Bicycle and Cycle Insurance

Cycling is becoming more popular for holidays and increasing numbers of commuters are choosing to bike to work for sake of the exercise and the reduction in pollution.

Did you know that more than 400,000 bicycles are stolen every year, so you should be sure that your bike insurance cover is up to scratch.

The bike insurance option taken by many, is simply to include the pedal bike as an "add-on" to your home contents insurance policy. Get a cheap home insurance quote now! home insurance quotes.

The second option is to purchase a specialist bicycle insurance policy, you should make sure your policy is adequate for the use you intend for your bike (and your family's).

The first option is cheaper as in many cases a bicycle can be included on your home contents policy for an additional premium of around £10 a year, the actual cost will depend on the company, the price of the bike as well as your postcode area. But, whilst this will replace a stolen bike or protect you against a third-party claim if you cause an accident, they generally don't provide accident or injury cover. Remember too that if you make a claim, your household premium could rise.

A spokeswoman for Norwich Union says: "Provided bikes are locked in a garage or shed, they will normally be covered under a household policy at no extra cost. But once you want to take the bike out and leave it locked elsewhere, you need to pay an additional premium to have it covered by your home insurance policy."

Accepting that more than 1,000 bikes are stolen every day - that's 7 every 10 minutes - and that there are 26,000 accidents a year that involve bikers it makes sense to have proper insurance in place.

Before you set out, check out the small print of your bicycle insurance policy or the pedal cycle inclusion of your home insurance policy, if that is your chosen means of cycle insurance.

Beware, warns Teresa Hunter of the Sunday Herald Online, many policies can be heavily weighted with exclusions. If you have a separate cycle insurance, one of the most important exclusions to check and ensure your compliance involves the wearing of helmets, others include use of the cycles for 'mountain biking' and 'dirt track' riding.

A broad, standard clause in all insurance contracts require policyholders to "take reasonable care", and it is this clause that insurers are increasingly using to contest claims where a biker is not wearing a helmet. This not only applies to incidents involving motorbikes but ordinary bicycles too.

This means where you have a policy that covers injury or accident, the claim could be put in doubt or even refused if you are not wearing a helmet. The insurer does not have to specify in the terms and conditions that you should have worn a helmet, they are simply able to argue that this was covered in the catch-all phrase about taking "reasonable care" says Teresa Hunter.

Worryingly, if you are involved for example in an accident involving a car and are claiming damages against the driver, their insurer could possibly use this clause to turn down or reduce the claim.

A spokesman for the Association of British Insurers acknowledged the problem. He said although cycle helmets were not an insurance requirement, riders should be aware that if they are involved in an accident with a car then a court may well reduce the damages the motorist has to pay on the basis of "contributory negligence".

Cycling interest groups have been protesting long and hard against this trend. They say that as wearing a helmet whilst cycling is not a legal requirement, this should not be considered as a legitimate reason to turn down a claim, especially where the terms and conditions do not explicitly state that cover is only valid if a policyholder wears a helmet.

So when you next take to the road, make sure you are properly equiped and prepared.

Get cheap bike insurance through your home insurance policy with a quote now! home owners insurance quotes.

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