Two meetings and an email dialogue between transport and urban cycling enthusiasts revealed many interesting issues, views and solutions. In order to allow this content to reach a wider audience, this blog was created. It is a quick and easy means of sharing their information and a first step.
I subsequently added some relevant posts from my personal blog that predates thsi blog but this was when we got started - 19 Aug 2004.
Thursday, August 19, 2004
Saturday, August 07, 2004
Toronto pavement cycling: more collisions but less severe
In 2003, the City of Toronto published a Bicycle/Motor-Vehicle Collision Study, based on 2,572 car/bike collisions reported to their police between 1997-1998.
From the report: "Almost 30% of the cyclists involved in reported motor vehicle collisions were cycling on the sidewalk immediately prior to their collisions" - making sidewalk (or pavement as we like to call it here in Singapore) cycling the most likely cause. However, the injuries on sidewalk were less severe than those cycling on roads.
"Young cyclists were much more likely to have been riding on the sidewalk than were adults" - Amongst cyclists involved in collisions:
<18 years old: >50% were sidewalk cycling
>+ 18 years old: <25% were sidewalk cycling.
Frequency of collisions involving sidewalk cycling
Outer areas of city: 46% (522 cases)
Central area collisions: 13% (188 cases).
Think of Punggol, Sengkang and Pasir Ris as outer areas and this is an interesting observation.
Read more:
Toronto Bicycle/Motor-Vehicle Collision Study (2003),
Toronto Cycling Map: Tips for avoiding car-bike collisions.
First posted in Otterman speaks.
From the report: "Almost 30% of the cyclists involved in reported motor vehicle collisions were cycling on the sidewalk immediately prior to their collisions" - making sidewalk (or pavement as we like to call it here in Singapore) cycling the most likely cause. However, the injuries on sidewalk were less severe than those cycling on roads.
"Young cyclists were much more likely to have been riding on the sidewalk than were adults" - Amongst cyclists involved in collisions:
<18 years old: >50% were sidewalk cycling
>+ 18 years old: <25% were sidewalk cycling.
Frequency of collisions involving sidewalk cycling
Outer areas of city: 46% (522 cases)
Central area collisions: 13% (188 cases).
Think of Punggol, Sengkang and Pasir Ris as outer areas and this is an interesting observation.
Read more:
Toronto Bicycle/Motor-Vehicle Collision Study (2003),
Toronto Cycling Map: Tips for avoiding car-bike collisions.
First posted in Otterman speaks.
Monday, July 12, 2004
Riding posse for William Tan's ultramarathon
Reach Out and Run for the Elderly, 11th Jul 2004
In an effort to raise funds for the Toa Payoh and Geylang Senior Citizens Health Care Centres, William Tan once again raced his wheelchair over 100km of roads in SIngapore, through Toa Payoh, Paya Lebar, Geylang, Esplanade, Pasir Panjang, Clementi, Boon Lay, Jalan Bahar, Kranji, Woodlands, Admiralty, Sembawang and Thomson, before returning to the clinic at Toa Payoh.
Last year (13 July 2003), Wheels Are Turning were represented by Kian Wee, Airani and myself, as guests of Aaron's NUS' Cycling team, with Ling riding up front with the route leader. Yesterday (11 July 2004), Aaron, Airani, Catherine, Chi, Hua Qin, Ah Sheng, Dinesh (first time we met him!) and myself eventually served as part of the advance party while Ling and Janice were part of the main body.
Successful ride management provides a continuous flow of roads - no interruptions and few stops for William Tan on his racing wheelchair. Braking is an energy-expensive option and can be dangerous is too sudden. While the hired CISCO police always do an excellent job, and can even command non-major traffic junctions, a pedestrian or vehicle cutting into the path of the main body suddenly could cause a bad accident.
William's ride begins in heavily built-up areas, ventures out to more open areas (like Kranji Dam, Admiralty and Sembawang), and then returns to the urban sprawl once again. So the beginning and end of the journey are peppered with lots of side lanes, slip roads, turns and junctions posing potential danger.
The convoy looked like this in the end:
|Ambulance|--> |Main body|--|William & Core team|--> |Outriders, Blocking crew & CISCO police|--|Route truck|
A core team of about four cyclists maintain a pattern around William. They keep to his pace, encourage him when the going gets tough and keep a lookout while he concentrates on his demanding 100km ride. Together with some 20-30 cyclists, the main body forms a protective long 'vehicle', and is less likely to be missed or interfered with by vehicles on the road, although some still try!
