If the sudden outbreak of warm weather has persuaded you to dig out your bike from the back of the garage – or even to invest in a new machine – have you thought about security? Incidents of bike theft have increased by almost 10 per cent a year over the past five years, with 131,000 cases of stolen bikes reported to the police last year alone.
There are two ways to protect yourself against the bike thieves. Defence one is to take all practical security precautions within your budget. Then, as a back-up – determined thieves are almost impossible to deter – make sure your bike is properly insured.
The cost of decent security can add up, although cutting corners can be a false economy because most insurers only cover bikes that have been properly secured – insurers say around 14 per cent of claims a year fail for this reason.
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Insuresupermarket’s Richard Mason says personal liability insurance is crucial for cyclists, in case they face potentially expensive legal action. If you cause a crash, for example, drivers may pursue you for thousands of pounds’ worth of damage to their cars – and the bill could be far higher if someone is seriously hurt.
“For car drivers, personal liability insurance is a legal requirement but for cyclists it’s up to the individual,” Mason warns. If you don’t have this sort of cover through a home contents policy or via specialist bike insurance – and read the terms of your cover carefully because you may have to pay extra for this protection – consider other options.
Article continues; it does of course contain many quotes from people who are trying to sell insurance.
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