Bicycle insurance: which insurance to choose?

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Cycling exposes you to various risks that should be covered by an insurance contract. These risks are of 3 types: civil liability incurred in the event of damage caused to third parties, bodily injury suffered by the cyclist and material damage caused to the bicycle. How to insure your bike to best protect yourself.

The bicycle covered by civil liability

It is important to distinguish:

Users of bicycles for leisure or as a mode of transportation. Generally their civil liability is covered by the civil liability insurance of their multi-risk home contract .

Practitioners of cycling for sport and competition (or as cycle tourists) benefit from the civil liability guarantee included in their federal license.

Good to know: people using a bicycle professionally (couriers, delivery people, etc.) will need to take out specific insurance. In fact, the coverage of a professional activity by the multi-risk home contract is formally excluded.

Bodily damage caused by a fall

If health insurance and mutual insurance intervene to cover the costs of care and hospitalization, any loss of salary will not be compensated (unless the collective agreement provides for it). In the event of a fall, to cover the risks of death, total or partial disability, but also cases of incapacity to work, you must therefore take out a contract covering these risks and coverage for your work stoppages.

These guarantees can be provided to you by an “individual-accident” contract or a GAV (Life Accident Guarantee) contract.

Good to know: children benefiting from “individual extra-curricular” insurance are covered in the event of an accident occurring while cycling at any time and in any place (generally with the exception of competitions). Here again, the federal license includes, in addition to covering healthcare costs, a small capital in the event of death and disability.

Bodily injury following a traffic accident with a motor vehicle

Whether it is an accident caused by a car, a truck, a motorized two-wheeler or any other motor vehicle, when the cyclist is injured, compensation for his bodily injury is the responsibility of the vehicle insurer. Unless he committed an inexcusable fault, the exclusive cause of the accident. The inexcusable fault is not opposable to the victims:

holders, at the time of the accident, of a disability rating

Good to know: material damage (damaged bicycle and clothing, etc.) suffered by the cyclist will only be compensated by the vehicle’s insurer if no traffic fault can be brought against the cyclist.

Bodily injury following a traffic accident with another cyclist or pedestrian

The cyclist is responsible for the accident . For example, if the cyclist hits a pedestrian or refuses priority to another bicycle, his civil liability is engaged and the civil liability guarantee (included in his comprehensive home insurance) compensates for bodily injury and material damage caused to the pedestrian or the other cyclist. .

If you are responsible for the accident, your personal insurance (individual accident, life accident guarantee or school insurance ) can, depending on the guarantees taken out, intervene to compensate for your possible bodily harm. However, your material losses are not covered.

The cyclist is not responsible for the accident. It is the civil liability insurer of the pedestrian or other cyclist who covers all bodily injury and material damage suffered. It is therefore necessary to establish the facts in order to be able to implicate the person responsible. If you are the victim of the accident, it is in your interest to seek the assistance of their legal protection or the “recourse and defense” guarantee of their comprehensive home insurance to help them assert your rights.

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Insurance for damage to the bicycle

The high-end bike represents a significant cost. It is therefore interesting to insure it for damage in the event of a fall, accident and collision, but also against theft and vandalism.

Some insurers offer specific contracts whose average cost is around 10 euros per month. The price varies depending on the model, the insured value, the garage location and of course the extent of the guarantees.

Good to know: your bicycle stolen from your home may be covered by the theft guarantee of your comprehensive home insurance provided that you respect the protections imposed by the insurer (locks, etc.). Some offer optional guarantees on the family’s bicycles.