The advance party of two outriders and a blocking crew ride ahead of the main body. The two outriders maintain a regular distance ahead of William, using their rear view mirrors. They cover emergencies that crop up behind the blocking crew or help out as blockers, and get the riders ahead to accelerate (a bell is useful!) if William catches up, to prevent unnecessary braking or a collision.
The blocking crew locks up all the side roads against impatient or unknowing drivers from crashing into William and the main body. They work with the CISCO police who are riding motorbikes, and at minor junctions, relieve the cops so that they can venture forward even faster. As needed, the blocking crew weave behind or ahead the route truck that directs the main body. It's hard work but fun as you have to completely stop in front of the junction or car you are blocking, see the front of the main body pass by safely, accelerate up ahead before blocking the next problem. Pretty good exercise!
None of had talked about our roles before this ride as we just turned up to register. The 2003 crew tried to slip in to old roles but things took longer to settle down. Since Geylang was peppered with many side roads, most of us began blocking and eventually settled down to this role. As we approached Sungei Buloh, and there was some discussion about the route, I became an outrider since I was fitted with a rear-view mirror and bell. So I partnered Dinesh who had maintained that position from the beginning and the others continued blocking of potential hazards ahead.
The core team and CISCO police picked up on this and soon everyone was working together smoothly. By the time we re-entered the urban sprawl in the afternoon, things were much more efficient and safer. I was quite impressed by the way WAT riders picked up on their roles and they can certainly be happy about their contributions that day.
Despite these efforts, a car rushed through the Thomson-Marymount traffic junction, between the outriders and blocking crew, and past a CISCO outrider who had parked stopped his motorbike and had stood in front of her part of the junction, shocking most of us! From her expression that one cyclist observed, the driver appeared confused and may have made a mistake. Luckily there were no collisions.
The advance party clicked into high gear after that and by Toa Payoh, were executing blocks and lane management over almost every inch with a vengeance! It became the safest it had ever been and I was quite impressed with the culmination of day's work. I guess we simply had enough time to work together. There were elements that could be improved and we will probably iron those out during future rides. Still it was an excellent display of initiative and team work.
William surprised me - he was traveling much faster this year. His fitness appears to have improved considerably, although the weather certainly helped. Particularly the strong drizzle that cooled off the potentially hot Lim Chu Kang tarmac. And he also climbed the SLF slope faster and with less effort, although it was still agonising!
I surprised myself by coping well with the distance. So I'm not that unfit and will probably be able to handle the KL ride next year. But I will really know in a day's time for that's when the aches appear.
On Sunday 17th October 2004, William Tan rides again in aid of the Senior Citizens Hardship Fund. Wheels Are Turning intend to ride in support again.
First posted in Otterman speaks.
In an effort to raise funds for the Toa Payoh and Geylang Senior Citizens Health Care Centres, William Tan once again raced his wheelchair over 100km of roads in SIngapore, through Toa Payoh, Paya Lebar, Geylang, Esplanade, Pasir Panjang, Clementi, Boon Lay, Jalan Bahar, Kranji, Woodlands, Admiralty, Sembawang and Thomson, before returning to the clinic at Toa Payoh.
Last year (13 July 2003), Wheels Are Turning were represented by Kian Wee, Airani and myself, as guests of Aaron's NUS' Cycling team, with Ling riding up front with the route leader. Yesterday (11 July 2004), Aaron, Airani, Catherine, Chi, Hua Qin, Ah Sheng, Dinesh (first time we met him!) and myself eventually served as part of the advance party while Ling and Janice were part of the main body.
Successful ride management provides a continuous flow of roads - no interruptions and few stops for William Tan on his racing wheelchair. Braking is an energy-expensive option and can be dangerous is too sudden. While the hired CISCO police always do an excellent job, and can even command non-major traffic junctions, a pedestrian or vehicle cutting into the path of the main body suddenly could cause a bad accident.
William's ride begins in heavily built-up areas, ventures out to more open areas (like Kranji Dam, Admiralty and Sembawang), and then returns to the urban sprawl once again. So the beginning and end of the journey are peppered with lots of side lanes, slip roads, turns and junctions posing potential danger.
The convoy looked like this in the end:
|Ambulance|--> |Main body|--|William & Core team|--> |Outriders, Blocking crew & CISCO police|--|Route truck|
A core team of about four cyclists maintain a pattern around William. They keep to his pace, encourage him when the going gets tough and keep a lookout while he concentrates on his demanding 100km ride. Together with some 20-30 cyclists, the main body forms a protective long 'vehicle', and is less likely to be missed or interfered with by vehicles on the road, although some still try!
