Cyclists killed or seriously injured up by 10% on last year: UK Department for Transport figures released last week

Cycle casualties rise as all others fall - DfT

The total number of reported pedal cycle casualties rose by six per cent, and the number killed or seriously injured (KSI) rose by 10 per cent, in the year to March 2011 compared to 2010, according to a Department for Transport report issued August 4. Meanwhile, casualties for all other forms of transport have continued the long term reducing trend.

Cycle causalities have been rising steadily since 2007. In 2007, 16,195 cyclists were reported injured on the road, and this figure has risen each year to the current figure of 17,185 - of a total of 209,000 road casualties. While the number of injured cyclists is lower than the number injured in motorcars, the proportion of injured cyclists is high compared to the official figures for numbers of journeys made by bicycle. Estimates say around 2% of journeys are made by bicycle - but the above figures show that 8% of casualties are cyclists.

There has been speculation that this cycle causality increase is linked to increased cycling, but the increase in casualties appears to be greater than the increase in cycling - at least on a national level where cycling is reported to have increased by 1.5% (I got this figure from a Channel 4 report - I'm trying to get a confirmation from DfT).

The DfT report - "Reported Road Casualties in Great Britain: Quarterly Provisional Estimates Q1 2011" - showed reducing causality figures in all other forms of transport. Pedestrian, motorcycle and car user casualties reported to the police showed overall reductions of 1, 5 and 7 per cent respectively compared with the year ending March 2010. Pedestrian, motorcycle and car user casualties KSI also fell, by 3, 6 and 9 per cent respectively compared with the previous 12 months.

The DfT report didn't feel the increase in cycle casualites was important enough to include in its key findings table, which I reproduce below.

"Key findings from the Quarterly Provisional Estimates Q1 2011 include:
• There were 1,870 people killed and 24,770 killed or seriously injured (KSI), in reported road accidents in the year ending March 2011. This represents a fall of 10 and 5 per cent respectively compared to the previous 12 month period. 
• There were 208,150 casualties (slight injuries, serious injuries and fatalities), 5 per cent less than the year ending March 2010.
• Total reported child casualties (ages 0-15) fell by 3 per cent to 19,810 with those killed or seriously injured down 4 per cent (2,510), compared with the year ending March 2010.
• The number of injury road accidents reported to the police fell by 5 per cent (to 154,030) and the number of fatal accidents by 8 per cent (to 1,770) compared with the 12-month period ending March 2010. 
• Motor vehicle traffic levels fell by 0.7 per cent compared to the 12 month period ending March 2010."

I've asked Brighton and Hove City council for comparative figures for our city. Last time I wrote on this subject was in 2009, when there was an increase of 6.8% in cycle casualties in B&H. There was supposed to be an increase in cycling of 27% in the 2006-2008 period. We need more complete statistics if we are to correlate increases in cycling with casualties in B&H.

Click here for Link to "Reported Road Casualties in Great Britain: Quarterly Provisional Estimates Q1 2011"