RootsBooster Posted October 31, 2012 Share Posted October 31, 2012 I once had a cyclist ride into me and cause just under a grand's worth of damage to the front of my car, he went through a red light. I'm also an occasional cyclist, my bike only cost £125. Just out of interest I thought I'd get a quote for insurance covering not only my own bike but also 3rd party/public liability cover, in case I ever have a collision that is my own fault. It came to £24.40 for the year, which works out at £2.03 per month. In a previous (similar, but closed & removed) thread, several people argued that because in most collisions, cyclists are unlikely to be at fault (statistically) and so they shouldn't need to be insured, if a cyclist causes damage or injury you can take them to court. I think £2.03 a month is a more than fair price for cyclists and I can't think of an argument against it, if you take in to consideration how expensive a court case would be. I know many people have bikes that cost more than £125 so I also got a quote for one costing £1250, which came out at £7.67 a month (£92.04 a year). You can't go wrong! The question is, should cycle insurance be compulsory for road cyclists? If not, at this price, why not?!! EDIT: For those who will argue that you can't identify a cyclist/bike because you can't have reg plates on it (which you can), my suggestion would be the method in which cycle race participants are identified: They wear a number on their bib/vest. Make it compulsory to wear a lightweight hi-vis vest with the number on and you're killing two birds with one stone! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RootsBooster Posted October 31, 2012 Author Share Posted October 31, 2012 Forgot to give a link to the insurance site. It was the first one I looked at, no shopping around. Pedal Power Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Moosey Posted October 31, 2012 Share Posted October 31, 2012 I'd say yes. Two examples/reasons. This morning, driving to work on Ecclesall Road, I reached the traffic lights outside the M&S. Three cyclists coming in the opposite direction, two of whom stopped at the red lights. Another went straight through and came worryingly close to taking out a lady with a pram. Hideous negligence on the part of the cyclist, and had he no home insurance, any injuries caused would likely have been unrecoverable. Second, I had a client, an elderly lady, around 75, who was hit by a cyclist in a park, messing around on his bike. The wound to her leg ulcerated, and she ended up losing the leg. He was someone who didn't have his own house/car/job etc, so there was nothing she could do, despite being hit by a negligent cyclist. Policing and logistics would of course prove much, much harder. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
WeX Posted October 31, 2012 Share Posted October 31, 2012 I think most are covered by their home insurance but that is not compulsory and all you need is a cyclist to ride off and you will never get their details. What we really need is a way to identify bad cyclists in the same way we do with other road users to weed out those who cause the problems. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RootsBooster Posted October 31, 2012 Author Share Posted October 31, 2012 I think most are covered by their home insurance but that is not compulsory and all you need is a cyclist to ride off and you will never get their details. What we really need is a way to identify bad cyclists in the same way we do with other road users to weed out those who cause the problems. See the OP edit Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
WeX Posted October 31, 2012 Share Posted October 31, 2012 See the OP edit Arh, that would work and make it safer for cyclists. I cant see them being too happy though, remember the sun shines out of their arses and they never do anything wrong, so why should they have to do anything different. On the insurance side of things, why not make it compulsory when obtaining insurance for a car to state if you use a bicycler on the roads. Then the insurer could add a small premium to the policy to cover them while cycling. Kinda like when you add breakdown cover etc. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RootsBooster Posted October 31, 2012 Author Share Posted October 31, 2012 Arh, that would work and make it safer for cyclists. I cant see them being too happy though, remember the sun shines out of their arses and they never do anything wrong, so why should they have to do anything different. On the insurance side of things, why not make it compulsory when obtaining insurance for a car to state if you use a bicycler on the roads. Then the insurer could add a small premium to the policy to cover them while cycling. Kinda like when you add breakdown cover etc. I have to admit, I wouldn't be fond of wearing a bright yellow vest with a number on it, but if it was compulsary I wouldn't argue with it, especially since all road cyclists would be wearing them. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RootsBooster Posted October 31, 2012 Author Share Posted October 31, 2012 Arh, that would work and make it safer for cyclists. I cant see them being too happy though, remember the sun shines out of their arses and they never do anything wrong, so why should they have to do anything different. On the insurance side of things, why not make it compulsory when obtaining insurance for a car to state if you use a bicycler on the roads. Then the insurer could add a small premium to the policy to cover them while cycling. Kinda like when you add breakdown cover etc. In my case (£2.03 a month), I'm pretty sure I could haggle them into including it at no extra cost if it meant they were going to win me over as a customer EDIT: Good idea by the way Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
WeX Posted October 31, 2012 Share Posted October 31, 2012 I have to admit, I wouldn't be fond of wearing a bright yellow vest with a number on it, but if it was compulsary I wouldn't argue with it, especially since all road cyclists would be wearing them. The number could go under that self righteous "The Zero Emissions Option" text so many of them wear. Which I have seen worn ironically by a motorcyclist in Sheffield Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RootsBooster Posted October 31, 2012 Author Share Posted October 31, 2012 The number could go under that self righteous "The Zero Emissions Option" text so many of them wear. Which I have seen worn ironically by a motorcyclist in Sheffield This lady has the right idea ...on a more serious note, this is all that is needed. Replace the writing with a cycle ID number. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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