Cyclists 14 times more likely to be injured than car drivers - per mile travelled on British Roads

Statistics released by the UK's Department for Transport show that cyclists are 14 times more likely to become casualties on British roads, when compared with car drivers, per mile traveled (extract above, link to detailed stats below).

The statistics include all journeys including motorway journeys, which have very low accident rates - but no cycles. I presume if we compare stats for urban roads the two modes of transport will show more similar causality rates. I have asked the DfT for data filtered to show urban areas only, and hope to present it on this blog when it becomes available.

We need to know accurate data for urban areas because perceived safety is one of the most important issues for people deciding whether to cycle to work and school, according to Cycling England studys.

These statistics need to be taken with caution. The number of miles journeyed is an estimate based on manual roadside traffic surveys. I've mentioned one factor - motorway journeys - that make car stats look safer.

Ken Kifer's study suggests that experienced cyclists (such as members of the UK's CTC) have far fewer accidents than inexperienced riders, and says cyclists, who travel fewer miles than motorists, and have a healthy lifestyle, are overall living less risky lives. Other experienced cyclists say cycle accidents are rare, and any risk is balanced by increased health benefits (Guardian discussion).

Do these statistics have an impact on our 'real' lives? My local paper (Brighton Argus) tells me people are being injured every day driving their cars, more so, it seems, than walking or cycling. I know of a couple of people knocked off their bikes by cars at junctions and corners.

So far as I know only one cyclist has been killed in Brighton and Hove in the past few years. Student Joanna Walters was killed while cycling on a cycle lane that forms part of the national cycle network. The cycle lane at times runs along the hard shoulder of a busy dual carriageway, and Joanna was struck by a van at the pinchpoint formed by the underpass.

Many motorists have died in the same period - hence we have the impression that cycle accidents are rare.

Although the number of cycle casualties is low compared to motor car casualties (because in the UK only 2% of trips are made by cycle), if we are to increase cycling to European levels, there could be a fifteen fold increase in cycling.

Cycling increased by 23% since 2000. So, although the casualty rate per mile cycled was reduced, cycle causalities rose steadily since 2007 when 16,195 cyclists were injured on the road. This figure rose to 17,185 out of a total of 209,000 road casualties in 2010.

The data above shows 8% of casualties are cyclists. Yet no more than 2% of our journeys are made by bicycle. This implies that we are four times as likely to be injured per cycle journey than in a car journey. (Compare to figure of 14 times more likely to be injured per mile (above) maybe due to longer car journeys).

We cannot ignore these statistics while telling adults to cycle to work and parents to let their kids cycle to school. They already perceive cycling as dangerous (Cycling England survey), and if anything the stats back them up. If its not as dangerous as all that, lets see the data. If DfT is serious about addressing this issue, as Norman Baker says it is, it will analyse the data to provide real information about the relative safety of cycling (and walking) in urban areas - compared to traveling in cars or buses. The DfT may then wish to take a more systematic approach to providing safe cycling routes for inexperienced cyclists, if it is to be credible about aspirations for sustainable transport. This means taking a close look at what's been done in cities like Copenhagen and Amsterdam to make cycling safe.

Link to DfT Report: (Reported Road Casualties in Great Britain: Main Results 2010, 30 June 2011)

Cycle injuries rise in Brighton

My story on cycle injuries (above) as published in the Argus on November 30, and (below) as I wrote it. The national stats were published on November 5, and a 19% increase in fatalities among cyclists caused consternation. I thought it would be interesting to see how Brighton compared, since we're supposed to be a "Cycling City".

Cycle casualties on the roads of Brighton and Hove increased by 6.8% this spring, but the increase was below the national average of 9%.

During the second quarter (April-June) of 2009, compared with the same period last year, cycle casualties in Brighton and Hove rose from 44 to 47, an increase of 6.8%. Department for Transport statistics for the same period showed a national increase in cycle casualties of 9% to 4,806. The total casualties for all road users fell by 2% to 55,480.

