So, following on from the poll which suggested a minority of drivers would like cyclists to pay 'Road Tax', comes the call for cyclists to have insurance. Of course this originates from who else but the Association of British Insurers (ABI) [see the BBC piece on this here]. It's a bit like a house burglar suggesting homeowners should leave the ground floor windows open when going out - a little bit of wealth creation me thinks.
The obligatory need for cycle insurance - that is third party and legal
cover rather than a policy in case of theft - is frankly ridiculous in my opinion.
Something else to reduce the desire and ease for people to use a simple and affordable means
of transport. And that on top of the ignorant drivers and poor infrastructure we already
suffer. That does not mean I disagree with the notion cyclists can benefit from
having such cover but rather I believe it should be up to an individual to choose it than be obliged.
I do have 3rd party/legal cover courtesy of my Cyclists Touring Club (CTC) membership. This costs me £31.20 pa (5 yrs for the price of 4) and also gives me these benefits too. While I haven't actually used any discounts yet, I do enjoy my copy of 'Cycle' magazine every couple of months and also appreciate knowing if I caused an accident/injury I will be covered for any resulting claim. What I really, really like though is knowing if some twonk causes me an injury while I'm out cycling, I will have access to specialist legal advice to give them everything they legally and richly deserve. That is worth £31.20 pa all by itself in my book!
I do have 3rd party/legal cover courtesy of my Cyclists Touring Club (CTC) membership. This costs me £31.20 pa (5 yrs for the price of 4) and also gives me these benefits too. While I haven't actually used any discounts yet, I do enjoy my copy of 'Cycle' magazine every couple of months and also appreciate knowing if I caused an accident/injury I will be covered for any resulting claim. What I really, really like though is knowing if some twonk causes me an injury while I'm out cycling, I will have access to specialist legal advice to give them everything they legally and richly deserve. That is worth £31.20 pa all by itself in my book!
If the number of deaths and injuries involving motor vehicles was as low as that caused by cyclists the government would probably scrap the need for compulsory insurance for divers.
ReplyDeletePete
ReplyDelete"the government would probably scrap the need for compulsory insurance for [sic] divers.".
No doubt the ABI would have something to say about that!
I wrote the blog piece at work and a colleague ventured the opinion cyclists should be forced to have insurance and pay 'Road Tax. I soon put her right on the issue of VED and then questioned the rationale for cyclists insurance. "Coz they cause all the accidents" came the reply. "What? Even the ones between two or more motorised vehicles with no cyclists involved. How do they do that?" I retorted. Silence. She's not the brightest blinkie on the road. Shame.
Sadly it looked like London Cycling Campaign are trying to promote membership on the back of this scare story...
ReplyDeletehttp://lcc.org.uk/articles/cyclist-without-third-party-or-legal-protection-pays-heavy-damages
Mike
ReplyDeleteI think the guy in the example was daft trying to represent himself against a barrister. And it would have been possible for hime to get legal advice/help, perhaps on a no win, no fee basis. We know cover is not needed and I think LCC are pushing it a little to hard but for some (like me) it's nice to know you have it.
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