Letters:Compensation fund can help victims of cyclists
It is the same with before-an-accident insurance, to cover the cost of employing an expert to make a claim for you (Letters, May 5).
When a cyclist rides along a pavement it is always a possibility that a serious accident will occur to a pedestrian. To have any chance of obtaining compensation it would be necessary for the cyclist to stop, then to be correctly identified, and hopefully have insurance cover.
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Hide AdAs insurance is not compulsory, and if the cyclist doesn’t have any assets, as is likely to be the case with a young person, there is little likelihood of obtaining compensation.
Most public liability insurance policies do not pay out where the loss or damage to the victim is caused by a criminal act, so it is possible it may not be covered in any event.
Unfortunately, we don’t live in a perfect world. Not everyone does the right thing, has insurance cover or sufficient assets to pay a claim or can afford the financial risks of court proceedings. If that was the case, then pedestrians wouldn’t be living in fear of cyclists on pavements.
Government-released figures show that the number of pedestrians being killed as a result of accidents with cyclists has doubled over the past 10 years. Proper action is required to stop cyclist believing that pavements are an acceptable route.
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Hide AdPerhaps it is time to have a compulsory compensation fund, much the same as with all other road users. A small proportion of the tens of millions of pounds could be diverted from cycling measures to pay all the innocent victims.
Alastair Murray, Elliot Road, Edinburgh.