Accident Statistics

[GideonReade]

Hi, I recall - I think - seeing or hearing some recent UK figures indicating that in the last two pandemic years, cycling activity had gone up, and cycling accidents too, tho fortunately not by so large a proportion. Don't quote me on that.

My question is what is in these stats?

I'm asking because just recently (3 months or so) our cycling acquaintances have been much smitten by injurious cycling accidents - a broken leg, a broken wrist, a dislocated shoulder. To a far greater extent than I ever recall. Admittedly we're getting older, and as we do so, seem to be joined by more ageing cyclists who have perhaps had a few decades out. And none of us bounce well now.

All these accidents were road cycling, but none involved other vehicles except the accident where one of our cyclists crashed into another.

So: no motor vehicles, no unfriendly third parties, no police. But all required hospital treatment.

Will these accidents and injuries get into the official statistics?

And, incidentally, does the legal requirement to report certain severity of accident to the police apply to bicycle & pedestrian accidents?

[geomannie]

AFAIK unless the police attend an accident there is no official statistic collected. Local hospitals may carry there own records but as for publishing, these are private medical records. At most they might collect the residential postcode, but useful accident statistics relate to the location of the incident. I have had few few hospitalisation incidents but none have involved the police in any shape or form. As far as accidents/collisions are concerned, these didn't happen.

For info, UK road accident statistics are collected where police attend & are published under a heading known as STATS19. These are the basis of mapping tools like https://m.cyclestreets.net/collisions/# ... 103/-4.281

[Jdsk]

RoSPA "Road Safety Factsheet: Cycling Accidents":
https://www.rospa.com/media/documents/r ... tsheet.pdf
which lists sources in References.

That uses Hospital Episode Statistics in England:
https://digital.nhs.uk/data-and-informa ... statistics

I don't understand how it's done in Scotland, but see Measurements of Exposure in:
"Association of injury related hospital admissions with commuting by bicycle in the UK: prospective population based study":
https://www.bmj.com/content/368/bmj.m336

Jonathan

[andrew_s]

If there's no motor vehicle, the police may not bother to fill in a Stats 19 form, even if they have attended, and the rider concerned has been carted off to hospital.
I am in a position to see all the Gloucestershire Stats 19 data, I'm not on it, and I picked up my bike from the police afterwards.

[Stevek76]

The DfT's starting point is STATS19 data, they then use a mix of hospital records, NTS data (one of the survey Qs relates to this) and possibly a few other bits to estimate the non reporting rate and to get a final estimate of the casualty numbers. The underreporting is obviously much greater for 'slight' casualties than it is for fatalities.

The travel distance is largely derived from NTS data (which is also England only as Scotland and Wales do not participate (the latter did up til 2012), nor conduct their own equivalents) with some adjustments based on counts and other sources.

[thirdcrank]

... does the legal requirement to report certain severity of accident to the police apply to bicycle & pedestrian accidents?

I don't think there is any absolute (unqualified) "legal requirement" on anybody to report any crash to the police. If there's a fatality, then the normal laws would apply eg if the death were to be actively concealed, but I only mention this for completeness.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Preventin ... _of_a_body

The duties of the driver of a mechanically propelled vehicle involved in a prescribed type of "accident" are set out under s 170 of the RTA 1988, and if a driver stops and "exchanges details" or more precisely, but still in my words, gives their details, then those duties are complete. As neither a pedal cycle nor a pedestrian are a mechanically propelled vehicle, they have no duty under this bit of legislation.

https://www.legislation.gov.uk/ukpga/19 ... ection/170

That doesn't prevent the police investigating a crash, including requiring document details. IME, a collision which didn't involve a motor vehicle might not make it into an "accident report" especially something like a cyclist riding into a wall.

[Jdsk]

"Creating a Road Collision Investigation Branch (RCIB)":
https://www.gov.uk/government/consultat ... ranch-rcib

Jonathan

[thirdcrank]

"Creating a Road Collision Investigation Branch (RCIB)":
https://www.gov.uk/government/consultat ... ranch-rcib

Jonathan

I'll read that with interest, but I see the foreword begins:-

Great Britain’s roads are amongst the safest in the world...

