Cyclists still have until May 31 to take out private liability insurance to cover the costs of damage resulting from an accident. After June 1, the 2011 vignette will no longer be valid and cyclists without insurance will have to pay the costs themselves.

Salted bill
According to the Swiss Insurance Association (SIA), the bicycle vignette covers damage of up to CHF 2 million per case. The SIA estimates that cyclists caused damage costs totaling 7 to 10 million francs in 2010. As the TCS announced in a press release, in view of these figures it is advisable for the ten percent of cyclists who are still uninsured to take out liability insurance soon.

Recommendation from the TCS
The TCS also recommends that all cyclists check whether their liability insurance covers damage caused to third parties. It is also important to ensure that all members of a household are covered by the insurance.

Also clarify: the level of cover of the household contents insurance
Although Mr. and Mrs. Swiss usually have good insurance cover, there may be an unintentional gap in insurance cover for e-bikes. In most cases, electric bikes are not automatically insured against theft by the household contents insurer. With some insurance companies, only slow e-bikes (up to 25 km/h) are automatically insured against theft. Fast electric bikes (up to 45 km/h) are excluded from the vast majority of household contents policies and require a separate policy. To avoid any surprises if your e-bike is stolen, it is advisable to clarify the insurance cover with your household contents insurer.

Correct sum insured
As standard, household contents insurance policies cover bicycles up to CHF 2,000. Anyone traveling with expensive bicycles would also be well advised to clarify their individual insurance cover and have the household contents sum insured adjusted if necessary.