Ebikes are lower risk for insurers.

[WinterKill]

Interesting article on ebike insurance prices dropping.

Research shows ebike riders present 38% lower risk to insurers than riders of standard bikes

Research carried out by Bikmo

www.bikeradar.com

 

[Dallant]

I’m sure that’s true because of ebike’s older riders. That said, ebikes are more rare and more expensive so I’m betting more expensive to insure.

 

[Hectors Ghost]

I’m sure that’s true because of ebike’s older riders. That said, ebikes are more rare and more expensive so I’m betting more expensive to insure.

My homeowner and car insurance policies (USAA) covered mine when a car stopped in front of me and there was contact. Once producers start selling quality ebikes at a reasonable price and stop charging double for batteries ebikes will become the norm and we will find that there are going to be more accidents for no other reason than that riders will be doubling their riding miles. Assisted bikes are certainly not less prone to accidents, quite the opposite... just ask Simon Cowell.

 

[Dallant]

But that doesn't prove or disprove the safety of ebikes.

Will older people be safer with ebikes or not?

Not necessarily but older people tend to be more cautious drivers/riders...hence the “lower risk” finding.

 

[Dallant]

yeah but I'm trying to find out whether the same person will be better off riding an ebike for their own safety.

For example, will YOU be safer on ebikes?

I know many people, including my bosses at work telling me ebikes are safer.
Ebikes will let you climb hill easier, merge into traffic quicker, accelerate faster, lets you get out of dangerous situation more quickly (intersections, etc)

You’re missing the point of the article. It’s not that ebikes are safer, it’s the ebike riders are a lower risk financially speaking. My personal opinion is that it’s a wash between analog vs ebikes from a safety standpoint. Yes, you’ll attempt more hills but beyond that I’d never say ebikes get you out of dangerous situations.

 

[Hectors Ghost]

Do you have any data or reliable source to prove this? Asking Simon Cowell isn't a good idea since he isn't a researcher. Also, what do you mean by "more accidents for no other reason than that riders will be doubling their riding miles."?? I don't know about ebike or bicycles, but in car and motorcycle industries, it is very common for researchers to study accidents / miles travelled. Not just how many accidents and that's it.

Nope, I'm a common-sense observer with coming up on 25K miles on my ebike. I used Mr. Cowell as an example of people thinking bikes even ebikes are safe, nothing could be further from the truth. Again... common sense, the more you ride the more likelihood of an accident. Pssssssssst! That's why they ask how many miles you drive when buying car insurance and charge you more for more miles. The only reliable data source in this is insurance actuarial tables and I couldn't care less about them. 95% of ebike accident (just like bicycles) goes unreported. What you read and choose to believe is printed on behalf of someone and for the purpose of saving and/or making money and nothing else.

 

[Hectors Ghost]

You're missing the point.
The question could be:
- Is travelling 1,000 mile on the same road, same condition, more dangerous on ebikes than normal bicycle?
...and it won't even move, no opportunity to get into an accident.

I love when someone tells me that I have "missed the point"... common sense, common sense, common sense. I'd have used an exclamation point but I'm told shouting is rude. Don't get me wrong, I don't care about being rude... but I'm told that. The more miles you ride, the more likelihood of an accident. The faster you ride, the more likelihood of an accident. The more chances you take while riding. i.e., sprinting for a light, flashing through a yellow, cutting intersections on turn lights, riding in traffic, taking control of the lane at the posted speed limit, and on and on, the more likelihood of an accident. All the things that you will find yourself doing, or doing more when on an ebike. Or, to use your vernacular, the less you ride, the less opportune to get into an accident.

 

[Dallant]

So yeah, you missed the point of the article/thread and just made up your own very foggy rant within the thread.
Your assumptions are clearly based on your own behavior and have nothing to do with ebikes or insurance factors talked about in the Ops article. For example, I don’t ride any faster with my ebike (except uphill) than on my analog bike. I have never sprinted for a light or flashed through a yellow on a bike as that’s just asking for it. I’ve cut my riding in traffic to just about 0 and when I do it’s almost always on super quiet back streets.

 

[Hectors Ghost]

You need to provide empirical data for something like this.

Sorry man... I ride, and I have lived with and relied on common sense my entire life. It's saved my life several times, probably many more than I know about. You spend all the time you want to find your "evidence", then spend an equal amount of time looking at ALL the contrary evidence. I'll ride. In the end, I will have way more "empirical data" gained through practice and more scars on my hands and knees. Common sense gained through application and thousands of hours on the bike rather than talking and reading. Common sense, man.

 

[Kayakguy]

Insurance companies look only at actuarial tables. They have an algorithm, which tells them who/what is safest or most dangerous. I think that's the only logic involved. Individual experiences, good or bad, don't figure into their calculations.