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Over half of cyclists (57 per cent) injured while cycling have admitted the injury was their fault.
A survey, made by Capita Insurance Services, also found that over a third of bicycle owners (33 per cent) have sustained an injury on a bike. It also discovered that fourteen per cent of bike owners use their ride for commuting, 52 use it for exercise and almost 30 per cent said they owned a bike that was gathering dust through lack of use.
Naturally, the insurance firm is using the statistics to encourage cyclists to take out a policy.
“It would be unthinkable for a driver to take to the road in a car that was not adequately insured and cyclists should think the same way," said Mark Boulton, a director at Capita Insurance Services. "If you run the risk of being injured and off work for a sustained period of time due to an accident on the road you may find that you do not qualify for full pay let alone the cost of replacing your bike.
“This survey has been invaluable for us as a business to understand the extent of potential problems and the issues associated with cycling to work or for pleasure. Of those injured, the fact that 34 per cent said they had to take time away from work due to a cycling injury also shows this could pose a wider issue for employers. From our experience, a high number of cyclists believe that they and their bicycles are adequately covered by their home contents insurance however this isn’t always the case.”
“Our advice is for cyclists who regularly use their bicycles to treat them as they would a car – whether they commute to work or use their bike for pleasure. They should take a closer look at their contents insurance to ensure they are legally covered in the event of an accident. It may be the case that further cover is required”.
Over 1,000 consumers were polled at random during the survey.
