Right here’s a reality that may shock you: as a bike owner you’re virtually twice as prone to be killed driving on a rural highway than on a busy city excessive avenue. Whereas the clamour for cycle lanes and improved bike security focuses on the UK’s cities and cities, these taking to the out-of-town byways are left to fend for themselves.
The chocolate field surroundings, winding lanes and relative tranquillity of the countryside are what, for many people, biking is all about. So what can we do to reap the rewards of rural rides with out turning into one other statistic?
Is biking secure?
“Biking is way safer than many individuals suppose it’s, and analysis persistently exhibits that the well being advantages are substantial and considerably outweigh the dangers,” that is the take from UK charity, CyclingUK.
The organisation goes on to stipulate that “over a distance equal to biking 1,000 occasions around the globe at its widest level: one bike owner is killed, about 20-30 are critically injured, fewer than 100 are barely injured.”
Collisions do occur, and each one loss of life or harm is one too many. Nonetheless, it is necessary to keep in mind that biking is a secure exercise and casualties are uncommon.
In September 2023, the federal government launched a report on the variety of pedal bike owner accidents leading to accidents within the UK in 2022. They confirmed that 11,546 have been barely injured, 4,056 critically injured and tragically, 91 have been killed. Taking an extended view, within the interval from 2004 to 2022, fatalities have been down 32% from 134 to 91, however severe accidents elevated by 21%, whereas cycle visitors had elevated by 50%. The large fall within the variety of cyclists killed on UK roads is clearly excellent news, however an examination of the interval 2018 to 2022 highlights how 56% of pedal cycle fatalities occurred on rural roads, in comparison with 29% on city ones. Extra worrying nonetheless for these of us who love countryside jaunts, accidents on rural roads are round 4 occasions extra prone to end in a fatality.
Although information headlines typically give attention to bike owner fatalities in metropolis centres, the variety of biking casualties recorded on rural roads highlights how perilous biking within the UK countryside has turn out to be. Among the most harmful roads for cyclists within the UK are the agricultural A-roads present in Surrey (5,254 casualties reported 2012-2022), Hampshire (4,145) and Kent (3,711). The agricultural space with the best incidence of casualties – averaging over 500 a 12 months – spans the Surrey Hills and Field Hill.
“Most rural roads don’t have pavements or cycle paths, but are utilized by a few of the most weak highway customers equivalent to folks biking, driving or strolling,” says Lucy Straker, marketing campaign supervisor at highway security group Brake.
“These roads typically have poor floor circumstances, massive potholes and restricted or no crash safety, with increased dangers from autos transferring at quite a lot of speeds from 60mph and better to slow-moving farm autos, together with the hazards from animals, spillages or tree branches.”
Since 2019, Brake has campaigned for a ‘Secure not 60’ velocity restrict after its personal survey of two,000 drivers discovered that just about half had pushed sooner than the velocity restrict on a single- carriageway rural highway up to now 12 months. Larger velocity, in keeping with the medics who deal with crash victims, is the important thing purpose why extra cyclists are killed on nation roads.
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“Because the velocity, and measurement, of the automobile will increase, the probability of main trauma will increase,” says Dr David Hulse, advisor in sport and train drugs at PureSportsMedicine. “From main head harm, spinal harm, chest and belly trauma, and pelvic and lengthy bone fractures, the elevated harm severity comes with elevated threat of loss of life and of long- time period harm penalties.”
Lucy Straker provides context: “At 60mph, a driver’s stopping distance is 73 metres, or about three tennis courts. On rural roads, hazards can seem with out warning far nearer than that. Speeds beneath 40mph are way more applicable for these roads.” Reviewing velocity limits on many rural roads might subsequently save lives.
“To cut back the chance of head-on collisions, native authorities might scale back velocity limits to 40mph on rural roads,” suggests Sarah McMonagle, director of exterior affairs at Biking UK, “however simply as necessary as decreasing velocity limits is offering secure biking infrastructure in rural areas, not simply in cities. We need to see rural cities linked by high-quality cycle routes away from roads or bodily separated from visitors,” provides McMonagle. “These key cycle routes should be maintained, together with being cleared of ice and snow within the winter.”
