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Everyone is encouraging us to get onto our bikes instead of into our cars. It is great exercise, we are told, burning calories and toning the body. We are also advised that it will help to save the environment, as we can travel mile after mile on two wheels without emitting anything worse than a bit of sweat. Whilst walking offers the same basic benefits, cycling gives greater freedom as you can go so much faster, making trips such as the five miles to work a more practical option.
Cycling really does sound like the answer to many of the current problems facing the UK; cutting obesity rates, reducing road congestion and combating the carbon emissions that are linked with climate change. It is even easier on our bank balances too, as you don't have to worry about paying £1 per litre of fuel with a bike. Given all these benefits, why aren't we all selling our cars and getting into the saddle?
Unfortunately, it seems that the busy roads are what is putting many people off and no wonder, if you look at the statistics. These show that more than 16,000 people are hurt in cycle accidents each year, with almost 2,300 suffering serious personal injuries and 146 dying as a result. However, the true number of cycling casualties is likely to be a lot higher, as it is thought that between 60% and 90% of bicycle accidents on our roads are not reported.
Cyclists are very vulnerable on the road, as in many cases there is no dedicated cycle lane. This means that cars, lorries and other road traffic passes very close to the cyclist, reaching speeds of up to 70mph on dual carriageways and 60mph on single carriageways where it may not even be clear to pass due to oncoming traffic. Cyclists wear little protection other than a helmet, meaning that if they are knocked off, there is little to minimise their injuries.
The potential benefits of cycling are obvious. However, with the roads being such a dangerous place for cyclists, there need to be some changes before people will start choosing two wheels over four. It is a somewhat difficult circle to break out of, as the number of cyclists would probably increase if there were fewer cars on the road, but this will be only achieved when people are cycling instead of driving.
Until the road user balance tips in the direction of the cyclist, cycling must be made safer and more attractive to people who are currently relying on their cars. How can this be achieved? Well, before searching for the solution, it is vital to understand the circumstances in which cyclists are being injured.
Research into the most common cycling accidents reveals that many road accidents involving child cyclists were down to the young person riding too fast or doing tricks on their bike. Older cyclists are also responsible for a number of accidents, most frequently riding off the pavement into the path of another road user. Many of these could be prevented by simply improving rider training; making the cycling proficiency test more challenging, perhaps, and encouraging older cyclists to take a refresher safety course.
However, there are an awful lot of accidents in which cyclists' actions quite clearly did not play a part. Many of these occur at or close to a junction, most often in an urban area. In these cycle accidents, poor conspicuity appears to play a significant role. It is possible that simply by encouraging cyclists to wear the fluorescent colours in the day and reflective materials at night we could reduce this figure substantially.
There are plenty of other strategies which could also help reduce the number of road accidents involving cyclists, such as improving driver awareness and installing cycle lanes where appropriate. However, such programmes could take quite some time to take effect, especially in the case of getting drivers to improve their alertness to their surroundings.
Despite the dangers on our roads, the number of people taking up cycling is on the up and, by practising safe and sensible cycling, hopefully we can have more people enjoying the sport without an increase in the number of road casualties.
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