Drivers found to be mostly at fault in cyclist crashes at give way signs

IN THE never-ending battle between cars and bicycles, a new study has uncovered some revealing information about who is responsible.

CYCLISTS won’t be surprised by the latest crash study — drivers were found to be at fault in the majority of accidents with them.

Research on 13 years of Queensland police crash records found cyclists are more seriously hurt in collisions with cars at intersections with “stop” or “give way” signs than at intersections with traffic signals or without any signage.

The Queensland University of Technology (QUT) study found the driver was considered at fault by police in 63 per cent of bicycle-motor vehicle crashes.

Professor Narelle Haworth, director of QUT’s Centre for Accident Research and Road Safety Queensland (CARRS-Q), said many studies had identified factors that contributed to the crashes, but until now little was known about how severe injuries were at different traffic stops at intersections.

Prof Haworth supervised the project carried out by Rabbani Rash-ha Wahi who analysed 5388 police-reported bicycle-motor vehicle crashes at intersections in Queensland from 2002 to 2014.

The findings, published in Transportation Research Record: Journal of the Transportation Research Board, found almost 40 per cent happened at junctions with stop or give way signs.

Mr Wahi said one reason for this was drivers or cyclists had their view obstructed when approaching a give way condition or when leaving from a stopped position.

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“In most cases, the bicycle and motor vehicle were approaching each other at right angles and possibly collisions occur because drivers have difficulty with judging gap sizes and speed before deciding whether to enter from the minor road or perform a turning manoeuvre,” he said.

“What the study found hardly surprises anyone who rides — the driver was considered at fault by police in 63 per cent of bicycle-motor vehicle crashes.”

The study also found that when crashes occurred at intersections controlled by traffic lights, both drivers and cyclists were equally likely to be at fault.

“However, when cyclists were judged to be at fault in crashes at stop and give way signs and uncontrolled intersections, their injuries were more severe,” he said.

“Speed zone appears to have influenced injury severity only at stop/give way signs and may reflect differences in intersection design rather than speed limits as such.”

When accidents happened at traffic lights, both cars and bicycles were equally at fault. Picture: Mark Evans

Mr Wahi found cyclists’ injuries were more severe in bicycle-motor vehicle crashes at unsigned intersections in hilly areas than in flat areas.

“It may be that cyclists and drivers can’t see each other until too late because of the crests and dips, or that they were travelling faster,” he said.

“The large number of bicycle/motor vehicle crashes at four-way intersections with traffic lights suggested that cyclists may not have enough time to cross the intersection before motorised cross traffic receives a green light, possibly because signal timing is often based on motor vehicle speeds.”