Like any human activity, cycling can involve your civil liability. This can be incurred because of the damage you may cause to others by your act, your negligence, your imprudence, but also by the fact of your bike (articles 1240 to 1242 of the Civil Code).

It should be distinguished:

Users of bicycles for leisure or as a mode of transport. Generally their civil liability is covered by the civil liability insurance of their multi-risk home contract .

Those who practice cycling on a sporting and competitive basis (or as cycle tourists) benefit from the civil liability guarantee included in their federal licence.

Good to know: people using a bicycle for professional purposes (couriers, delivery people, etc.) must take out specific insurance. Indeed, the coverage of a Bike insurance professional activity by the multi-risk home contract is formally excluded.

If the health insurance and the mutual intervene to cover the costs of care and hospitalization, any loss of salary will not be compensated (unless the collective agreement provides for it). In the event of a fall, to cover the risk of death, total or partial disability, but also cases of incapacity for work, you must therefore take out a contract covering these risks and the management of your work stoppages.

These guarantees can be provided to you by an “individual-accident” contract or a GAV (Life Accident Guarantee) contract.

Good to know: children benefiting from “individual out-of-school” insurance are covered in the event of an accident occurring on a bicycle at any time and in any place (with the general exception of competitions). Here again, the federal license includes, in addition to the assumption of care costs, a small capital in the event of death and disability.

Bodily injury resulting from a traffic accident with a motor vehicle

Whether it is an accident caused by a car, a truck, a motorized two-wheeler or any other motor vehicle, when the cyclist is injured, compensation for his bodily injury is the responsibility of the vehicle insurer. Unless he has committed an inexcusable fault, the sole cause of the accident. The inexcusable fault is not opposable to the victims:

Good to know: material damage (damaged bike and clothing, etc.) suffered by the cyclist will only be compensated by the vehicle’s insurer if no traffic fault can be attributed to the cyclist.

The cyclist is responsible for the accident . For example, if the cyclist hits a pedestrian or refuses priority to another bicycle, his civil liability is engaged and the civil liability guarantee (included in his multi-risk home insurance) compensates for the bodily injury and material damage caused to the pedestrian or to the other cyclist. .

If you are responsible for the accident, your personal insurance (individual accident, life accident guarantee or school insurance ) may, depending on the guarantees taken out, intervene to compensate for your possible bodily injury. Your material damages are, however, not covered.

The cyclist is not responsible for the accident. It is the civil liability insurer of the pedestrian or the other cyclist who takes charge of all the bodily and material damage suffered. It is therefore necessary to establish the facts in order to be able to implicate the person responsible. If you are the victim of the accident, it is in your interest to seek the assistance of his legal protection or the “recourse and defense” guarantee of his multi-risk home insurance to help him assert your rights.

Bicycle damage insurance

The high-end bike represents a significant cost. It is therefore worth insuring it for damage in the event of a fall, accident and collision, but also against theft and vandalism.

Some insurers offer specific contracts whose average cost is around 10 euros per month. The price varies according to the model, the insured value, the place of garage and of course the extent of the guarantees.

Good to know: your bike stolen from your home may be subject to the theft cover of your comprehensive home insurance provided you comply with the protections imposed by the insurer (locks, etc.). Some offer optional warranties on the family’s bikes.