Latest UK road casualty stats reveal cycling is safer per mile than walking

The government’s latest road casualty figures indicate that cyclists could ride round the world more than 1,000 times before there would be a fatality. Factor in serious injuries and they would still manage 35 laps unscathed.

The figures show that 99 cyclists were killed on UK roads in 2018 with 3,707 seriously injured.

Roger Geffen, Cycling UK’s policy director commented: “Yet again the road casualty figures show cycling is not the dangerous activity many believe it is, with a walk more likely to see you killed per mile than a bike ride.

“Statistically speaking you would have to ride round the world 35 times before you’d run the risk of being killed or seriously injured.”

62% say cycling on roads is “too dangerous”

Despite this, the latest figures do show that cycling casualties have continued to creep up since 2008. In that year 903 cyclists were killed or seriously injured compared to 1,143 in 2018.

Cycling UK set that against the backdrop of the Government’s to reduce casualties.

“The disproportionate risk to people cycling on our roads – where they make up less than 1% of the traffic but 6% of the casualties – should be a wake-up call to the Government,” said Geffen.

“They want more people cycling, but that won’t happen when they’re not just failing in their ambition to reduce cycle casualties by 2020, but also their duty to make the roads safer for everyone.

“One death on our roads is too many – Government must immediately increase cycling and walking funding from its current level of 2% to 5% of transport spending and then double it over the next five years.”

Government statistics show no growth in cycling trips in England - though London bucks the trend