Velovignette
top left the insurer's number in large, in the middle the number of the canton (in the order in which it is named in Article 1 of the Federal Constitution) where the insurer is based (this vignette is therefore registered in the canton of Geneva), and a consecutive number at the bottom , on the right the year of validity
The Velovignette , officially the bicycle license plate or bicycle number , was a compulsory liability insurance for bicycles in Switzerland and in the Principality of Liechtenstein until December 31, 2011 .
The Velovignette was a small sticker ( vignette ) that had to be removed every year and attached to the bike. The sticker contained a unique number and the year of validity. The period of validity ranged from January 1 of the year of issue to May 31 of the following year. The last form of the Velovignette has existed since 1990. Before that, the bicycle number consisted of an aluminum plate that was screwed to the bicycle. In 2010, Parliament decided to abolish the Velovignette on January 1, 2012. This was the last time that such a sticker had to be attached to a bicycle.
Cycling without a valid Velovignette was punished in Switzerland with a fine of 40 francs . No vignette was required for visitors from abroad.
The Velovignette was a liability insurance for damages to third parties, which was covered with up to two million Swiss francs . For example, if a bike brushed a car and damaged the paintwork, the damage was paid for by liability insurance. Damage to your own bike or theft were not included in the insurance, but many insurance companies offered their own bike vignettes that contained these additional services.
The National Guarantee Fund covered the liability costs for bicycles that were not traveling without a Velovignette if no other insurance company covered the damage. However, he could in principle take recourse against the person who caused the accident, as there was no insurance coverage at the time of the accident.
The Velovignettes were valid in the neighboring countries of Switzerland. For insured persons who did not live in Switzerland, however, the validity of the liability insurance was often limited to the territory of Switzerland. Cyclists were able to purchase a bicycle vignette, but since liability claims when cycling, for example in Germany, are covered by private liability insurance (PHV), it usually made more sense for vacationers to take out comprehensive liability insurance that also covered liability claims abroad.
history
Tin signs
The first cantons issued bicycle signs from around 1890. Their design was the responsibility of the cantons, so that the associated canton was recognizable from its appearance. The material used was initially sheet iron, and from around 1920 aluminum . While the signs were initially only partially reissued annually, this has been common practice since the 1910s and 1920s. Each label contained a sequential number by means of which the owner could be identified. This is where the expression «bike number» comes from. In some cantons, the shape of the signs changed almost every year.
Around the 1950s, the cantons gradually introduced a uniform shape of a bicycle sign until 1961. It was in portrait format in which a canton abbreviation, the last two digits of the year of issue and a control number were stamped in small letters. Each canton still determined the basic colors for itself. There were two issues per year, mostly in red for the bikes and in yellow for the mopeds. From 1979 the bike numbers in all cantons had a red base. Depending on the canton, the color of the digits changed every year or was generally black or white. Some cantons issued their own bike numbers for bike trailers, as well as the Swiss Army for their bike troops from 1905 until they were disbanded in 2003.
Vignettes
Since 1989, self-adhesive vignettes have been used instead of aluminum signs because of the high costs. The last two digits of the year of issue, a code for the insurance company in question and the canton in which it is based, as well as the control number are printed on these.
The story in Liechtenstein is similar to that in Switzerland. Today, Liechtenstein residents can choose whether they want to use an aluminum plate without an annual stamp with the postcode of the municipality or a vignette.
abolition
The usefulness of the vignette has been questioned again and again in Switzerland. It was argued that the administrative burden was greater than the benefit, as 90% of cyclists now have private liability insurance (many liability insurance companies gave their customers the vignettes free of charge). Councilor of States Philipp Stähelin called for the abolition of bicycle numbers in a parliamentary initiative . He called the bike numbers "old braid" and mentioned that around 20% of the insurance premium was used for administration.
The Council of States' Commission for Transport and Telecommunications decided in May 2009 not to follow the initiative. The majority of the commission argued that the system had worked; she also feared that the ten percent of the population who did not have private liability insurance would remain without insurance. On May 28, 2009, however, the Council of States followed Stähelin's arguments and clearly accepted the proposal with 21 votes to eight. At its meeting in August 2009, the National Council commission gave its approval for the drafting of a proposal. In February 2010, the Council of States commission presented the draft law, which was then put into consultation . In 2010 both chambers of parliament voted for the abolition of the Velovignette.
The amendments to the ordinance to repeal the vignette requirement came into force on January 1, 2012.
distribution
Until 1989, the bicycle numbers were only available from the municipal authorities and the owner and the bicycle (brand and frame number) had to be registered. Stolen or found bicycles could be returned to their owners. The price consisted of the annual liability insurance premium, the transport tax and the price of the aluminum plate and varied from canton to canton, but was mostly around 10 francs. From 1989 the vignettes were available at points of sale such as Swiss Post , SBB , bicycle dealers and in various retail outlets such as Migros , Denner at different prices (around CHF 4.- to CHF 10.-, as of 2008). The price now consisted only of the liability insurance premium; the production costs of the vignette were negligible and you could see them as settled by the enclosed advertising of the respective insurance company. The traffic tax was taken over by the municipalities. The buyer optionally filled in his personal details on a second removable part of the vignette form, which he could also attach to the bike if he wanted it to be identifiable or to identify the owner. More detailed information about the owner and the bike was only required in the event of an insurance claim. A central, compulsory registry in the previous form no longer existed. In order to be able to identify owners of found bicycles, third-party companies offered this service for a fee.
Transferability
The vignette was basically transferable to other bicycles. For this purpose, the specialist trade offered unembossed base plates corresponding to the old aluminum numbers, which could simply be attached to the frame with a plastic clip, for example. However, since the fact of transferability was largely unknown to the public, it was rarely used. For the old number plates there was also the requirement that they had to be attached vertically and at the back. With the stickers, it was up to the user where and how he attached them to the bike. These are probably the main reasons why, soon after the embossed aluminum number was abolished, the practical plastic clips disappeared from the market due to declining sales. For example, the vignette was usually stuck directly onto the bike frame or onto the screwed-on base plate. Many luggage racks have a «nose» with a hole intended for screwing on this base plate. Transferability was made even more difficult by the fact that for some time the labels had been designed in such a way that they might tear when they were removed , following the example of non-transferable motorway vignettes.
Web links
- Parliamentary initiative to abolish the Velovignette
- Expiring legislation Swiss bicycle license plates
- Historical to bike signs , as well as some cantons on morger.net
- A symbol of the Swiss love of order is disappearing. In: Basler Zeitung / Newsnet of December 30, 2011
Individual evidence
- ↑ Parliamentary initiative on parlament.ch
- ↑ Press release Federal Roads Office of 23 May 2011
- ↑ Swiss National Guarantee Fund
- ↑ Business database of the Federal Assembly. Visited on August 15, 2011.
- ^ FEDRO media release of October 12, 2011
- ↑ Art. 34 Traffic Insurance Ordinance: Regulations regarding Velovignette