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What should I do after a bike accident in Germany?

In short

What should you do after a bike accident in Germany? Secure the scene, help anyone injured and call 112 if someone is hurt. Stay until names and details are exchanged: leaving is a criminal offence for cyclists too. Photos, witnesses and a doctor's report from the same day protect your claim. If a car was involved, its liability insurer usually pays. Claims expire after three years.

What should I do after a bike accident in Germany?

What it costs

What the policies that pay after a bike accident cost, published annual premiums for 2026.

ExampleTypical range
Personal liability insurance, singleabout EUR 40 to 120 a year
Private accident insurance, office job, 350 percent progressionabout EUR 60 to 180 a year
E-bike worth EUR 3,000, own policy with accident coverabout EUR 60 to 140 a year
Statutory accident insurance for the commuteEUR 0 for you, your employer pays

Guide values as of October 2026, taken from published tariff examples.

The amounts in the worked example are guide values from quoting practice.

We obtain the exact quote for you.

Worked example

A car door opens, an e-bike rider falls

A driver opens his door without looking. The rider wears a helmet, breaks her wrist and is signed off sick for three weeks.

E-bike repair according to the quoteEUR 900
Helmet, jacket, phoneEUR 450
Prescription charges, trips to the doctorEUR 120
Pain and suffering for a fracture in a castabout EUR 2,000 to 4,000

Together about EUR 3,470 to 5,470, paid by the car's liability insurer. She needs no policy of her own for this, only good evidence.

The first minutes at the scene

Move yourself, the injured and the bike out of traffic if you can, and help first. Call 112 if anyone is hurt. Call the police on 110 if a car is involved, the other person will not give their details, or you disagree about what happened. A police reference number helps later with every insurer.

German law treats anyone who may have contributed to an accident as involved, cyclists included. Do not ride off until names, addresses and involvement are established. Otherwise you risk criminal proceedings for leaving the scene of an accident (Unfallflucht).

Secure evidence before everything is cleared away

Take photos of where the bike and vehicle ended up, skid marks, traffic lights, the cycle lane and your injuries. Write down the number plate, name, address and insurer of the other party and the phone numbers of witnesses.

Keep your helmet, bike and damaged clothes. An assessor or insurer often wants to see them. See a doctor the same day even if you feel fine: a report written days later makes it easier to dispute that the injury came from the accident.

EvidenceWhy you need it
Photos of the scene and the bikeshows what happened and the damage
Number plate and insurerlets you claim directly from the car's insurer
Witnesses with phone numbersif the course of events is disputed
Doctor's report from the daypain and suffering and accident insurance
Receipts for bike and gearvalue of bike, helmet and clothing

Who pays for what?

If a car was involved, its keeper is liable for the risk of operating the vehicle even without personal fault. The car's liability insurance then pays for your bike, clothing, medical costs and compensation for pain and suffering (Schmerzensgeld), reduced only by your own share if you contributed.

If you injured a pedestrian or damaged a parked car, your personal liability insurance (Privathaftpflicht) pays. Damage to your own bike after a fall you caused is only covered by a bike insurance policy with accident cover. Contents insurance usually covers bikes only against theft.

If the accident happens on the direct way to work, it is a commuting accident (Wegeunfall). Statutory accident insurance then pays for treatment and rehab. If you are unfit for work beyond the day of the accident, you must see a specialist accident doctor (Durchgangsarzt).

SituationWho pays
A car hit youthe car's liability insurer
You injured someone or damaged somethingyour personal liability insurance
You fell alone, damage to your own bikeonly a bike policy with accident cover
Accident on the way to workstatutory accident insurance for treatment
Lasting injury, regardless of faultprivate accident insurance, if you have it

Helmet, contributory fault and deadlines

On 17 June 2014 the Federal Court of Justice ruled (VI ZR 281/13) that a cyclist without a helmet does not, as a rule, share the blame for head injuries, at least for accidents up to 2011. Whether this changes for sporty riding was left open. A helmet protects your head; the law protects you only partly.

Claims for damages and pain and suffering expire after three years. The period starts at the end of the year in which you know about the damage and who caused it. An accident in March 2026 therefore becomes time-barred at the end of 2029.

When you need neither a lawyer nor a report

After a harmless fall on your own, with no injury and no damage to anyone else, you do not have to notify anyone. Reporting it to your bike insurer only makes sense if the repair costs more than your excess.

If a car injured you, a German traffic lawyer (Fachanwalt für Verkehrsrecht) is usually worth it, especially if the facts are disputed or you are off work for longer. Check first whether your legal expenses insurance covers the cost.

Step by step

  1. Secure the scene, help the injured, call 112 if anyone is hurt.
  2. Call the police on 110 if a car is involved, after a hit and run or in a dispute.
  3. Note details, number plate, insurer and witnesses, take photos.
  4. See a doctor the same day, a Durchgangsarzt after an accident on the way to work.
  5. Keep the bike, helmet and clothes and get a repair quote.
  6. Report the claim in writing to the other party's car insurer, with a lawyer if you were injured.

Checklist

  • Name, address and number plate of the other party
  • Photos of the scene, the bike and your injuries
  • Witnesses with phone numbers
  • Doctor's report from the day of the accident
  • Receipts for bike, helmet and accessories
  • Police reference number if the police attended
  • Deadline noted: three years from the end of the accident year

Common mistakes

  • Riding off without exchanging details because you are only slightly hurt
  • Waiting several days before seeing a doctor
  • Admitting fault or signing something at the scene
  • Having the bike repaired before the damage is documented
  • Accepting the insurer's first offer for an injury without checking it

Questions and answers

Frequently asked

Do I have to call the police after a bike accident in Germany?

Not always.

It makes sense if someone is injured, a car is involved,

you disagree about what happened or the other person will not give their details.

Who pays if I fell on my own?

Your health insurance pays for treatment, a private accident policy pays for lasting injuries.

Damage to the bike is only covered by a bike policy with accident cover.

Will I get less compensation because I wore no helmet?

According to the Federal Court of Justice ruling of 17 June 2014, as a rule no.

The question is open for sporty riding, for example on a road bike.

What if the driver simply drives off?

Note or photograph the number plate, call 110 at once and ask witnesses to stay.

The sooner the police have the plate, the sooner they find the driver and the insurer.

Does my liability insurance pay if I hit a pedestrian?

Yes, cycling is part of your private life.

Report the claim quickly and do not admit fault at the scene.

Is an accident on the way to work different?

Yes, it counts as a commuting accident.

Statutory accident insurance pays for treatment; if you are off work for longer,

see a Durchgangsarzt.

How long do I have to make a claim?

Three years, counted from the end of the year in which you knew about the damage and who caused it.

Sources

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Statutory disclosure (German) · Updated

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