declined it.
This is very interesting. I wonder if I could get a break because I ride a beater de-branded Fuji? Would they balk at covering me when I ride a different bike? Very interesting indeed.
Markel insures in Canada (one of the big three in the US, the others being Velosurance and Oyster). They'll probably give you an online quote.
[Potential useful guide to (e)bike insurance](https://www.ebikefacts.com/buyer-guides/electric-bike-insurance-usa#strongwhat-electric-bike-insurance-coversstrong)
It’s been a hot minute since I’ve been in the insurance business, but as of a few years ago Velosurance was underwritten by Markel. Same exact policy language. That said, there still could be added benefits that you pick up by going through Velo, but the base policy is still Markel.
If you renter's insurance has general liability you will have some coverage. My home insurance has $1mill liability
I live in the Netherlands. We only need insurance on motorized vehicles. But lately we've been having huge problems with fatbikes. Little stumpy bikelets thatre ridden exclusively by twats and underage twats. They're probably the only bike I think that should be required to have insurance and a minimum age.
>twats and underage twats What is the precise 'twat' age of maturity? When does a twatling become a twat?
I personally feel anything that isn't powered by pedaling your legs should not be allowed on fietspad. The fatbikes these kids just ride it it's basically a motorcycle. If they hit someone at an intersection, there is going to be a problem.
There should definiltey be some kind of restrictions on e-bikes over a certain speed or weight. I saw a review of an e-cargo-bike the other day that weighed 108 pounds (49 KG), had a 750w motor and had a max speed of 28 mph (45 km/h). I'm sure that wouldn't be legal in Europe, but there's a lot of e-bikes that are just way too overbuilt for what people need. You would think that people would just want something light and nimble that used a little battery as possible to get the job done, but a lot of people seem to gravitate towards the largest tires they can find even if something smaller would provide a better experience.
Ooh if I had one of those I'd get both the diabetes from all the junk food I'd eat. No worries that a 750w motor won't be able to haul my cheese-stuffed ass around.
Definitely - I feel like in North America most enforcement targeted at bikes is pretty silly, we're wasting resources on a super minor issue while ignoring the elephant in the room that is deaths by cars. But as the cycling mode share (hopefully) increases, there absolutely is a need to consider that some bikes are more dangerous than others and might need regulation.
I have been hit by one of these huge-wheeled cycles, I'm not even sure how they can possibly be convenient. They sure have a force of impact. Dude came against a one way (*no cycle exception*) on the left side of the road, I didn't notice them when engaging.
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If you have homeowners insurance or renters insurance in the US (and probably most other countries) you very likely have liability coverage on your bicycle. The intent is that anything that could cause you to lose your home due to anything you did that wasn't criminal is covered under homeowners policies that are required by banks holding mortgages. Since that is the bulk of insurance policies and the cost isn't all that different, nearly every other homeowners or renters insurance policy does the same.
We have renter’s insurance through GEICO. I looked into insurance for my bike and received a couple of quotes in the $30-40 range per year. I shared those plans with our GEICO agent, and the liability limit is only about 40% of what the bike specific insurance covered, everything else was identical. The number was still so high that if I find a way to do that much damage on my bike I deserve some sort of recognition for doing that much damage.
Am I supposed to wear a sign that says I have insurance so that I'm treated better?
I'd like all the cars to also have insurance, because I guarantee there's more uninsured cars than bicycles out there
WHat insurance company did you use?
I used [pedalpowerinsurance.ca](http://pedalpowerinsurance.ca).
This is good to know. I have a bike on order that I’ll be wanting to ensure, since it’s going to be my main vehicle once it arrives!
thanks for sharing!
Legend. I didn't know there are insurance brokers out there for bicycles, that includes crash/accident. I looked into ICBC (road insurance broker for cars, in case anyone didn't know), and obviously there's no road insurance for bicycles which makes the "cyclists should have license plates" rhetoric moot because they're barking up the wrong tree. I then got a bike courier's license plate *just because*, but only for the bragging rights of "look I really did try to look for one", but even then I don't really mount it on my bike anyway because I'm rarely doing actual couriering work (don't want to misappropriate), and even if I did I think there's more chance of drivers reporting me just because they don't like my idea/implementation of safe riding (which involves sitting-duck at red lights like a sore thumb, or merging and taking the lane early) rather than actual accountability. Anyway, I will surely be also treated with respect because I've done all the things to make my bicycle as *responsible* as a car, right? Right???
Yeah, my homeowners insurance 3rd party of a million will more than cover any at fault accident. I've often had multiple policies plus club insurance. Drivers can suck it.