Decreasing the chance of extreme harm or loss of life for cyclists on rural roads isn’t only a pipe dream. As has been seen on many metropolis streets, a change in focus, shift in priorities, focused funding and a change of mindset could make a revolution potential. It might not be well-liked with all – but when it’s stopping even one loss of life on the highway, absolutely the ends justify the means?
In line with the European Transport Security Council, 57% of all reported bike owner deaths within the EU happen on city roads and 42% on rural roads. When you think about international locations such because the Netherlands and Denmark, the place metropolis biking is held up as the top of finest apply, that’s an attention-grabbing reversal of the pattern within the UK. In fact, not all of Europe’s nation lanes are safer than ours. The French Biking Federation (FFC) reported in 2023 that biking deaths and accidents have risen by 30% in recent times – with crashes on rural roads accounting for the majority (60%) of the 244 biking fatalities recorded in 2022.
‘Anticipate the surprising’
CW options editor David Bradford recounts a scary second as a cautionary story for rural riders: My most terrifying near-miss occurred a few years in the past on a rural lane I’d ridden numerous occasions – and it was partly my fault. The nook the place it occurred is only a slight kink left, however the lane is pretty slender, with banking and excessive hedges on each side – you may’t see what’s coming. The highway is barely downhill, too, so the method is quick even for those who’re barely pedalling.
On this explicit day, I used to be virtually on the apex and because the line of sight opened up, an infinite agricultural sprayer crammed my view. Its huge tyres have been taking over each millimetre of obtainable tarmac, and it was going twice the velocity of a traditional tractor. Immediately I knew neither of us had time to cease. I grabbed the brakes, my again wheel stepped out, and I desperately scanned for an escape route. The machine’s head-height offside wheel was now mere inches away. Mercifully there was a slender strip of mud and vegetation between the wheel and the financial institution, and by pure Darwinian intuition I steered into it, tangling into the bracken and brambles however avoiding a direct influence.
It was a stark wake-up name. All too typically we experience inside the limits of the predictable – in my case, virtually another hazard round that bend would have been slender sufficient or gradual sufficient to unhurriedly keep away from. The road-hog sprayer was not on my psychological record of potentialities – reminding me that we actually do have to count on theunexpected, particularly on rural roads.
Driving within the centre of the highway will enable you to keep seen by motorists
(Picture credit score: Future)
Examine your velocity
Nobody’s going to carry their breath ready for decreased velocity limits, velocity humps and rural cycle lanes to turn out to be commonplace. Overhauling of the UK’s rural highway community to create cycle paths on slender nation lanes would have enormous price implications and would face opposition from conservation and anti-development teams. As an alternative, cyclists are going to need to take measures of our personal to scale back the chance as finest we will.
One suggestion – don’t all boo directly – is that cyclists verify their velocity too. “Improved know-how means bikes have gotten sooner, bike positions extra aggressive, and common speeds increased,” explains Dr Hulse. “The draw back of all that is that the margin for error is decreased.” When driving on open roads, security ought to be the principal consideration.
A neater win is to imagine the worst in all conditions and cycle as if motorists haven’t observed you. Analysis into the causes of rural highway crashes involving a motorcycle and one other automobile discovered that the most typical key contributory issue recorded by the police is ‘did not look correctly’ by both the motive force or rider, particularly at junctions.
Making your self as seen as potential to others is a no brainer right here, however within the combined mild and climate circumstances sometimes encountered throughout a daytime experience within the UK, there’s nobody sort of clothes that may make sure you’re seen always. So, taking over a extra distinguished driving place – within the centre of the highway when in quiet areas or driving facet by facet with different cyclists – is the recommendation of normal nation lane riders. Additionally, if it’s essential cease, wait till you attain a lay-by and never round blind corners or on the high of a hill.
The recommendation of British Biking’s former coverage supervisor Nick Chamberlain is to take your lights with you when heading out within the late afternoon or night. “Additionally, utilizing them on routes that embody lengthy tunnels or sections with overhanging timber will make sure you stand out extra.”
Your consciousness could be what saves you from an incident on a rustic lane.
Maybe most impactful of all can be for extra cyclists to experience rural roads extra typically. Due to the elevated threat, many people keep away from them fully, and in consequence, motorists usually tend to drive with out anticipating to come back throughout cyclists. Extra cyclists might assist to interrupt this vicious circle however, in fact, if roads have been slightly slower and slightly safer, extra cyclists would do that anyway.
