Cyclist liability insurance?

[bigchrisb]

Does anyone carry public liability insurance for their cycling?

I read this article over the weekend (Canberra is my hometown), and to be honest, its scared me!  Long story short - one cyclist ran into a piece of wood.  He then caused a following cyclist to end up in the car traffic and be hit by a car.  Bad back, spine and pelvis injuries.  $1.7M of damages plus costs have now been awarded, with the cyclist that hit the piece of wood needing to pay up.

http://www.canberratimes.com.au/act-news/canberra-cyclist-ordered-to-pay-17-million-over-collision-with-fellow-rider-20141031-11f37b.html

As this is now a piece of supreme court precedence in the Australian legal system, it worries me about the risks of cycling - while low probability, a $1.7M hit would wipe out my entire stash and then some.  Any thoughts on insurance to cover against this?  Its annoying that it seems to have come to this.

[deborah]

There was another article in the Canberra times saying that if you were a member of Pedal Power (which the person liable actually is) you automatically had personal liability insurance. You also may have insurance through your householders policy. See http://www.canberratimes.com.au/comment/ct-editorial/cyclists-need-insurance-too-20141102-11fqk5.html

[Nudelkopf]

I wouldn't even know how to purchase insurance for a bike. Is it a normal thing most insurance companies offer?

[surfhb]

If you have a sizable stache, having an umbrella policy is a must.   I'm sure this would be covered.   

[deborah]

Check out legal liability in your home contents insurance policy. Mine says:

Covered under Contents Insurance
We cover the legal liability of you or your family for death or bodily injury to someone else, or loss or damage to someone else’s property in an incident that takes place outside the site, but within Australia.

For example, you may be liable if you are riding your bicycle on a road and cause an accident.

Your home building policy usually includes legal liability around the home. You may find that your travel insurance policy includes it when traveling OS.

[Goldielocks]

My son hit a parked car while cycling and it was covered by homeowners insurance..

[Primm]

One of the legal eagles in my triathlon club has been following this case and he says the only reason the payout was this high was because the person was insured. If he didn't have insurance the payout wouldn't have been anywhere near this big.

[alsoknownasDean]

Is there a TAC equivalent in the ACT? I'd imagine the TAC would cover that here in Victoria.

[dragoncar]

If you have a sizable stache, having an umbrella policy is a must.   I'm sure this would be covered.

yep

[kaetana]

Is there a TAC equivalent in the ACT? I'd imagine the TAC would cover that here in Victoria.

I don't think the TAC would cover an accident unless there were a motorised vehicle involved. If it's just two cyclists, I'm not sure they could do anything.

I don't know if this exists in other states, but in VIC we have Bicycle Network insurance, about $14/m for my husband and me.

[m8547]

It sounds like the cyclist that got injured is equally at fault for riding too close to his "friend". If this happened in the US, the guy that hit the tree branch would sue his friend for riding too close and colliding with him!

Drafting is a nice way to save energy, but it can be dangerous on a bike like it is in a car. Riding 2x2 in a bike lane seems like a bad idea because it doesn't leave enough room for the cyclists, nor does it leave enough room for cars to get by safely.

There are not a lot of details about the accident in the article, but my point is to ride sensibly and you shouldn't need insurance. It's hard to do a lot of damage to anything but yourself on a bike.