If you are doing worthwhile research, keeping an open mind is a good starting point.

=========================================================
PS I see that's one of Boris's placepersons, Charlotte Vere, Baroness Vere of Norbiton. I've a feeling I've looked up her political CV before for something on here so perhaps we've discussed this recently and I've already forgotten

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Charlotte ... f_Norbiton

[hamster]

Well, India has fewer cars than the UK and kills as many people every day as die on the roads in the UK in a year.

[thirdcrank]

From the Introduction to the consultation document linked above.

Independent bodies are longstanding features of accident investigation practice in the
UK. The Air Accidents Investigation Branch (AAIB) has been operating since 1915,
while the Marine Accident Investigation Branch (MAIB) and Rail Accident Investigation
Branch (RAIB) have operated since 1989 and 2005, respectively. All three bodies have
the legal power to investigate accidents (and less serious incidents) in their sector and
make recommendations about which interventions could be implemented to prevent
the recurrence of those events. These recommendations are not binding, but for the
Government to consider in the context of its wider priorities. (My emphasis)

Looking at this from the POV of vulnerable road users, I'm unclear what this proposal might lead to but I fear that as long as safety is equated with casualty counting, it's just the way to more victim blaming. It seems to me that the proposal is dressed up as extending proven systems from other transport modes, when that's not the case. AIUI, The bit I've highlighted covers (and glosses over) the investigation of things like planes being flown too close to each other, and trains being driven past signals at danger, but nothing remotely like that is proposed here. If that introduction had said something like "We have belatedly recognised that the failure of the criminal justice system to sort this out means we need to have another look" I'd have been saying "Better late than never" but I'm left wondering if this is just one more element of the preparations for autonomous vehicles.

[GideonReade]

It doesn't sound very comparable, does it? In the main, rail, air and marine transport is operated by highly trained operators with real-time supervision of their environment.

I appreciate that microlights, private pilots, yachts, canoes, jetskis are exceptions, but they're rarely used as serious transport and often given separation. I'd better admit straight away to doodly-squat expertise in those sectors.

Whereas the roads are a free for all, with the vast majority of operators perhaps barely half-remembering their training, and many with none at all. And some with very limited observational and cognitive capabilities.

I suppose also, road is extremely close-quarters, how would they define a near miss? I saw several candidates this morning, not all involving me!

So it would have to be quite different. In terms of investigation, attribution and follow up. But I have a sort of feeling that as cyclists we suffer as much from a steady stream of not-quite accidents, more than occasional mass wipeouts that might be investigated.

[nirakaro]

Well, India has fewer cars than the UK and kills as many people every day as die on the roads in the UK in a year.

A slight exaggeration - India's road traffic deaths are about 85 times the UK's, for maybe twenty times the population. And India may have fewer cars, but it does have vast numbers of trucks and motorbikes.

[GideonReade]

Well, India has fewer cars than the UK and kills as many people every day as die on the roads in the UK in a year.

A slight exaggeration - India's road traffic deaths are about 85 times the UK's, for maybe twenty times the population. And India may have fewer cars, but it does have vast numbers of trucks and motorbikes.

That would be a 4x casualty rate. Surprisingly good in the circumstances. It would probably be the same as the UK if the Indians locked up their bus drivers.

[thirdcrank]

Here's an example of a current RAIB near-miss investigation. What I was trying to say is that it's bordering on dishonest to make a comparison with this and anything proposed for the roads

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-somerset-60271741

[bjlabuk]

Attached is the National Police Accident Reporting Form from which the STATS19 data is extracted. There can be local Police Force variations to the Form, but they are essentially the same. Most also have a free text section for the reporting officer to briefly describe the circumstances of the accident. Section 2.5/2.5a is for stating the type of 'vehicle' involved (including pedal cycle). So for example, a one vehicle accident involving a pedal cyclist colliding with a wall, then vehicle V001 would be the cycle, registered number would be left blank or stated as 'cycle', etc.

https://assets.publishing.service.gov.u ... tats19.pdf

From what I remember there are 'Reportable' and 'Non-Reportable' road accidents. If a cyclist is injured there should a police record of it.