Archive for the ‘Bike Insurance’ Category

Why bike insurance is as vital as your crash helmet!

Wednesday, September 30th, 2009

Bicycle insurance is as crucial a piece of protection equipment as any padded garment or crash helmet according to the article “Instant Expert Guide to Bike Insurance”.

Bicycles are not cheap. Ideally you buy one and want it to last for as long as you want to keep it, so when it gets pinched you will naturally feel devastated! But what can you do?

Taking some extra care when parking your bike could help prevent the likelihood of it being stolen. Look for some good bike locks and attach it to anything you can find that is solid such as a roof rack on the top of your car.

The perfect back-up strategy is to take out some bicycle insurance. If your bicycle cost more than two hundred pounds you may have a problem with some insurance providers. In their world, a bicycle that cost over two hundred pounds is considered ‘high value’. Many prefer to add their bike to their home contents insurance – but as previously mentioned this is not a problem for bikes under the value of £200. For those who find adding a bike to home insurance policies a problem, check out some quotes from specialist bicycle insurance companies for satisfaction. Ensuring that you will be protected in the event of an accident occurring while riding or racing is essential at this stage.

When taking out some insurance on your bicycle it is vital to check the specific requirements of your policy. Make sure you are familiar with parking requirements (it may turn out your bicycle is not insured if parked anywhere other than inside your home). Check also that your bicycle is protected from anything happening abroad if planning on taking your bike on your travels.

Travel insurance is essential when cycling abroad. Many insurance plans will cover you for bicycle riding abroad but not mountain bike riding. By making sure on the outset that you and your insurance company have an understanding is the best way to avert disaster. Travel insurance is vital when cycling abroad because an accident could leave you with astronomical medical bills you cannot afford.

Bicycle insurance and travel insurance – a marriage made in heaven!

Tags: ,
Posted in Bike Insurance | 1 Comment »

How to outwit thieves when cycling to work!

Friday, September 18th, 2009

Every 65 seconds a bicycle is stolen in the UK. Cycling commuters would do well to buy a second hand bike to avoid the attention of thieves rather than purchase a shiny top-notch item. According to the article “Cycle to Work Scheme – why bike insurance is important” it is better to have an old reliable bike still in the rack on your return from work than a brand new trendy one that is no longer there!

You could easily spend up to five hundred pounds on a new bike with all the accessories in an effort to save the planet as well as petrol costs. But is it worth it when your new ‘pride and joy’ attracts the eye of an opportunist thief within moments of parking it up? It’s rotten I know but a fact of life all the same. Consider these words because you don’t have to learn the hard way!
According to bike theft statistics, a bicycle is stolen every minute or so. Don’t become a complete victim to this rising trend, take some reasonable precautions and purchase some comprehensive bike insurance.

If a thief has in his/her possession a set of powerful wire cutters, there is a strong chance that your bicycle will be stolen. No matter what immobilising device you adopt or locks you use, the determined bike thief will not persevere until satisfaction has been achieved! Whilst a double chain lock system can reduce the chances of bike theft, cyclists are put off by the impracticality of it.

It is always worth it to check on your home insurance whether your bicycle (including accessories and related cycle-wear) is covered on it.
Other types of insurance to check out would be that for public liability to cover you in the event that you accidentally scratch a passing car or hit a dog. While bike theft insurance is of considerable assistance when you need it, public liability can be the most costly of all.

If you are a new cyclist, welcome to the world of cycle lanes and a great workout before work! Remind yourself not to become a statistic and check out insurance for liability and damage to be on the safe side!

Tags:
Posted in Bike Insurance | No Comments »

Sidestep burglary – move to Dudley!

Tuesday, April 7th, 2009

The credit crunch is forcing people to consider economising by making cuts to their insurance. Conclusions drawn, however, from a recent Virgin Money survey were that people living in certain areas should not hastily cancel their policies. Research has revealed certain geographical regions are worse for burglary, criminal damage and flooding than others and the results (in some cases) are surprising.

According to the article “The most likeliest places to be burgled” if you live in Doncaster, Nottingham, Sheffield and Middlesborough you really ought to be shopping for home insurance. Recent findings have revealed a burglary concentration in these towns compared with England and Wales maintaining that residents of these places should think twice before cancelling their insurance policies.

Do you live in a safe part of England?

The safest areas in England and Wales are (in order of the safest first) Kensington and Chelsea, Dudley, Poole, Brighton and Hove, Wandsworth, Lewisham, City of Westminster, Hackney, Tower Hamlets and Southend. These towns and boroughs scored highly in terms of safety by taking into consideration the criteria of ‘Neighbourhood Watch’ presence, levels of police officers on patrol in an area as well as data held at the National Office of Statistics, the Home Office, the Association of Police Authorities and the Environment Agency.

To say that the Kensington and Chelsea borough was a burglar free zone would be an untruth! This is an area of considerable wealth and so a magnet for any thief with ambitious tendencies. The findings of this Virgin Money survey can prove somewhat confusing, with Kensington and Chelsea (regarded the safest place to live) regarded as less of a flood risk and criminal damage target experiencing high levels of burglary. Overall however, insurers regard this particular borough as ‘low risk’ therefore keeping premiums low for the residents.