The advance party of two outriders and a blocking crew ride ahead of the main body. The two outriders maintain a regular distance ahead of William, using their rear view mirrors. They cover emergencies that crop up behind the blocking crew or help out as blockers, and get the riders ahead to accelerate (a bell is useful!) if William catches up, to prevent unnecessary braking or a collision.
The blocking crew locks up all the side roads against impatient or unknowing drivers from crashing into William and the main body. They work with the CISCO police who are riding motorbikes, and at minor junctions, relieve the cops so that they can venture forward even faster. As needed, the blocking crew weave behind or ahead the route truck that directs the main body. It's hard work but fun as you have to completely stop in front of the junction or car you are blocking, see the front of the main body pass by safely, accelerate up ahead before blocking the next problem. Pretty good exercise!
None of had talked about our roles before this ride as we just turned up to register. The 2003 crew tried to slip in to old roles but things took longer to settle down. Since Geylang was peppered with many side roads, most of us began blocking and eventually settled down to this role. As we approached Sungei Buloh, and there was some discussion about the route, I became an outrider since I was fitted with a rear-view mirror and bell. So I partnered Dinesh who had maintained that position from the beginning and the others continued blocking of potential hazards ahead.
The core team and CISCO police picked up on this and soon everyone was working together smoothly. By the time we re-entered the urban sprawl in the afternoon, things were much more efficient and safer. I was quite impressed by the way WAT riders picked up on their roles and they can certainly be happy about their contributions that day.
Despite these efforts, a car rushed through the Thomson-Marymount traffic junction, between the outriders and blocking crew, and past a CISCO outrider who had parked stopped his motorbike and had stood in front of her part of the junction, shocking most of us! From her expression that one cyclist observed, the driver appeared confused and may have made a mistake. Luckily there were no collisions.
The advance party clicked into high gear after that and by Toa Payoh, were executing blocks and lane management over almost every inch with a vengeance! It became the safest it had ever been and I was quite impressed with the culmination of day's work. I guess we simply had enough time to work together. There were elements that could be improved and we will probably iron those out during future rides. Still it was an excellent display of initiative and team work.
William surprised me - he was traveling much faster this year. His fitness appears to have improved considerably, although the weather certainly helped. Particularly the strong drizzle that cooled off the potentially hot Lim Chu Kang tarmac. And he also climbed the SLF slope faster and with less effort, although it was still agonising!
I surprised myself by coping well with the distance. So I'm not that unfit and will probably be able to handle the KL ride next year. But I will really know in a day's time for that's when the aches appear.
On Sunday 17th October 2004, William Tan rides again in aid of the Senior Citizens Hardship Fund. Wheels Are Turning intend to ride in support again.
First posted in Otterman speaks.
Wednesday, June 16, 2004
About concussions and memory loss
One of my friends, "Ling the Merciless" recently suffered a concussion. She fell down a steep slope and was thrown off her bike, landing on her face. She was immobile but eventually regained consciousness, was taken to SGH, observed and released with a one week MC.
Now she suffered a mild concussion and lost consciousness. Although it is not an exact science, with some 28 measures, the Cantu scale is often used, probably due to its realistic simplicity.
And it indicates my friend suffered a Grade II concussion.
Grade II concussions are not common even amongst collegial and high school American football players - a study of 17, 549 players revealed 88.9% suffered Grade 1 concussion and only 10.6% suffered Grade II concussion. Serious impact she took! If you perch on a bike at the top of the slope you will understand.
She experienced the "usual symptoms" - disorientation, confusion, loss of consciousness, partial loss of memory about events prior to (retrograde amnesia) and events after the impact (post-traumatic amnesia).
Maximal post-traumatic amnesia immediately after the injury is not unusual - hence, it was good that she as surrounded by friends who did answer her repeated questions about her whereabouts.
Though her memory may recover with time, a complete recovery often does not occur. There are apologetic psychiatric explanations about this but a mild head injury, though prominent for its transient functional loss, may be in all likelihood, accompanied by pathological damage - in one instance I read about microscopic shearing of nerve fibers in the brain. Ouch!
The treatment for concussion is rest - *Oh! Gasp! Really?* - tell that to my adventurous and active friend. 10 days to two weeks is a recommended rest period. Not that it means she get to mount her bike and tackle Bukit Timah immediately after that.
Some sports medicine researchers suggest a hasty return to sport may result in "second impact syndrome," which can be really serious? I haven't read enough but it appears to be linked to symptomatic patients (e.g. still suffering from headaches) returning to the fray, undetected or because an athlete's conscious choice.
Though supposedly uncommon and even disputed, it still makes for fascinating reading - there is some evidence that a period of change in brain function (e.g. in metabolic uptake of glucose) lasts between 24 hours to 10 days to allow for healing. During this period the patient may be vulnerable to injury.*So rest!* Somewhere else, I learnt that old fogies like me (>18 years old) are apparently less vulnerable since we don't have developing brains. Wait a minute!?
