According to the official German accident statistics cycling is not the most dangerous means of transport. Anyhow it is necessary to deal with road safety of cyclists because although there was a constant decline in the number of casualties in the past decades, compared to other means of transport, the proportion of accidents and casualties of cyclists has not decreased to the same extent. The number of casualties of senior cyclists even increased. This study provides the first comprehensive description of the population of German cyclists with respect to usage habits, accident involvement, motives, attitudes and risk perception. It is based on a representative sample of 2,158 cyclists. In addition, an extensive analysis of accidents involved cyclists of a region in western Germany was conducted (N = 2,768). For this sample of cyclists, accident descriptions are supplemented with data on injury and treatment provided by hospitals. The results of both samples are used in conjunction with literature findings to identify road safety problems of cyclists. These are discussed and possible measures to increase safety of cyclists are derived. (Author/publisher)
Samenvatting