General cycle insurance covers you should your bike be stolen or damaged. However, you will not be automatically covered for any legal expenses you may need to pay; for instance, if you are taken to court for an incident involving your bike, your general cycle insurance cannot support you. However, there are optional coverage extras that you can add to your general policy to help protect you in certain circumstances, including legal expenses cover.
In this guide, we will explore what legal cover is, what is and isn’t covered, and the various restrictions in place. We will also discuss the benefits of legal expenses cover, and why you should choose a cycle insurance policy with ALA.
Legal expenses cover on cycle insurance protects cyclists if they are involved in an accident or incident which requires legal advice or proceedings. It can also provide cover if you are seeking uninsured losses or compensation from a road traffic accident.
With ALA, legal expenses cover is an optional extra which you can add onto your general cycle insurance policy to cover your legal fees. As well as protecting your bike from theft or accidental/malicious damage, we can offer financial support for any legal proceedings, no matter whether you are defending yourself from an alleged criminal offence or attempting to recover compensation.
As previously mentioned, legal expense coverage protects you against paying certain legal costs, for whatever reason . Most commonly, cyclists will need to seek legal advice in order to claim compensation following an accident, or someone may have taken legal action against them, and have been accused of a criminal offence whilst on their bicycle.
Free legal advice is provided to claimants, as well as uninsured loss recovery (with a maximum cover limit of £100,000) and cycling prosecution defence (with a maximum cover limit of £25,000). All claims must be reported to the administrator within seven days of you becoming aware of a potential charge. Cyclists are also covered anywhere in the UK, the Channel Islands and the Isle of Man.
Legal expenses cover can be added to your cycle insurance policy whilst building your quote. You can make a start on your bespoke cycle insurance quote here.
Although legal expenses cover can come in handy should you encounter any legal issues, there are various instances where you may not be covered, so it is important to check your policy documents carefully.
No claim should exceed the maximum amount stated previously, and we cannot pursue any claim made under the Criminal Injuries Compensation Scheme. If the recovery costs are somewhat disproportionate to the amount of legal expenses you are likely to incur, you cannot make a claim. If you are unlikely to be successful, or the claim has arisen from a criminal act, then you will be unsuccessful.
Although we provide free legal advice, this will only be related to legal matters that may be covered under this policy. We cannot process a claim for psychological injury, and any professional fees above standard terms will not be covered. In terms of prosecution defence cover, legal expenses cover does not protect you from any offence which occurred outside of the claim period, and you will not be covered if you plead guilty. If you were under the influence of alcohol or drugs, you were using a mobile phone at the time of the accident, you were on a restricted access road at the time of the offence or you were operating a bike that wasn’t the insured bicycle, you will not be covered.
As well as legal expenses cover, we provide a range of different optional policy extras, such as Public Liability Cover and Bicycle Accessory Protection. You can find out more about our policy extras on our website.
If you add legal expenses cover to your cycle insurance policy, you will be protected for as long as the policy lasts. Any incidents that occur outside of this policy period will be void, and you will not be able to make a claim. If you wish to make a claim for prosecution defence costs, you must notify the claims administrator within seven days of you becoming aware of a charge.
For any claim that has been, or would have likely been, sent to the Small Claims Track, the limit of cover is either 25% of the damages potentially covered, or £400, whichever is lower. To discuss your legal protection claim further, you can get in touch with a member of our team today via our online form.
Not only will your cycle insurance policy cover you for bicycle theft, or any malicious or accidental damage the bike incurs, adding legal expenses cover to your policy can assist should you find yourself in a legal predicament whilst out on your bike. You will also be able to claim for uninsured losses, such as injuries or a loss of personal possessions.
When pursuing or becoming involved in a legal case, acquiring representation can be expensive. Legal expenses coverage takes away this added stress, allowing you to focus on your defence or seeking compensation.
All of our cycle insurance policies at ALA provide the customer with the choice to add various optional extra such as legal expenses cover onto their policy. Once you have confirmed that you can provide proof of purchase of your bicycle and a cycle frame number, and you have told us the value of your bicycle, you can add your legal expenses coverage. For extra protection, we also provide Bicycle Accessory Cover, Replacement Cycle Hire, Personal Accident Cover and Public Liability Cover . From here, we will generate a bespoke cycle insurance policy quote for you.
To find out more, you can get in touch with us today via our website.
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