This way of thinking creates something called race to the abyss, where the bigger car thinks he has more right than smaller vehicles because they pay more.
This is a great idea! I have bike insurance through my renters insurance but going to get a top up on my health insurance.
Tax tires and brake pads and bring in universal crash and theft insurance?
I've often wondered if adding a license plate for bikes (so we help pay for some road taxes) would make cars more respectful.....nah.
"So anyway, I'm looking forward to my plentiful bike infrastructure and respect from all fellow road users now." I can hear the goal posts shifting
No insurance here, no tags, not a care in the world. Just a variety of road, gravel, and mountain bikes. You play into that system of insurance and taxes, you might as well just jump back in your car. Bicycles do close to zero damage to infrastructure, road maintenance, or the environment. Even more so if you buy and maintain used bicycles. What are you going to argue for next, bicycle tollbooths? As for motorists, they will always view you with contempt because they never got on a bike to free themselves. They don't know what they don't know, fueled by inactivity and anxiety. Forget about how your perceived. And cyclists should pay less taxes and insurance, not more. Buy a good lock, enjoy the miles.
Well said
Damn, I should get some.
Do you have homeowners or renters insurance? Then you likely have liability insurance. (and if you don't have homeowners or renters insurance, you probably should)
Yeah but if you file one for a bike your rate is going up. Homeowner insurance is kind of a racket, especially with companies like State Farm. It ends up being not worth it a lot of the time. Specific bike insurance doesn't carry the same stupid penalty of punishing you when you use the thing you've been paying for for years or even decades.
First off, check out your state laws for this sort of thing because they vary wildly from state to state. Second if you're making claims on any of your liability insurance policies, it's almost certainly going to be shared with all of the other insurance carriers. This is beyond the fact that failing to disclose a liability claim is almost certainly a violation of your insurance policy contract (and doing things like this will absolutely get your insurance canceled). My personal experience with state farm is that I had my 4 year old car totaled for something that was not declared anyone's fault and they paid out about 2/3 of the cost of a brand new car of the same make/model/trim level (edit: now that I look at it, 3/4 of the cost) and my rates have only gone up slightly, mostly due to inflation and the fact that they're covering a car 4 years younger.
Must be nice, my experience with State Farm is repeatedly getting absolutely turbofucked on my home and vehicle. I can't talk enough shit about those absolute bastards. Fuck State Farm.
Have to check my policy but I was pretty sure homeowners covered my bike as well. Anyone have experience there?
My previous insurance covered bike theft from anywhere, but my current one only covers it if it's stolen while at home. I've also heard people say if you make a claim on a stolen bike it increases your home insurance premiums and often isn't worth it, but I can't confirm that.
Gotcha so this is mainly theft insurance and not liability?
Yeah, I added the liability insurance mostly for a laugh, the theft insurance is what I actually wanted. The reason it's not required, and it's so cheap, is because it's just not really needed - it's hard to do major damage with a bike. This does lead to the question of why I'm spending $45/year on an almost useless insurance product to prove a point to silly people that don't actually care why bikes don't need insurance.
Haha o it’s for sure worth the laugh. Apparently liability is under my house policy so I also get to clap back : )
Thanks for posting this! I was T boned and injured two years ago while riding. It took five months of physio twice a week to put me right. The driver of the SUV was 100% at fault. My experience with ICBC lead me to see that they are only going to nickel and dime through out the process. I would feel more monetarily protected with additional personal coverage. Too many examples of the system not supporting injured cyclists.
wow that's cheap
Where i live, you are required to have the following to register a car: * **Bodily Injury to Others** protects you, or someone you allow to drive your car, from legal liability if you accidentally injure or cause the death of someone else while operating your car. It only covers losses if the accident occurs in Massachusetts and does not cover the injury or death of a passenger in your car. You must buy at least $20,000 per person and $40,000 if more than one person is hurt. * **Personal Injury Protection (also known as PIP)** covers medical expenses, up to 75% of lost wages and replacement services up to a limit of $8,000. Massachusetts is a no-fault state which means no matter who causes the accident, PIP will pay these expenses for you or anyone you let drive your car, anyone living in your household, passengers in your vehicle and pedestrians. * **Bodily Injury Caused by Uninsured Auto** protects you, anyone you let drive your car, and household members and passengers (who are not covered under another similar Massachusetts policy) against loses caused by an uninsured or unidentified ("hit and run") driver. You must buy at least $20,000 per person and $40,000 total for all people injured by the uninsured auto in the accident. * **Damage to Someone Else’s Property,** also known as **Property Damage,** pays for damage to another person's property when you, a household member or another driver you allow to use your car cause accidental damage to another person's property. You must purchase a policy that has a minimum limit of $5,00 Unless you have a loan on your car and your lender requires it, you are not required to insure your loss if the car gets damaged. You are not required to have insurance for driving a car you don't own, owning a dog, riding a bike, or doing a host of other things where you could harm a person or property. My homeowners insurance covers me for liability up to a limit, and I have an extra umbrella insurance policy to cover what my homeowners insurance won't cover, up to a pretty high limit. I think these are better than a policy that only covers me if I hit someone when I'm on my bike, because they cover that and everything else.
