Shock increase in number of cyclists killed or injured on British roads

Figures released from Department of Transport detail sharp rise in cyclist fatalities and injuries in past five years

cycling, commuting, lorry, traffic, road
(Image credit: Daniel Gould)
Chris Marshall-Bell
By Chris Marshall-Bell
published

The number of cyclists killed or seriously injured on Britain’s roads has risen by almost 40 per cent in the last five years.

Quarterly estimate figures from the Department of Transport for the year ending September 2014 detail worrying statistics and increase the need for greater cycling infrastructure.

In the space of 12 months, between September 2013 and September 2014, the figure of cyclists who were killed or seriously injured rose by 8 per cent with 3,500 reported cases.

That transcends into an increase of 38 per cent more incidents compared to the 2005-2009 average where a cyclist was killed or seriously injured.

Claire Francis, head of policy at Sustrans, said: “The rise in cyclists’ casualties underlines the urgent need to make our roads safer.

“We need the right environment for safe cycling and the Cycling and Walking Investment Strategy for England voted into the Infrastructure Bill is vital to make this happen.”

The compiled list of all 2014 accidents on our roads will be released in June.

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Chris Marshall-Bell
Chris Marshall-Bell

Chris first started writing for Cycling Weekly in 2013 on work experience and has since become a regular name in the magazine and on the website. Reporting from races, long interviews with riders from the peloton and riding features drive his love of writing about all things two wheels.


Probably a bit too obsessed with mountains, he was previously found playing and guiding in the Canadian Rockies, and now mostly lives in the Val d’Aran in the Spanish Pyrenees where he’s a ski instructor in the winter and cycling guide in the summer. He almost certainly holds the record for the most number of interviews conducted from snowy mountains.

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