Cyclist Fatalities Increase as Cycling Increases and Reaches a 46 Year High

Pandemic Cycle Fatalities and Injuries in 2020:

• 141 cyclists were killed on UK roads.
• 4,215 were seriously injured and 11,938 slightly injured – so a total of 16,294 cyclists were killed or injured on the roads during 2020.

A cycling accident can often result in serious injuries, as you can see from the reports, so If you or a loved one has been involved in a road accident whilst out on a bike, you could be entitled to make a Cycling Accident Claim.

Get in touch with our specialist team of Road Accident Solicitors to see how we can help you. 

Rural Road Cycle Fatalities

DoT data shows that more than half (56%) of all bicycle fatalities happened on country roads in the last 5 years (2018 to 2022), despite them having only 30% of all traffic.

Recent statistics for 2020 show that 29 more cyclists died on country roads during 2020 than in 2019; which is a worrying concern for those in rural areas.

2020: 89 Cyclists who died on rural roads

2018: 48 Cyclists who died on rural roads.

You can see the very real increase in cyclist deaths on rural roads even though there was even less traffic on the roads through the pandemic. The statistics for 2023 are not yet released, but the injuries have been, and they are still growing year-on-year.

Lockdown meant a rise in cycling accidents

DoT data shows that the number of people cycling grew massively during the pandemic, and that is due to the lack of transportation and the lockdown that was imposed. The data follows suit, with an increase in the number of fatalities directly corresponds with the two lockdowns in 2020.

There was a large spike of fatal bicycle accidents in April, May, June and November 2020 and these were the corresponding months to lockdowns 1 and 2.

The only anomaly in the data was a spike of bicycle deaths in August 2020, when the country was not locked down, but this could simply be that more people were on holiday, the weather was likely to be good and therefore more people would choose to be out on their bicycles.

Cyclist fatalities rose by 41% in 2020, which is a significant increase from fairly flat trends over the last 5 years; and though 2022’s report shows that fatalities are down by 32%, the serious injuries statistic has increased by 21%. Pedal cycle traffic has also overall increased by 50% from 2004, until this day, but a large proportion of this can be put down to the rise in lockdown.

More Men Affected Than Women

In the last 5 years, 82% of people killed or injured on a bicycle were male, with men and women were aged 30 to 59 most likely to be killed or injured on their bicycle. 
You can see that whilst the number of cyclists on the road during the pandemic rose significantly, so did the number of fatalities, which is still happening till this day.

Statistic Report Overview

Table 1: Number of reported pedal cycle casualties by severity and traffic (pedal cycle billion vehicle miles), GB: 2004 to 2022

How To Keep Yourself Safe Whilst Cycling on the Roads

All of the reports show that a contributing factor that led to pedal cyclists fatal or serious injury collisions with another vehicle was ‘driver or rider failed to look properly’. It was also the common factor that was used when other vehicles were involved, too – making other drivers on the road being the hazard for cyclists. When this is the case, there is little you can do, apart from following the cycle safety procedures.

It’s really important as a cyclist that you make yourself as visible as possible when you’re riding. We recommend the following:

• Make sure you have front and rear lights fitted to your bike
• Avoid wearing dark clothing to help other road users see you
• Throughout the winter, be aware of the roads being slippery with wet road surfaces, leaves and ice.

THINK! The Government road safety campaigns recommend the following when travelling by bike on the road:

• Make often and good observations: Be aware of who is around you, and be weary when you see potential hazards.
• Choose a suitable riding position for your journey: Keep 0.5m away from the kerb edge, and further when it is safe to do so. When at a junction, where there are no cycle facilities, you should position yourself as if you are in a motor vehicle.
• Communication: Signal to other road users, make eye contact.
• Understand priorities: When turning into or out of a side road, then priority should be given to people waiting to cross. You must prevent any risk to others.
• Be prepared: Always use lights in the dark, and wear bright clothing.

There is some discussion between cyclists around wearing cycle helmets, as it is not required by law, but there is anecdotal evidence that they can reduce the severity of head injuries.

And finally, make sure get your bike maintained regularly, particularly after the winter months.

Cycle Accident Solicitors

Our experienced team of Cycling Accident Solicitors can help you to get the compensation you deserve if you’ve been injured in a cycle accident. We've spent years helping cyclists and their families get the compensation, rehabilitation and support they need when they or their family have been hurt or killed in a cycling accident. Call us on 0808 239 6443 and we will review the circumstances of your cycling accident, and compassionately help you with your situation.