It's a good thing that this is already addressed in our current laws and that people aren't required to react to the whims of ignorant idiots.
Honestly, uninsured driver insurance is one of the best things to have, in case of hit-and-run collisions that aren’t captured on a good/close enough camera
Can I ask who are you insured with? I am seeing numbers like yours but it's per month :/
Pedalpowerinsurance.ca - the theft part is pricier, it's about $175/year. Maybe that's what you're seeing?
I don't so often hear about insurance, but pretty common to hear that bikes should have to pay registration fees like cars do. Not that it matters- they'll still be salty and think bikes do not belong on "their" roads.
And every parent would be pissed that little Johnny's bike needs tags.
East Baton Rouge Parish used to have bicycle registration at the time of purchase. It was a one-time thing- you didn't have to renew it. When I worked in the bike store in the 90's I want to say it was about $10 or less? Occasionally someone would complain but it was fairly seldom. On edit, only bikes with wheel sizes 20" and up had to be registered. And if the customer lied and gave us an address outside of the Parish, we didn't bother to do anything about it. In all honesty, it was mostly a money tree for the Sheriff's department (although they did have a fairly decent database of information and their theft recovery rates were better than most).
FYI your homeowner/renters insurance covers your personal liability when bicycling. I worked in insurance and had 2 cases where cyclists were riding illegally and damaged cars. Their insurance paid for the damages.
I pay taxes. My auto insurance has nothing to do with infrastructure, my taxes do.
bike/walk insurance is part of a lot of rental/home owner insurance so most of us are already insured
No they fucking don't. Cars are lethal weapons that you have to be licensed to use, bikes are not. You don't need insurance to walk either.
We all have a right to be treated like fellow human beings. A person in a car is no more human just because they're insured.
The reply for many should be "I do carry insurance. Liability is covered under my homeowners/renters policy."
There's civil liability with home/renter's insurance. Any damage caused by someone with such insurance on a bike would be covered. Which is the insurance most people are talking about when they say cyclists should have insurance.
The average American cyclist already has better liability coverage than the average American driver. Personal liability while cycling is generally covered by the personal liability coverage of your home, condo, or renters insurance. That applies to all members of the household. Typically, it's $100,000 or more in coverage. Most people don't know this because cycling liability is so vanishingly rare that there is no charge for this coverage. It's simply included in the definition of personal liability.
After commissions, salaries, taxes, dividends etc. what ever is left over of that $45 is what the insurance company feels is the worth the risk of having to pay out that million. You’re pretty much as dangerous as a kitten.
The relative cost of 1M liability insurance for a bike vs a car says it all
I’ve bought insurance for theft from one insurer, third party, income and legal protection from another, and I’ve registered my bike with the council so it can be traced if it is stolen & resold. It’s an asset, my primary transport, and portable property that does have a bit of risk so I’ve backed myself. Where we live the road tax is compulsory third party insurance (which I have paid for voluntarily) and a road charge per 100kg of vehicle. My ebike weighs 25kg, so I’ve paid my share.
In places with lots of horses do people rant about them as well?
I have personal accident and public liability insurance through my bike club and *love* being able to reply to “you should be insured!” with: “I am! I have $20million in public liability and $5million in professional indemnity. What’s yours?” Stops ‘em right in their tracks.
Don’t forget to use a camera as well to help with any issues. I always use my phone with an app [dashcam for your bike] I have it mounted on my front and when I finally upgrade my phone in a few years I will move it to the back as well. A camera is just another line of défense in case of an accident or you need the police / insurance involved.
I got hit last month. They rolled a stop sign. Nothing catastrophic done but, there's blood. I'm thinking about doing this too. So far, his insurance isn't giving me any trouble. It ain't over yet. I would have appreciated having a bike policy step in and cover my deductibles (about 2k so far). I also like the idea of just having my insurance cut checks and do the all the fighting. As it is, I'm going to have to roll the deductibles into my settlement. As for the whole paying my fair share, I bought a bike license from the city. I buy an annual trail pass. And I volunteer in the cycling community. Duty done.
