Cycling in the South Bay

The closer you get to living without a car the scarier it gets.

It’s true that I haven’t driven since August 17, 2019. But the car, well, it is still there, a giant 5,000-lb. security blanket all plugged in and ready to go.

I’ve used the Kelly Blue Book online quote service and have found that a 2017 Chevy Volt with leather seats, 48,000 miles, and nary a scratch will fetch real money. And worry not, the dealer will come to you.

I don’t miss driving, and I’m daily astonished at the mass stupidity of it all.

Car washes? Are you kidding me?

Gas stations? Are you kidding me?

Car shopping? Are you kidding me?

Stopping in a line of 30 cars to go through a light? Are you kidding me?

Status based on your brand of steel cage? Are you kidding me?

Pulling over for a fire truck? Are you kidding me?

Sitting on the freeway? Are you kidding me?

Drive-thrus? Are you kidding me?

Oil changes and maintenance? Are you kidding me?

Road rage? Are you kidding me?

Flipping through radio stations hoping to find Tom Petty? Are you kidding me?

Paying tolls? Are you kidding me?

Going 3 mph through parking garages? Are you kidding me?

Rental car packages with airfare? Are you kidding me?

Parking? Are you kidding me?

Valet? Are you kidding me?

Speeding tickets and traffic cops? Are you kidding me?

Finding a charging station? Are you kidding me?

Exhaustion from doing nothing? Are you kidding me?

The 110/405/10/101? Are you kidding me?

18-wheelers? Are you kidding me?

Depreciation depression? Are you kidding me?

Insurance? YOU ARE NOT KIDDING ME.

Because as a bike lawyer, cyclist, and 4:00 AM blogger I know that having underinsured/uninsured motorist coverage is the third leg of the stool for savvy cyclists: Use a light, Take the lane, Insure thyself.

And once you get rid of your car you lose your UM/UIM coverage. Or at least that’s what I thought. But then I recalled Francis X.’s famous quote: “Wouldn’t it be great if all the computers in the world were connected with some kind of electronic network that would allow them to instantaneously share information on demand so that you could get answers to questions right away?”

A google later I discovered “Non-owner Liability Insurance.” This is liability insurance for anyone with a driving license who doesn’t own a car, and it comes with UM/UIM coverage. There are a couple of catches.

1. The insurance is not offered by all carriers.
2. You can’t have any motor vehicle registered in your name.
3. The UM/UIM coverage generally maxes out at $250,000, rather than the $500k or even $1M policies offered by some carriers.

Since we haven’t sold our Volt yet I’m not eligible for a policy, but once it’s gone I’ll be reaching out to State Farm agent, cyclist, and friend Stephan Buckley and buying coverage. It’s almost $900 cheaper than my current $500k/$500k policy, which only means one thing: More carbon.

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