Bicycle Accident Insurance
Being involved in a bicycle accident is no laughing matter. Persons riding bicycles often get badly hurt if not killed when cyclists collide with motor vehicles.
Traffic violations cause a number of bicycle accidents. Like other drivers, bicyclists also must obey street signs and traffic rules. So to protect yourself and perhaps avoid using your bicycle accident insurance follow these safety tips: always ride carefully and pay attention, never ride with headphones or against traffic, give pedestrians the right-of-way, and keep the bicycle in good working condition. Always remember to ride the bicycle near the right-hand edge of the road. Never carry another person on the bicycle, use hand signals at the time of turning or stopping and take special care on rough or slippery surfaces. Try to avoid cycling at night. If riding at night, make sure your bicycle with good head and tail lights and wear brightly colored clothing.
Another important way to protect oneself, if they travel by bicycle frequently, is to carry bicycle accident insurance. Most people do not realize that their automobile insurance policy can also cover them while they are riding a bicycle. This is important for bicyclists when trying to understand bicycle accident insurance, because everyone who has an automobile insurance policy is paying part of each premium dollar toward coverage that will apply if the insured person is injured as a pedestrian or bicyclist.
For example, if a person is hit on your road bike by an uninsured drunk driver one afternoon while riding a bicycle and seriously injured, it is important to realize that their own automobile insurance may provide two types of coverage for them. First, if available, Personal Injury Protection will pay for your medical bills and loss of income. PIP is a part of your own policy and can be applied as a type of bicycle accident insurance regardless of whether or not the person who caused the injury is insured, and regardless of whose fault caused the accident. Even if the person traveling by bicycle has no car insurance because they are not a car owner, they may have a form of bicycle accident insurance provided by the car insurance policy for their parents or their employer. The second type of applicable coverage that can act as bicycle accident insurance is Uninsured Motorist Coverage (UM). This insurance is a legally required part of every automobile insurance policy. UM may provide a type of bicycle accident insurance and an important safety net for bicyclists whose injuries are a result of the fault of another person who has no insurance, or insufficient insurance to cover the damages resulting from the accident. UM coverage may pay for medical services and wage loss, as well as for pain and suffering, interference with activities, future impairment of earning capacity and punitive (or punishment) damages. Persons who travel by bicycle should have some sort of bicycle accident insurance coverage. A usual recommendation for bicyclist, when concerned about bicycle accident insurance, is that they raise the limits of their PIP (statutory minimum $15,000) and UM (statutory minimum $25,000) coverage above the minimum amounts. If you shop for this type of bicycle accident insurance, you will discover that the cost per dollar of coverage is relatively inexpensive once you get above the minimum coverage amounts. If you are ever unlucky enough to get seriously hurt, you will be greatly relieved if you at least have adequate insurance to cover your damages.
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