Safety in numbers

There is good evidence to support the idea that cycling gets safer the more people do it.

Yet despite this, many organisations are reluctant to encourage cycling for fear that this would increase the number of casualties on the roads. This approach fails to recognise the fact that cycling’s health benefits greatly outweigh any risks involved – not to mention the benefits to the environment and people’s quality of life.

The emphasis must now be on tackling the fears that prevent people from cycling more or not cycling at all. This can be done by: improving driver behaviour, creating more welcoming and cycle-friendly streets and giving people the confidence to cycle more. This will be good not only for our health, but also for streets, communities and the environment.

Countries in Europe with high levels of cycle use tend to be less risky for cyclists.
In Denmark, people cycle over 900 kilometres a year and it is a far safer country to cycle in than Portugal, where barely 30 km is covered by each person by bike annually.

Research by CTC has found that cycling is safer in local authorities in England where cycling levels are high. York, the authority where cycling to work is most common, is, by CTC’s calculation, the safest place in England to cycle.