Collisions Involving Cyclists on Britain’s Roads: Establishing the Causes

The reported number of cyclists killed or seriously injured (KSI) in road collisions in Great Britain has steadily increased in recent years, with the number injured in 2008 being 11% higher than in 2004.

The DfT commissioned this research to provide a comprehensive understanding of collisions involving cyclists, with the objective of establishing the key causes. The programme of work involved an international literature review and a detailed analysis of cyclist casualties in Great Britain, drawing on both national and in-depth databases of road collisions and cycling.

Main findings
• A high proportion of collisions occurred at junctions; almost two-thirds of cyclists reported killed or seriously injured at or near junctions. In collisions involving a bicycle and another vehicle, the driver’s having ‘failed to look properly’ was reported to be a key contributory factor for drivers and riders at junctions (reported in almost 60% of serious collisions at junctions).
• The study found that rural roads present particular challenges for cyclists, as the risk of being killed is much higher than for other roads. Almost half of cyclist fatalities occurred on rural roads, and the proportion of collisions on these roads increases for those aged 40+ years. Casualty severity was found to increase with the posted speed limit, and so measures to reduce traffic speeds in rural areas may benefit cyclists.
• Collisions at night/in the dark were more likely to result in a fatality, and rural roads present particular difficulties, as not only are the speed limits generally higher but the roads are often unlit. A detailed examination of these accidents found that the bicycle was commonly impacted in the rear by the vehicle.
• HGVs present particular challenges for cyclists and are over-represented in cyclist fatalities (18% of fatal cycle accidents involved an HGV, compared with 4% of serious accidents). These accidents were more common at junctions where the main collision configuration was the HGV driver making a left turn while the cyclist was going ahead. ‘Vehicle blind spot’ and ‘passing too close to the cyclist’ were judged by the police to be key contributory factors.