ARE YOU COVERED IF YOU HAVE AN ACCIDENT?

Are you covered if you have an accident?

As the season gets into full swing, accidents are unfortunately inevitable. But are you covered if you injure a fellow cyclist? Our insurance partner, PedalCover, has put together a guide to Public Liability Insurance to clue you up should the worst happen.

What is it and do I need it?

Whatever type of cycling you do, whether riding for fun, commuting, keeping fit or even racing, there is always the possibility that you may be responsible for an accident that involves other people. Regardless of whether it’s a fellow cyclist, a pedestrian, or even a vehicle, it’s important to understand the implications if the accident is proven to be your fault.

Third-party cover – 'A must for cyclists'

Public liability cover for cyclists or triathletes is similar to a third-party only car insurance policy. It covers the costs if you damage someone’s property or injure them whilst out on your bike. It is often referred to as personal, public or third-party liability in insurance documents.

Even though £1m of public liability cover sounds ample, often claims can escalate. In the event you caused a motorist to crash or even stop suddenly you could face legal costs, fees for medical complaints like whiplash and vehicle repair costs (this can quickly add up if it’s an expensive vehicle!). This could be the case in the event of a minor incident; if serious injuries are caused, the cost implications can be huge.

Pay-outs are not restricted to motorists. If you were to crash your bike into a high-flying person such as an investment banker or famous pop star you could be sued for substantial loss of earnings. For this reason, at Pedalcover our Home and Bike Insurance policy provides a minimum of £2 million of cover.

I’m already a member of British Cycling/British Triathlon so I must be covered, right?

Yes and no.

If you’re a member of a cycling or triathlon club or you race on your bike, be it crits, time-trials or triathlon, chances are you’ve been told you must have public liability cover. Whilst membership of British Cycling (silver or higher) and British Triathlon does give you public liability cover it does not cover member to member liability in an event! Even though you are covered if you were to hit a pedestrian or damage a vehicle, in reality the party you are most likely to injure or be injured by in any kind of race is going to be a fellow participant! And if they are also a member of British Cycling or British Triathlon, then neither of you will be covered.

This is why Pedalcover’s Home and Bike cover comes with public liability as standard, to help address these shortcomings in most cycling and triathlon insurance cover.

I’m going abroad with my bike – will my travel policy cover me?

Again, many travel policies also have similar restrictions and whilst public liability cover is offered for some racing disciplines, others are excluded. Can you afford to leave it to chance?

Pedalcover’s cycling travel insurance is designed for cyclists and triathletes gives you £2million public liability as standard with no exclusions on triathlon, sportives, time trials or cycle racing meaning you can enjoy your biggest race of the season with complete peace of mind.

If you have any questions on this, please don’t hesitate to give the Pedalcover team a call on 0800 121 4424.

This article originally appeared on pedalcover.co.uk in July 2018.