Originally Posted by Blazingpedals
What makes you think that there's always going to be an insurance policy to pay for everyone's damages? It is not required to have a driver's license or liability insurance in order to ride a bike. Unless your policy specifically covers it, auto insurance won't cover you for when you're on your bike. It's AUTO insurance.
Originally Posted by Expatriate
I didn't say there would always be an insurance policy. I merely responded to this post:
Originally Posted by Blazingpedals
Tickets received on your bicycle shouldn't count as points against your driver's license. That'd suck having your car insurance go up because of something you did on your bike!
And you are incorrect. There is no special rider on an auto policy that covers bikes. The liability portion of your auto policy will cover you if you strike a car with your bike. Just like your bodily injury coverage will provide limited coverage if you are in someone else's car, or get hit by a car while on your bike. It's not called a "Your car policy", it's auto insurance.
I believe that's what I called it: "AUTO insurance." (See my first quote above. ) While you seem to be more concerned with making a CLAIM, in the above, I was merely stating consequences of receiving a ticket.
It covers your body, your passengers' bodies (in a car) and provides liability coverage if you have an accident involving another automobile. There's no shopping trolley insurance, but if you're leaving Costco or Home Depot and your trolley rolls into a car, you have coverage to pay their damages. That's what the liability portion of your policy covers, and that's what most states, if not all, require you to have in order to operate a motor vehicle.
Ahh, you agree with me! You normally need insurance to operate a MOTOR VEHICLE. Not a bike.
That was my point; that since it's not required to have a driver's license or auto insurance to ride a bike, it's improper to have a cycling violation charged to either of them. I've been told that by lawyers, I've been told that by police who are cyclists. But that's exactly what will happen if you get a citation on your bike, and you give them your driver's license as an ID. Most cops don't know to do otherwise, and they'll use your license # for the ident field on the ticket, and the legal system will see it exactly the same as if you'd been driving your car at the time. And no matter how they do it in Quebec, that's not how it's supposed to work in The States.
Do you even have insurance or a license?
I don't think that was called for.