Anyway, the threshold for subsequent trauma may also be lowered, meaning any subsequent concussion may result in symptoms consistent with a more severe injury.
I've taken two hits myself in the past, mild ones. Grade I if you must, with no loss of consciousness.
In the first instance, I was in Secondary 4, and it was a PE lesson - we were playing rugby. I suffered a blow somehow but continued playing, and only experienced symptoms significantly, after the game was over. Walking back to class, I panicked at the thought of the 'O' levels the following week! I hadn't studied as yet! A classmate looked at me strangely and said it was still early in the year.
Then I could not find my schoolbag - it had been hidden earlier in the science block. I had a game going to evade prefects on guard in the mornings. I would slip past them into my classroom, after morning assembly but before classes began. It was test of how well we knew the school's nooks and crannies. Ironically, first thing I did was to mark attendance of the class since I was class monitor. It became too easy so I abandoned the game.
Luckily my buddy, the class chairman, knew about this duel and brought me to where my bag was hidden. So I got to change and study.
Second time, also during a rugby game, but this time in university grounds. Rather embarrassedly, I collided head first with the other prop - I was trying out playing with the forwards and was enjoying the heightened tacking immensely - up to that point. The little runt (opposition scrum half) we were after slipped out of our hands but even he as taken aback at the two of us groaning on the ground.
Interestingly I was brought back 5 years in time to the hazy events of the first concussion. Right there in the university field, my mind was flooded with the images of schoolboys and our rugby match that day, some six years ago. I silently struggled to overcome the same feeling of disorientation I felt then and now.
This was no namby-pamby deja vu. This was the stuff of time portals! Presumably the memory fragments associated with a hard blow to the head had surfaced with the right stimulant.
As I struggled to bring myself back to the present time, I pondered about playing in the last game of that day-long inter-faculty tournament. In the end I decided to go ahead and strangely enough, and to my relief, I appeared to regain clarity as I played! Now I find how silly that was.
In both cases, the other players were unaware of my mild trauma. Apparently in the US, they are thus concerned about "bell ringers" who continue playing, unknowingly at the risk of long-term risks. If coaches and other staff are able to recognise mild symptoms (presuming they want to) the athlete's may be spared critical injury.
For some reason, players who suffer a concussion are three times more likely to do so again! Just makes you wonder, doesn't it?
For me at least, its probably good to know the memories of the playing fields of my old school are just a hard knock on the head away.
Reference:
Guskiewicz, KM. NL Weaver, DA Padua, WE Jr Garrett, 2000. Epidemiology of Concussion in Collegiate and High School Football Players. American Journal of Sports Medicine, 28: 643-650. The literature cited leads you to a large numbers of papers in this field.
First posted in Otterman speaks.
Now she suffered a mild concussion and lost consciousness. Although it is not an exact science, with some 28 measures, the Cantu scale is often used, probably due to its realistic simplicity.
And it indicates my friend suffered a Grade II concussion.
Grade II concussions are not common even amongst collegial and high school American football players - a study of 17, 549 players revealed 88.9% suffered Grade 1 concussion and only 10.6% suffered Grade II concussion. Serious impact she took! If you perch on a bike at the top of the slope you will understand.
She experienced the "usual symptoms" - disorientation, confusion, loss of consciousness, partial loss of memory about events prior to (retrograde amnesia) and events after the impact (post-traumatic amnesia).
Maximal post-traumatic amnesia immediately after the injury is not unusual - hence, it was good that she as surrounded by friends who did answer her repeated questions about her whereabouts.
Though her memory may recover with time, a complete recovery often does not occur. There are apologetic psychiatric explanations about this but a mild head injury, though prominent for its transient functional loss, may be in all likelihood, accompanied by pathological damage - in one instance I read about microscopic shearing of nerve fibers in the brain. Ouch!
The treatment for concussion is rest - *Oh! Gasp! Really?* - tell that to my adventurous and active friend. 10 days to two weeks is a recommended rest period. Not that it means she get to mount her bike and tackle Bukit Timah immediately after that.
Some sports medicine researchers suggest a hasty return to sport may result in "second impact syndrome," which can be really serious? I haven't read enough but it appears to be linked to symptomatic patients (e.g. still suffering from headaches) returning to the fray, undetected or because an athlete's conscious choice.