There were no fatalities among cyclists in Brighton and Hove during these two quarters, but, in the rest of the UK, the number of cyclists killed or seriously injured increased by 19% to 820.

A spokesman for Brighton and Hove Council supplied the data, and said: “At the moment we do not have data to indicate if there has been a proportionate increase in the use of cycles, which we believe to be the case.”

An increase in the numbers of cyclists on the road might be expected due to the promotion of sustainable transport within the City, and lower costs of cycling during the economic recession.

The spokesman said: “The Council works tirelessly and closely with other agencies and partners to reduce casualties on the City's streets, an example being the recent 'Brighten Up' campaign, jointly run by the Council and Sussex Police to target cyclists riding at night without lights. The enforcement side led to 116 fixed penalty notices being issued by the police and those stopped were given vouchers to collect free cycle lights from the Council.

“The responsibility for making the City's streets safer to use rests with all road user types. It is a shared responsibility and until everybody accepts that and does their bit to address road safety, instead of blaming everybody else, we will never be able to significantly impact on the unacceptable carnage on our roads.”
ENDS 318 words
26 November 2009

THE ONLINE version of this story has readers comments attached, which give a vivid picture of the growing conflict between motorists and cyclists in the UK. More people are cycling. It enrages motorists. See what I mean by taking at a look at the comments on my online story:
Cycle Casualties link.

Cyclist injured in Redhill

02-11-2009. A cyclist was injured in a collision with a motorist who pulled out in front of her.

Loiusa Hannah, 47,a lecturer at Brighton’s Journalist Works, was hospitalised following the collision, while cycling along Bushfield Drive, Whitebushes in Redhill, at 4.30pm on Monday 26 October.
Ms Hannah said: “I was cycling home from work, along a quiet road. There was a red car on the left at the junction with Denton Close. I thought she had stopped, but she pulled out and turned left. I swerved but she hit my bike or wheel, and I wobbled and fell. She admitted she hadn’t seen me.”
Surrey Police confirmed the report of a road traffic collision. Tony Campbell, Surrey Police Press Officer said: “The incident involved a lone cyclist and a red Suzuki Baleno. The cyclist received minor leg injuries and required hospital treatment. No crime number was created, so as things stand no charges will be brought against either party.”
A bicycle brake lever pierced Ms Hannah’s thigh. She was taken by Ambulance to East Surrey Hospital, and released at 11:45pm.
“I was in a panic. There was a lot of blood. I pulled the brake lever out of my thigh. My reaction was just to get the thing out,” said Ms Hannah. “I don’t know who the driver was, I taken away in an ambulance. I might have to claim for damage to my bike and loss of earnings. It was a sunny afternoon, on a quiet road, no reason at all for her not seeing me.”
Ms Hannah said: “In this case, the driver wasn’t looking. But there’s a problem with the lack of a cycleway. Along here you get a bit of cycle track, then you’re back on the road. You’ve no choice but to be on the road. I’ve often thought there would be an accident. But I’m not giving up cycling.”
ENDS
334 words

Cycle Road deaths

A Green councillor called for "zero tolerance to child deaths on the road," as the possibility of 20 mph speed limit for Brighton and Hove came one step closer.
Green councillor Ian Davey made the call as a "scrutiny panel" to investigate the issue, was set up on Monday 9 November. He said that a number of UK cities are imposing 20 mph zones in large chunks, instead of a piecemeal approach. He said that Portsmouth has already done this, and early results show traffic and casualites are reduced.
The panel will look at the possibility of establishing the speed limit in residential areas of the city, and will consist of four councillors, one from each of the parties, with council officer support.
The decision follows the October 8 vote of Brighton and Hove City Council, after councillors were told that thirteen children and 141 adults were killed or seriously injured on the city streets during 2008-9.
The council voted to refer the matter to its Environmental Community Safety Overview Scrutinee Committee (ECSOSC), which in turn, made Monday's decision to set up the panel.
The matter will now be examined in detail, before recommendations are given to Council.