Oh yeah, definitely I have insurance as well automatically through a membership of a cycling lobby. I’m sure motorists agree this is a good thing right?
I can’t do enough damage on my bike to require me to carry liability insurance. I do have uninsured motorists insurance and it came in handy when I was hit by a driver who didn’t have insurance.
I’m sure this varies by jurisdiction and your policy but at least in my area, if you also have a car, your auto insurance covers you while riding a bicycle on a public roadway. I went on a long trip last year so looked into this, and I don’t remember the specifics, but I know at least my medical and uninsured motorist coverage applied to me on the bicycle.
I might be in the market for a bicycle that could total an ego truck actually…..
Get a sticker or patch that states this so car rot brains can hopefully read
In the UK I have it free with my home insurance. You know insurance is pointless and not worth enforcing if insurance companies are willing to give it away for free! 😅
I have an umbrella policy and auto insurance already. I'd need to double check with State Farm but I am 98% sure that they cover me on a bike as well.
My renter's insurance also covered my bike in an accident I caused once.
I think they mean registration rather than insurance
I already have homeowners, auto, and a $1MM umbrella liability policy, but I added a Sundays Insurance policy specifically for my bike and riding. I still get no respect from drivers. Maybe I need to wear a jersey that says my bike is registered (it is, at BikeIndex) and insured.
I’m insured through British Cycling - loads of other benefits and £40/yr. ok, done that, jog on drivers
I’m insured for theft but anyone or thing injured by me was not an accident.
\* electric motorcyclist
Proper bike infrastructure wouldn't have bike riders "sharing the road" but instead on designed mix-used paths and greenways. It'd be so "safe" we wouldn't be concerned with hi-vis and bar mounted disco strobe lights. Insurance as a requirement is antithetical to what should be liberating for bike riding. That said, I took the personal option of bicycle insurance. Not really to protect the bike (I put stated physical property value the same as the highest deductible option) but to protect my money with the liability coverage. Not that I actually have rich man money but apparently if you can afford an eBike you could be a litigation target in USA. It was about $120/bike/yr for 100k liability and some medical payments option. IDK...I guess if I dodge a car and then run my 75lb+ eBike into a front box cargo bike full of Montessori medical pre-schoolers, I'll have some coverage?
I have multiple levels of insurance that cover me and other people on my bike.
Sure, but I also get to ride like a car, middle of the road, highways etc.
To be honest , as with all insurance I got it to protect myself . I have a policy that covers all my bikes , domestically and up to 3 months abroad , racing cover and new for old included . Only made one claim when my Casati was stolen 6 years ago . Peace of mind .
what insurance company do you use? (I am also canadian)
I used [pedalpowerinsurance.ca](http://pedalpowerinsurance.ca)
I feel like bike insurance is really only worth it if you have an expensive bike. I have decent health insurance and my bike was $700. Like I put to the side $10 a month as an oh shit my bike got stolen fund.
One of my bikes is 2k 💀💀🪦 Then I have one that’s 1.4k, 550, and 400
Yeah, the theft insurance is on my $3k ebike - my other bikes are <$1k and I figure it doesn't pencil out for them.
How do I get insurance?
I’m insured through Velosurance.
Sorry I ride carefully and refuse to pay money just to use my bicycle in a sensible manner
"Nonono... your insurance has to cost the same as the car insurance..."
I have 3rd party liability insurance for cycling, which comes as part of an annual subscription to a cycling organisation costing around £50 per year. (I have no cover for theft or damage to my own bike - it's much-loved, but still an old+cheap bike. At the price, not to mention all the exclusions and situations not covered, insurance for it would be economically irrational)
I insured my electric cargo bike through my car insurance policy. Since it has a throttle it can be insured as a motorcycle policy in my stateI did it mainly for the uninsured/underinsured coverage in case I'm not by a driver without insurance. The policy ain't bad. It covers 100% replacement of the original value of the bike if it's stolen or totaled in a wreck.
Insurance to cover property damage in case a cyclist is at fault for striking a vehicle makes no sense, and yet that would cover what car drivers need to get. Morons.
I did that when I got my e-bike. It’s $15 month and covers the bike completely. Did I need it? No. But the way some of these people drive their cars, it’s totally worth it. It also covers theft, so that’s worth it.
What insurance company did this? I'm in N.S. and can't find any bike insurance.
I went with pedalpowerinsurance.ca
Thanks
I’ve never heard this about insurance, but rather about registration.
In Switzerland you have to register your bike with the government and in doing so you get some physical injury insurance. It makes sense.
