DEATH ON THE ROADS

Acyclist or motorcyclist was killed or seriously injured every hour on Britain’s roads in 2017. Figures from the Department for Transport show that there were 349 motorcyclists and 101 cyclists killed last year.

They accounted for more than a quarter of all British road deaths in 2017.

A further 5,592 motorcyclists and 3,695 cyclists were seriously injured.

Car drivers had the highest number of deaths out of all road users - 787 but when taking into account the fact that more people drive than use other forms of transport, a different picture emerges.

On average, cyclists are 14 times more likely to be killed and 49 times more likely to be seriously injured than car drivers when looking at miles travelled.

The risk for motorcyclists is even higher.

They are are 55 times more likely to be killed and 84 times more likely to be seriously injured than car drivers.

Van or light goods drivers are the least likely to be killed or seriously injured - the casualty rate was quarter of the size of car drivers.

The road safety charity Brake is urging drivers to be more “bike smart” to raise awareness about the safety of those on two wheels.

The charity is asking drivers to slow down, look properly at junctions, and do the “Dutch reach” to avoid car dooring.

This is a technique that seeks to avoid hitting cyclists with car doors.

Instead of using the hand nearest the door to open it, drivers are asked to reach across with the opposite hand.

This forces a person to turn their head to check for bikes before opening the door.

A new Brake survey found that more than half of all drivers (52%) feel that bike riders are most vulnerable on urban roads.

However, government statistics show that rural roads pose more than three times the risk of a fatal crash for both cyclists and motorcyclists.

Two-thirds (301) of bike deaths in 2017 - an average of 25 a month - took place on rural roads.

That is the highest number for more than five years.

Joshua Harris, director of campaigns for Brake said: “Every hour, a cyclist or motorcyclist is killed or seriously injured on a British road - each a tragedy that will devastate innumerable lives.

“Raising awareness about the safety of those on two wheels, who face much higher risk of death and serious injury than those in cars, is absolutely vital.

“We support the government’s announcement of a review of the Highway Code to help keep cyclists safe and its stated focus on motorcyclists in the forthcoming road safety action plan.