Does My Car Insurance Cover Me If I Get Hit on My Bicycle?

Law Office of J.D. Smith, PLLC · 2 min read

For many people, yes — in two meaningful ways. This surprises almost everyone, because the intuition is that auto insurance covers your car. In Washington, two of the most important coverages typically follow you as the insured person rather than the vehicle, though the exact terms of your policy control.

PIP Coverage for Cyclists in Washington

If your auto policy includes Personal Injury Protection and you are struck by a motor vehicle while cycling, your PIP generally applies. It covers medical expenses and a portion of wage loss regardless of who caused the crash.

The word that matters most there is "immediate." PIP pays while the liability claim against the at-fault driver is still being investigated, negotiated, or litigated. That gap between injury and resolution can run months or years, and PIP is what carries treatment costs through it.

UM/UIM Coverage After a Bicycle Collision

Uninsured/Underinsured Motorist coverage answers a different problem: what happens when the driver who hit you has no insurance, or limits too low for serious injuries.

Washington's minimum liability limit is $25,000 per person. In a crash involving surgery, a hospital stay, or extended recovery, that amount disappears fast. UIM coverage bridges the gap between what the at-fault driver's policy pays and what your damages actually are. For a cyclist hit by a minimally insured driver, UIM is often the difference between a claim that compensates the injury and one that barely covers the emergency room.

How Coverage Can Follow the Insured Instead of the Car

Neither coverage automatically excludes you because you were on a bicycle rather than in your car. Washington's casualty insurance statute, RCW 48.22.005, defines a pedestrian as a natural person not occupying a motor vehicle, and in McLaughlin v. Travelers Commercial Insurance Co., 196 Wn.2d 631 (2020), the Washington Supreme Court applied that definition to a bicyclist. You were a person struck by a motor vehicle, and that is the trigger.

Policy language still varies, which is why reading your declarations page — or having someone read it for you — is an early step worth taking after any serious crash.

What If You Don't Own a Car?

You may still have access to PIP or UM/UIM through a household member's auto policy, depending on how that policy defines covered persons. Many policies extend to resident relatives; the definitions differ from carrier to carrier. Plenty of cyclists who don't drive have coverage sitting on a spouse's or parent's policy without knowing it. Check before assuming you are unprotected.

General legal information only. Specific facts, policy language, parties, and deadlines can change the analysis.