Where the location of your home hugely affects your insurance premiums, in order to economise you need to ask yourself if you live in a safe area.

Tags:
Posted in Bike Insurance, Car Insurance, General, Home & Contents Insurance | No Comments »

Motorcycle thieves watch out!

Saturday, November 29th, 2008

According to the article “How to prevent thieves catching a ride on your motorcycle” a greater extent of motorcycle thefts occur in towns and cities. Thefts that occur while the motorcyclist is at home dominate at eighty per cent. How can we prevent this?

When a motorbike is stolen, it takes less time than if a thief was to steal a car. What with the theft of a motorbike only taking as little as twenty seconds, we need to address our security issues (or lack of them!)

The article recommends the purchasing of a good lock such as a tough motorcycle chain and U-lock. This is very much an essential item for your bike security. As the wheel can be removed, it is unwise to put a chain round it, instead thread the chain around the frame of the bike and attach it to a large preferably, immovable, solid item. The longer it takes for a thief to achieve access to the machine, the least likely he is to succeed! Next, get an alarm for the motorbike. There are a variety of alarms on the market including ones that automatically page you in the event that you bike is being tampered with. When parking in a prominent and busy area, the noise from an alarm will panic the burglar who wants attention like a dose of prison time!

When you park, choose wisely. Make sure your vehicle is within prominent view and not hidden from sight behind a lorry or in a dark corner. Next ensure you disable your motorcycle before leaving it behind (popular ways to do this include the use of a hidden switch which cuts out and taking the mains fuse with you).

Last but not least, ensure you are insured. With motorcycle insurance policies ranging from third party to fully comprehensive, should the worst happen, although its not the same as getting your bike back, you will at least have some financial protection. Don’t let those thieves get the better of you!

Tags: , , ,
Posted in Bike Insurance | No Comments »

Cycling to work CAN save you money!

Saturday, November 29th, 2008

According to the article “Over three million commuters start cycling to keep costs down” there has been a considerable shift in people’s attitudes to work travel because of the credit crunch. In an effort to save money over twelve per cent of the working public are travelling to their place of employment by bicycle.

The reason the option of cycling to work is so appealing is because it saves approximately £34 a week. There are other benefits too of course, such as improved physical fitness as a result and the fact that we are contributing to a cleaner environment. In this case, what is good for our pockets is also good for our planet’s ecology.

Research is revealing that men are the frontrunners in this new dynamic. While fifteen per cent of the male employment market are cycling to work, only eight per cent of women are commuting on two wheels.

As with most stories of optimism and glad tidings, there is a downside to all this effort of getting down to the basics, saving the planet and avoiding financial hardships, the burglars! In the UK, thousands of bikes are stolen. What with so many of us taking out bicycles and parking them up, our bicycles are at serious risk of being stolen too. Insuring our bicycles so that we are covered if the worst was to happen is a start. In addition, there are one or two particular security considerations to bear in mind when parking up away from home. Buy a recommended padlock and secure your bicycle to a fixed object in a decently lit area. Also, photograph and register your bicycle for returning procedures should it go missing and very visibly mark two places on the bike with your mark or a tag.

If you are cycling to work instead of taking the car, well done! Don’t let the killjoys spoil it for you! As the article states, it would be a shame to let your good intentions of saving money become a false economy thanks to less than effective security measures.

Tags: , , ,
Posted in Bike Insurance | No Comments »

Bikers – Take Care Out There

Monday, January 28th, 2008

The Guardian reports that new Department of transport figures are showing horrific statistics for the two wheelers amongst us. Bikes constitute just 4% of the vehicles on our roads but their riders account for nearly a third of all road deaths. Car drivers are getting safer as designs improve and cars are fitted with air bags to reduce risks in an accident. Bikers are still fitted with a fibreglass bonnet to protect them, it’s an unequal struggle.

Statistics show that a motorcycle or scooter rider  is 50 times more likely to be killed or seriously hurt than a car driver for each mile travelled, and twice as likely as a pedal cyclist.
Insurer yesinsurance.co.uk says the recent trend for inexperienced middle-aged men to ride motorbikes is contributing to accident numbers. Deaths and serious injuries to riders in their forties have doubled in the past ten years compared with a fall in the younger age brackets.

Paul Purdy of YesInsurance believes that the steadily increasing price of fuel and the fact that two wheeled vehicles  are exempt from paying the London congestion charge have been two of the factors encouraging car drivers to switch to motorcycles.

I know that many bike accidents are the result of car drivers doing stupid or inconsiderate things BUT you’ve got to ride defensibly, expecting the worst of all motorists and truck drivers. It’s no good laying in a hospital bed with broken bones or worse and explaining that a motorist pulled out and didn’t see you. He’s got a dented vehicle, you’ve got a broken body…or worse.

Tags: , , , , , , , , ,
Posted in Bike Insurance | No Comments »