From the Times, 31 October 2000


“Cycling for health? It’s good for you so long as you don’t get killed"

Cyclists and motorbikers are at far greater risk of being killed on the roads than previously admitted by the Government, according to figures released to The Times.

Published statistics from the Department for Transport suggested that motorcycling was just three times as dangerous as riding a bike which, in turn, seemed safer even than walking.

Under the Freedom of Information Act, The Times has now obtained figures showing that riding motorcycles is between 10 and 12 times deadlier than using pushbikes. And pedal cyclists are three or four times more likely to be killed than pedestrians.

The higher risk of death on bicycles is especially embarrassing since the Government is committed to increasing cycling because it “promotes good health”. The discrepancies arise because of the different ways figures can be collated. The Department publishes fatality statistics based on deaths per kilometre travelled. This makes faster modes of transport, which are used for longer journeys, look safer.

But The Times requested figures per journey and per hour. These unpublished numbers show a very different pattern of death rates. The most disturbing new figures involve motorcycles. Previously released numbers show 9.7 deaths per 100 million km travelled by motorbike. That was only a little higher than the 3.62 by foot and 3.34 by bicycle.

But the new figures show that, when measured by journeys taken, a huge gulf emerges between motorcyclists and the rest. There are 153.45 deaths per 100 million by motorcycle, 13.05 by bicycle and 3.68 on foot.

The statistics for motorcycles cover all forms of two-wheeled motor vehicle, including mopeds and scooters. The Department has been resisting calls for a variety of safety improvements for such vehicles. Motorcycle experts have blamed diesel spillage from lorries for making roads more dangerous, and safety campaigners have queried whether pizza delivery staff should continue to be allowed to operate with learner licences. But the Government has denied that there is enough clear evidence around these issues for it to intervene.

Transport advisers have also urged ministers to extend Bikesafe, a police-promoted safety training programme, across the nation, but the Department has chosen to leave the decision to local chief constables. Jools Townsend, head of education at the road safety charity Brake, said that the number of motorcyclists being killed had risen by a third in the last decade. “A lot of motorcycle deaths and injuries result from other road users failing to spot them at junctions,” she said. “However, we do know that motorcyclists very frequently do put themselves in danger, particularly by speeding and overtaking dangerously on rural roads.”

Cycling also emerges as a more dangerous choice from the new statistics, which show it is clearly more dangerous than walking. Existing published figures suggested the reverse. The DfT wants to promote cycling because it is said to tackle pollution and congestion. The Government’s recently-published cycling policy overview described it as an excellent pastime, with a positive impact on health, particularly reducing coronary heart disease. Regular cyclists were as fit as people ten years younger.

However, it now emerges that cyclists run an increased risk of never getting any older.

According to Brake, part of the solution is car users’ attitudes. “The onus is on drivers to slow down. It is drivers who are in control of a fast-moving piece of metal that can kill others.”