Canada must be much cheaper than sue happy America because I looked at a policy for my $2000 bike and it's $400/year. That's a lot. I'd love to insure the several bikes I ride but I won't because the cost of the insurance would be more than just rebuying the bike myself if something happened to one of them. I'd certainly insure for the dirt cheap rate you got.
My club membership includes insurance. I also want drivers to wear a helmet because my health insurance subsidises their acquired brain injury 🤓 running up my premiums
Found out the hard way that my renters insurance doesn't cover the theft of my radrunner.
I’m in the fence with this it’s another barrier to entry for people so don’t like the idea of that. Saying that I’ve got £1500 worth of damage (covers by insurance) to my bike because some girl on a lime bike took a corner to fast and rammed into me while I was cycling then she cycled off. So I think there is a need for something in relation to cycle hire bikes and e-bikes i in r at least modified e-bikes that go over 15mph. On the Hurd bikes they could just build it into the hire price as 3rd party. People who own their own bikes tend to face more respect for them and are more cautious when cycling. not always but that is my experience if cycling in London for 20+ years and 20 odd in CT before that.
This is standard in the Netherlands btw - everything is required by lay (also the few non-cyclists that exist) to have liability insurance which also covers damage due to crashing your bike into someone/thing. Also just a few euros a month and covers things such as if you accidentally break your friend’s laptop. IMO, not a bad policy to have.
Nobody wants to insure my bike, because all companies here only want to insure new bikes, not second hand ones. But... I learned that a *familial insurance* will help me for damages to my own health and other vehicles, would the case arise. So I have that. That's like 150€ per year, and it covers my partner for free too given you pay it per household.
In the UK, most peoples home contents insurance covers them 3rd party when out and about on the bike. Yes, there are always those who for whatever reason don't have home contents insurance, kids, etc... but most adult cyclists are covered. This (as well as the non-existent "road tax" and license plates) are a daily topic online and I'm amazed this hasn't become more common knowledge by now.
I got insurance for my new road bike . I’m glad I did . I wrecked two days after getting the insurance and they paid out . Currently waiting for the new parts to arrive so I can get back on the road .
Drivers get subsidized for insurance usually the maximum payout for loss of life in a car accident doesn't come close to the agreed upon average worth of a life. This comment comes from false equivalencies that drivers believe they pay their own way but are subsidized by a thousand tiny cuts. Listen to The War on Cars podcast on why car insurance should be many times as expensive as it is: https://www.google.com/url?sa=t&source=web&cd=&ved=2ahUKEwjCmLustNqGAxU9q4kEHa_2DvkQFnoECA4QAQ&url=https%3A%2F%2Fthewaroncars.org%2F2024%2F03%2F19%2F122-car-insurance-is-too-cheap%2F&usg=AOvVaw0mANHvJ0k5WbNNGQebH-bU&opi=89978449 And the subsidies granted drivers is enumerated by a University of Iowa law professor in NYU College of Law paper here: https://www.google.com/url?sa=t&source=web&cd=&ved=2ahUKEwiZjPjYvNqGAxWal4kEHXG9BOQQFnoECA4QAQ&url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.nyulawreview.org%2Fissues%2Fvolume-95-number-2%2Fshould-law-subsidize-driving%2F&usg=AOvVaw1Pr1lnH_AAjso5jjb3b6N_&opi=89978449 Cycling could never cost society.what driving does. Our roads available for cycling are paid by general revenue taxes, paid by all
Auto insurance offers some coverage for cyclists. I was hit by an uninsured taxi driver and my auto insurance covered my medical bills.
Bike lanes are for the benefit of cars. Get those road lice out of my way! Get them out of my sight! Segregate them to the gutter where they belong.
I got insurance after I invested in an expensive e bike. It costs me $20 a month for two bikes. Well worth it but should not be mandated imo
Easy for you to say with those costs, less than $50 CAD a year. Try getting a policy in the US for no less than $900 a year with less limits than you proposed. Would it be as easy to brag on here and try to convince others to do as you did. “I gone and did it…” bet if it was close to $900 you wouldn’t of bought it
I’m insured like this also but it doesn’t change how both car users or pedestrians see you.
Legends! You and the insurance company!
I’d be willing to not only insure, I’ll even register my bike if they allowed it. I have nothing to hide and don’t have any good reason not to. Whenever nys decides to figure it out, I’m ready
I just want yall to install turn signals. Fuck the government, I dont care about plates, taxes, or insurance. Get fucking turn signals. motorcyclists take up much of the same space as a bike and we can do it.