Cyclists more at risk on Victorian roads, Monash University research finds

A DOWNWARD trend in Victoria’s road toll is not being matched by a decline in serious injuries on the state’s roads, with cyclists becoming more at risk.

A DOWNWARD trend in Victoria’s road toll is not being matched by a decline in serious injuries on the state’s roads.

And a Monash University study found major road trauma cases involving cyclists more than doubled over the nine-year research period.

Health costs associated with road traffic accidents from 2007 to 2015 were estimated to exceed $14 billion.

The research, published in the Medical Journal of ­Australia, found more than 8000 people were admitted to hospital for major trauma on the roads, and there were almost 2600 deaths in Victoria.

Overall, road traffic fatalities dropped by 4 per cent each year. But this did not translate to a decline in serious injuries.

And for cyclists, the number of major trauma cases rose by 8 per cent a year.

The “disability burden” — the number of years lost to ­disability or early death — decreased for all road accident victims but cyclists, for whom there was a 56 per cent rise.

More cyclists are suffering major trauma on Victorian roads. Picture: Brendan Radke

MELBOURNES WORST STREETS FOR BIKE CRASHES

VICTORIA TOO DANGEROUS FOR CYCLISTS

ROAD TRAUMA HOSPITAL NETWORK REFORM SAVES LIVES AND MONEY

Monash University’s Dr Ben Beck, the study’s lead author, said this increase could only partly be explained by a greater number of cyclists.

“That the absolute number of serious injuries has more than doubled is of serious concern, and clearly there is a real need for increased emphasis on cyclist safety,” he said.

“We need to provide cyclists with the safest environment we possibly can.”

This might include more infrastructure, such as ­separated and dedicated bike lanes, law reform, education campaigns, and training of all road users.

“We know that serious injury can lead to lifelong impacts which can affect not only the individual, but their family and society,” Dr Beck said.

“A lot of the road safety measures that have been really effective in reducing fatalities might not be having the same impact on our serious injury crashes,” he said.

“So we really need to shift our perspective and start to try to understand how and why they are occurring, and how we can prevent them.”

[e-mail]

@Lucie_VDB