Daily Mirror (Northern Ireland)
Belfast most deadly city in UK for cyclists
71% of riders say they have been involved in an accident
BELFAST has been revealed as the most dangerous city for cyclists, a survey claimed yesterday.
It found 71% of respondents revealed they have been involved in an accident.
That’s behind Manchester where 60% of riders had been hit and London where 56% said they had been involved in a crash. The national average is 46%.
Sheffield emerged as the safest city for cycling, with only 11% of those sur veyed having been involved in an accident.
In Cardiff it’s 26% and Leeds 27% of respondents had been hit.
The study also found 51% of cyclists can’t correctly identify
Highway Code and 38% don’t agree helmets should be worn.
Jonathan White, Legal Director of National Accident Helpline, said: “With just their bikes and protective clothing between them, the road and other vehicles, cyclists are some of the most vulnerable road users – so it’s right that rules should be in place to protect them.
“Our study shows not all cyclists are as up to speed with the rules as they could be – so we’d encourage both drivers and cyclists to brush up on the Highway Code and put that knowledge to use day-to-day to help prevent accidents from happening.”
During the lockdown earlier this year, cycling levels were reportedly up by 300%.
But many riders are not aware of many of the current rules put in place for their own protection.
Over two thirds (69%) wrongly believe cyclists are able to ride more than two abreast on the road, whilst 68% didn’t think they needed to leave plenty of room when cycling past parked vehicles or watching out for doors opening and pedestrians stepping into their path.
As many as 59% of cyclists surveyed did not think they were required to obey all traffic signs and traffic light signals. Nationwide, cyclists in Edinburgh displayed the worst knowledge of the Highway Code, with an average of 54% answering questions incorrectly.
Sheffield riders performed best, with only 41% answering questions incorrectly.
The 25-to-34 age group was most ignorant with 56% answering questions on them incor - re c t ly. Cycl i st s aged 65 and over performed best, with only 41% answering incorrectly.