The national road accident data for 1977 and data from a 1978 study of police reports of 512 pedal cycling accidents in Berkshire and Buckinghamshire were examined to identify factors commonly associated with pedal cycling accidents. The data indicated that about 80 per cent of the pedal cyclists who became casualties were male and that casualties reached a peak for cyclists aged 12-15 years. Less than 10 per cent of cycling accidents reported to the police involved a pedal cyclist only, but hospital data indicated that many such accidents are not reported to the police. About two-thirds of all cycling accidents reported to the police took place at or close to junctions and about 80 per cent took place in daylight. The number of children's (under 15 years) cycling accidents rose to reach a distinct peak in the summer months, but the number of adults' cycling accidents rose to a small peak in November. For cycling accidents involving a motor vehicle, 7 major accident types were identified. For cycling accidents involving a cyclist only, loss of control by the cyclist appeared to be the most commonly associated factor. Some possible implications of these pedal cycling accident data for accident counter measures, particularly cycle training, are briefly outlined.(a) for the covering abstract of the symposium see IRRD abstract no 248524.
Samenvatting