Junctions are dangerous
An Interesting study from Australis which suggests in majority of cases motorists were at fault from collisions or near misses. It found in 83% of occasions of dangerous driving, drivers were unaware or least didn’t show any reaction for the dangers they had put cyclists in.
In 88.9% of cases, the cyclist had been travelling in a safe/legal manner prior to the collision/near miss. Most happened at or near a junction (70.3%) and most were caused by sudden lane changes by the motorist, with sideswipe the most frequent cause (40.7%). (Bike Radar)
It is a fairly small study, but, it does back up my own experience from numerous near misses over the year. Just yesterday, I narrowly swerved out of the way from a car door at last moment. As the driver proceeded to get out of car, she just completely blanked it out as if it never happened.
A different report suggested a lower proportion of accidents were due to motorists and more due to cyclists, especially by young children who are at most at risk from cycle accidents (Report 2). Young children have little road experience. Teenagers have a little more experience but often too much confidence.
When you start to drive a car, you become more aware of issues on the road. At least that was my experience.
Main Causes of Accidents when Cyclists are to blame
- Entering road from pavement without looking (I see this everyday by people under 18 on bike)
- Failure to look properly
I would add poor visibility adds to risk.
Main Causes of Accidents when Motorists are to Blame
- Failure to Look Properly.
- At junction motorists fail to see cyclists, especially if turning left.
- Changing Lanes
I would add – loss of attention whilst driving, mobile phone / alcohol, passing too close.
Just not seeing a cyclist and driving straight into back of them.
Motorist in a rush too impatient, speed
16% of Killed or Seriously injured cyclists involved no vehicles but were due to loss of control or badly maintained roads.
Other Resources:
Relationship between speed and accidents at TRL
Related
By God, that makes cycling look a bit worrying!
It is as well to be aware of the dangers, particularly at junctions, but the upshot of all of this is that cycling is actually about as safe a form of road transport as it is possible to get, with the possible exception of going by bus!
Adding in the health benefits far outweigh the risk of dying and you are more likely to live longer because you are a cyclist.
> When you start to drive a car, you become more aware of issues on the road.
I agree. But what really honed my road sense was riding a motorcycle for several years. The extra vulnerability that comes from being on two wheels AND travelling fast really helps to develop a focus on safety. Many of the survival skills I learned during advanced training carried over into my cycling.