3 Things To Do After A Bicycle Accident

As National Bike Week comes to an end today we thought it would be a great time to give a couple of suggestions of what to do if you or your bike are ever damaged in an accident.

1. Check yourself, your helmet and your bike!
   • Even if you are not hurt but there is damage to your helmet or bike you should NOT ride home. Once a helmet has had even one impact, its safety features are no longer working and will not stop a second impact from injuring you!
2. Make a record of everything!
   • Where did the accident happen? Was it on private property or public property?
   • What caused the accident? Can you take pictures of the cause?
   • Did you hurt yourself? Take pictures of your injuries if you can!
3. Call your home owners insurance company!
   • A lot of home insurance policies will actually have some coverage for property damage which can help pay for your bike depending on the deductible. This same coverage can help if your bike is stolen too!
   • These policies will generally NOT cover medical costs.
   • For the best case scenario you MUST save the original receipts for your bicycle to prove the value.

If you are really serious about biking you may want to even look into getting a separate “bicycle insurance” policy. Policies like these really didn’t exist even just a few years ago, so most people are unaware this is even an option. As reported by The Gazzete

“Better World Club announced last week that it has added bicycle insurance to its $39.95-per-year BIKEon roadside assistance service at no additional cost through a partnership with Gales Creek Insurance Services of Portland. Better World Club also offers a program for its auto club members that adds bicycle roadside assistance and insurance for an extra $17 per year.

The program provides coverage up to $100,000 to reimburse cyclists for their bills if they are injured in an accident and up to $1 million in liability coverage for injuries or damage caused by the insured cyclist.”

If you are riding a bike that costs more than a $1000, a $100 a year policy could probably save you from lots of headaches if something were to ever happen!