Originally Posted by
jputnam
Cyclists generally have far more liability insurance for their bikes than the average motorist.
Unlike motoring, bicycling carries such negligible risk that it is included in the basic personal liability coverage of renter's insurance or homeowner's insurance. A million dollars of liability insurance for a whole family on bikes costs less than a month of minimal auto liability coverage for one car with one driver.
This seems very dubious to me. I predict that if a cyclist were to try and use any of that million dollars of liability insurance to cover themselves for a cycling accident - for example, the guy in Renton who killed the old lady on the Cedar River Trail - the insurance company would refuse to pay. I very much doubt that any renter's or home owner's policy will cover liability from a bike accident that happened outside the home. ( Among many reasons, I suspect that if I were wrong here, drivers would be doing the same thing instead of carrying specialized driving insurance... )