A Bicycle Network study has shed new light on the nature of bike crashes on Australian roads, demonstrating that not only are they vastly underreported but that appropriate infrastructure plays a vital role in rider safety.
Released today, Bicycle Network's Bike Crash Experience Study draws on the responses of more than 1100 bike riders surveyed on their experiences between 2016-2020.
The results offer valuable insights into the realities of riding a bike in Australia, and highlight the areas in need of urgent attention to make it a safe transport option for all ages and abilities.
The study found that bike crashes affect all people, regardless of their level of riding experience, safety equipment and bike maintenance.
It also shows that bike crashes are significantly underreported.
Less than half (47%) of respondents presented to hospital following a crash, suggesting that hospital records may be an unreliable repository for bike crash data. Similarly, just over half (53%) of respondents that were involved in a crash with a vehicle reported the crash to police.
Together, these findings indicate that hospital and police records potentially capture only half of the actual crashes bike riders experience on our roads.
The study also reveals important insights about the characteristics of crashes.
The number of crashes are markedly higher during the morning and evening weekday commute, likely due to increased vehicle traffic at those times.
Most crashes of all kinds occurred on a road (73%) and in those involving a motor vehicle, there was no bike infrastructure present in 57% of cases. Only two percent of these occurred on a protected bike lane while 28% occurred on roads featuring a bike lane.
"This report highlights the paramount importance of separated infrastructure in keeping bike riders safe from motor traffic," says Bicycle Network CEO Alison McCormack. "We must act with urgency in making this gold standard of active transport the everyday standard on Australia's roads."
The study also reveals respondents incurred an average of $3036 in costs relating to each crash, and that the highest source of costs was a loss of earnings at 68%.
In addition, near-miss incidents were found to be a significant factor in people's desire to ride. Of the 119 respondents that reported a near-miss incident, just under half said they were "very scared" as a result.
When participants were surveyed on solutions to mitigating crash risks, improved driver education and protected bike lanes emerged as the top prioruities.
The full Bicycle Network Bike Crash Experience Study can be accessed here.