26.         Duty of care and public liability

When an Australian car owner renews his registration annually, he/she pays for a CTP Green Slip which is their contribution into a large pool of funds to cover damages for injured persons in motor vehicle accidents which the major insurance companies administer. 

There is no comparable Green Slip contribution for push bike riders.  Accordingly, it is incumbent upon each adult who cycles regularly on public roads to take out third party public liability cover.  Otherwise if a negligence causes material injuries to another cyclist(s), pedestrian(s) or motorist(s), under common law the negligent cyclist will likely be liable for massive damages which could easily exceed $500,000. 

The easiest way to obtain such public liability insurance cover is to join Bicycle NSW as annual membership includes $20,000,000 aggregate third party coverage annually for its members.

More information is at Risk Warnings, specifically Ride Participant's Liability Acknowledgment.