The FNRttC doesn't require anyone to have bike insurance. Only that the rider has insurance, and seeing as you can get that for only £24 as an affiliate member, it's a bargain.
Tell that to my friend. He doesnt care for it though I have constantly told him about the benefits of having liability insurance. But all he wants to do is get on his bike, and ride because cycling is/should be free etc etc and if youre insuring your bike or buying rider insurance then then cycling isnt so free anymore... Thats the way he thinks, Despite my best efforts to sway him.
Good example of him buying insurance for him and also the bike is he actually fell into a river last year before christmas after trying to dodge around a duck on the towpath by the river one day when he was cycling to work.
The bike was recovered by some of the barges that were in the area but he had to pay a little over £200 to have the bike ready to ride again, which for that bike isnt worth it. Part of the problem was bought on by the fact that he has no idea how to maintain his bike, doesnt touch the bikes drive train with any sort of lube or anything EVER. Again, I have tried to talk him into having the bike serviced or even a mini service every few months as he rides a lot more than i do but that to him is an unnecessary expenditure. A lot of that £200 he paid to have the bike up and running again were for parts he had to replace, New chain, cassette, cables etc etc.
I told him that if he was insured then his insurance company would of covered all of it but he's stuck in his stubborn ways and refuses to bend so I just give up trying to explain things.
A bike is a machine to a lesser extent, and like every machine out there, it works better when its well maintained & looked after.
I think hes a little pissy as he's the one that got me back into cycling, we used to go out for rides and stuff but since ive bought 2 other bikes and started hanging out and doing rides with CC'ers (& FNRttC soon!) and being a lot more serious about cycling, he's been a little jealous of how ive progressed beyond him and being his cycling partner that I once was and still am. Though thats not to say i wont go out for rides with him, I dont mind at all. but work keeps us out of each others way most of the time.
He's got to come off his high horse and get with the times.