Why cyclists should be more accountable on our roads

ALMOST half of all traffic accidents involving cyclists don’t involve a car — so why is the onus always on the driver to do the right thing, writes Susie O’Brien.

Researchers have found only 52 per cent of cyclists admitted to hospital after a crash were in accidents that involved another road user, most commonly a car. Picture: Brendan Francis.

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IT’S OFFICIAL. Nearly half of all cyclists can’t blame anyone else for their serious accidents.

Monash University research shows 48 per cent of cycling accidents involve no one but the cyclist themselves, so it’s time everyone stopped blaming motorists.

I, for one, am totally sick of weekend warriors who turn bike lanes and suburban streets into race tracks.

They pour their middle-aged male bodies into Lycra jerseys advertising races they haven’t been in and teams they aren’t members of.

Mistakenly thinking they are in a peloton for the Tour de France, they ride three abreast and dodge in and out of traffic.

A study, published today in the Medical Journal of Australia, looks at serious deaths and injuries resulting from traffic accidents from 2007 to 2015. Picture: Steve Tanner

And when Monday rolls around, they’re found doing marathon time trials in commuter bike lanes on the way to work, endangering other cyclists and pedestrians.

Take a stroll along Southbank Promenade at lunchtime and you’ll see what I mean.

Pedestrians strolling along the shared paths are in danger of being knocked down by racing cyclists ducking and weaving to maintain their high speeds.

A study, published today in the Medical Journal of Australia, looks at serious deaths and injuries resulting from traffic accidents from 2007 to 2015.

It found a rise in the cycling injury rate of eight per cent a year, with the number of cases of serious injury involving cyclists doubling over a nine-year period.

This is despite the number of cyclists actually declining over time.

Researchers have found only 52 per cent of cyclists admitted to hospital after a crash were in accidents that involved another road user, most commonly a car.

Most interestingly, researchers have found only 52 per cent of cyclists admitted to hospital after a crash were in accidents that involved another road user, most commonly a car.

This means 48 per cent of on-road crashes only involved a single cyclist.

So why is no one talking about what cyclists themselves need to do to prevent such accidents?

A Canberra study of single-cycle crashes found about three quarters lose control of the bicycle, and one quarter say the road surface was uneven.

Behavioural factors were also relevant, such as distraction (21 per cent), speeding (16 per cent), bike failure (19 per cent) and alcohol (5 per cent).

Now, it’s clear that more needs to be done to make roads safer for cyclists — the fact that even bike lanes are dangerous should be cause for concern.

Riders are still too close to motorists and people in parked cars often open doors without looking.

However, cyclists must take responsibility and play their part.

This means being registered. This means stopping at red lights, following road rules, being predictable and removing their headphones while riding.

The Australian Cycling Promotion Foundation put out a press release today calling for bike riding to be made “safe for everyone”.

But, funnily enough, there was no mention specifically on what cyclists need to do to make riding safer for themselves.

Ultimately, cyclists will find they have much more public support if they stop behaving like idiots.

As I’ve said before, it annoys me that I, the driver, will be held responsible when my two tonnes of metal collides with a cyclist protected only by some expensive Lycra compression pants, a lofty world-view and a pair of iPhone earbuds.

@susieob

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