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Re: Cheaper insurance for 'cyclist-aware' motorists?

Posted: 23 Nov 2018, 9:50am
by kwackers
MikeF wrote:I've been cycling since I learnt to ride a bike aged 7??. Compared with many on this forum my cycling is quite modest, but although I don't always ride on roads I do ride in towns and some A roads. However I've never passed a cycling proficiency test or bikeability, so what proof have I that I'm a "cyclist"?

I'd have said you could demonstrate your ability to fix a puncture but then I thought about how many 'cyclists' I know that can't...

Perhaps a trick; get you to ride along a bit of road with a traffic light on red, if you go through you pass, stop and you fail. :wink:

Re: Cheaper insurance for 'cyclist-aware' motorists?

Posted: 23 Nov 2018, 10:00am
by pwa
I passed my Cycling Proficiency in the late 1960s but I have lost the triangular enamel badge so I can't prove it. But then again, I never put it on my CV so nobody is likely to challenge me about it.

Re: Cheaper insurance for 'cyclist-aware' motorists?

Posted: 23 Nov 2018, 10:05am
by pwa
djrikki wrote:In the very short-term if it gets the general populace talking and considering their own actions the next time they start their engines then this can be seen as a small positive step in the right direction.

Offering cycling education instead of handing points on your licence - I believe that would have greater effect if the cycling education involved physically riding a bike on the road for a couple of hours.

+1
This has yet to produce anything useful on the ground but the fact that it is being talked about is in itself a good thing. It shows that it is at least being seen as an issue, which it hasn't always in the past.

Re: Cheaper insurance for 'cyclist-aware' motorists?

Posted: 23 Nov 2018, 10:06am
by fastpedaller
As an aside..... My Wife's car insurance became due for renewal. Myself and Daughter (Student) are also named drivers. This was for 3rd year cover on this basis with a black box - An interesting addition, which gives an incentive for the younger driver to 'beat the percentage' of the experienced ones! Anyway, she was amused that for one journey it reduced my %tage for steering control, which was when we went round and round the multi-storey car park :lol: . Now to the point of my note.... This year the premium reduced by quite a large amount, but we were able to reduce it further by switching to another (also well known) insurer, with no black box (not a factor either way for us), but the strange thing is that if we'd gone with a black box with the same insurer that we've changed to, the premium is almost double. That's really strange, and shows the weird pricing of car insurance, so I suspect any 'reduction' due to being cycle-aware would be pretty fluid anyway.

Re: Cheaper insurance for 'cyclist-aware' motorists?

Posted: 23 Nov 2018, 11:21am
by Nigel
fastpedaller wrote:As an aside..... My Wife's car insurance became due for renewal. Myself and Daughter (Student) are also named drivers. This was for 3rd year cover on this basis with a black box - An interesting addition, which gives an incentive for the younger driver to 'beat the percentage' of the experienced ones! Anyway, she was amused that for one journey it reduced my %tage for steering control, which was when we went round and round the multi-storey car park :lol: . Now to the point of my note.... This year the premium reduced by quite a large amount, but we were able to reduce it further by switching to another (also well known) insurer, with no black box (not a factor either way for us), but the strange thing is that if we'd gone with a black box with the same insurer that we've changed to, the premium is almost double. That's really strange, and shows the weird pricing of car insurance, so I suspect any 'reduction' due to being cycle-aware would be pretty fluid anyway.


Insurance companies: blackbox = device for high risk driver to make them a bit less high risk. So, if you need to consider blackboxes, you're a high risk, and being charged accordingly.


My car is due for insurance renewal shortly. I doubt being a cyclist will make any difference, whereas lack of claims, convictions or speed courses will. Wonder if I can keep it below £250 for the year again ?

Re: Cheaper insurance for 'cyclist-aware' motorists?

Posted: 23 Nov 2018, 12:24pm
by mjr
MikeF wrote:I've been cycling since I learnt to ride a bike aged 7??. Compared with many on this forum my cycling is quite modest, but although I don't always ride on roads I do ride in towns and some A roads. However I've never passed a cycling proficiency test or bikeability, so what proof have I that I'm a "cyclist"?

Would you resent a refresher course and test if the cost was less than the discount?

Re: Cheaper insurance for 'cyclist-aware' motorists?

Posted: 23 Nov 2018, 1:25pm
by MikeF
mjr wrote:
MikeF wrote:I've been cycling since I learnt to ride a bike aged 7??. Compared with many on this forum my cycling is quite modest, but although I don't always ride on roads I do ride in towns and some A roads. However I've never passed a cycling proficiency test or bikeability, so what proof have I that I'm a "cyclist"?

Would you resent a refresher course and test if the cost was less than the discount?
No. I wouldn't.

Re: Cheaper insurance for 'cyclist-aware' motorists?

Posted: 23 Nov 2018, 2:05pm
by fastpedaller
Nigel wrote:Insurance companies: blackbox = device for high risk driver to make them a bit less high risk. So, if you need to consider blackboxes, you're a high risk, and being charged accordingly.


My car is due for insurance renewal shortly. I doubt being a cyclist will make any difference, whereas lack of claims, convictions or speed courses will. Wonder if I can keep it below £250 for the year again ?


Blackbox was because daughter is a named driver - a high risk due to the 'group' she is in (and her lack of experience) not a bad record (I hope it stays that way). The main point I was making is the 'weird stats' that give a cheaper deal without the box than with it from the same insurer. The (perceived risky) person involved is the same, so I'd have thought that (everything else being equal) having the box fitted would reduce the cost.
I have a strong suspicion the black boxes are used mainly to identify who the principal driver is (to identify 'fronting'), as they wanted details of my Wife's place of work and Daughters College, and this of course is trackable. I think that's good, whatever the motive. Strange thing is it (black box) sometimes put the car in places we've never been to :o , but on the whole it was good, and if the car was ever stolen it maybe could be found.

Re: Cheaper insurance for 'cyclist-aware' motorists?

Posted: 23 Nov 2018, 3:02pm
by Cugel
Insurers have pointed out that the "accident" rate for cars on cyclists is actually very small within the greater class of "all claims against motorists", so even if some sort of course on treating cyclists better did reduce the already small number of "accidents", the effect on premiums would be miniscule.

It turns out, anyway, that this apparent "policy" is nothing more than some government person spinning a nice sounding "solution" that won't actually work and was never discussed or agreed with any insurer to start with. More PR woffle masquerading as "policy".

Cugel