Though supposedly uncommon and even disputed, it still makes for fascinating reading - there is some evidence that a period of change in brain function (e.g. in metabolic uptake of glucose) lasts between 24 hours to 10 days to allow for healing. During this period the patient may be vulnerable to injury.*So rest!* Somewhere else, I learnt that old fogies like me (>18 years old) are apparently less vulnerable since we don't have developing brains. Wait a minute!?
Anyway, the threshold for subsequent trauma may also be lowered, meaning any subsequent concussion may result in symptoms consistent with a more severe injury.
I've taken two hits myself in the past, mild ones. Grade I if you must, with no loss of consciousness.
In the first instance, I was in Secondary 4, and it was a PE lesson - we were playing rugby. I suffered a blow somehow but continued playing, and only experienced symptoms significantly, after the game was over. Walking back to class, I panicked at the thought of the 'O' levels the following week! I hadn't studied as yet! A classmate looked at me strangely and said it was still early in the year.
Then I could not find my schoolbag - it had been hidden earlier in the science block. I had a game going to evade prefects on guard in the mornings. I would slip past them into my classroom, after morning assembly but before classes began. It was test of how well we knew the school's nooks and crannies. Ironically, first thing I did was to mark attendance of the class since I was class monitor. It became too easy so I abandoned the game.
Luckily my buddy, the class chairman, knew about this duel and brought me to where my bag was hidden. So I got to change and study.
Second time, also during a rugby game, but this time in university grounds. Rather embarrassedly, I collided head first with the other prop - I was trying out playing with the forwards and was enjoying the heightened tacking immensely - up to that point. The little runt (opposition scrum half) we were after slipped out of our hands but even he as taken aback at the two of us groaning on the ground.
Interestingly I was brought back 5 years in time to the hazy events of the first concussion. Right there in the university field, my mind was flooded with the images of schoolboys and our rugby match that day, some six years ago. I silently struggled to overcome the same feeling of disorientation I felt then and now.
This was no namby-pamby deja vu. This was the stuff of time portals! Presumably the memory fragments associated with a hard blow to the head had surfaced with the right stimulant.
As I struggled to bring myself back to the present time, I pondered about playing in the last game of that day-long inter-faculty tournament. In the end I decided to go ahead and strangely enough, and to my relief, I appeared to regain clarity as I played! Now I find how silly that was.
In both cases, the other players were unaware of my mild trauma. Apparently in the US, they are thus concerned about "bell ringers" who continue playing, unknowingly at the risk of long-term risks. If coaches and other staff are able to recognise mild symptoms (presuming they want to) the athlete's may be spared critical injury.
For some reason, players who suffer a concussion are three times more likely to do so again! Just makes you wonder, doesn't it?
For me at least, its probably good to know the memories of the playing fields of my old school are just a hard knock on the head away.
Reference:
Guskiewicz, KM. NL Weaver, DA Padua, WE Jr Garrett, 2000. Epidemiology of Concussion in Collegiate and High School Football Players. American Journal of Sports Medicine, 28: 643-650. The literature cited leads you to a large numbers of papers in this field.
First posted in Otterman speaks.
Friday, March 05, 2004
Drunk driver gets four months jail - reactions
Letters to the Forum page of The Straits Times on 4th March 2004, decry the light sentence meted out to the driver who killed togoparts and NTU cyclist Alvin Boey (press mistakenly called him Alvin Ho), R.I.P. See the ST report of the sentence.
One writer says, 'I am appalled at the light sentence - four months' jail for killing a cyclist while driving under the influence of alcohol.' "In another article on the same day, it was reported that a man was jailed for a year - three times longer than Koe - for oral sex."
The other writer says, "The message being sent out is that a cyclist, acting fully within his rights according to the Road Traffic Act, is expendable."
Read more....
First posted in Otterman speaks.
One writer says, 'I am appalled at the light sentence - four months' jail for killing a cyclist while driving under the influence of alcohol.' "In another article on the same day, it was reported that a man was jailed for a year - three times longer than Koe - for oral sex."
The other writer says, "The message being sent out is that a cyclist, acting fully within his rights according to the Road Traffic Act, is expendable."
Read more....
First posted in Otterman speaks.
Friday, February 27, 2004
Driver who knocked down Alvin "Kroxy" Boey was drunk
"Soldier knocked down cyclist after drinking binge." By Chong Chee Kin. The Straits Times, 27 Feb 2004.
"SINGAPORE Armed Forces First Sergeant Koe Seng Wah had already had too many glasses of beer when he got behind the wheel of his car on Sept 13 last year.
It did not stop him from exceeding the speed limit though. Shortly after he left Tengah Air Base at about 4.15pm, he hit a 23-year-old cyclist, who died at the scene.
Yesterday, Koe, 31, was jailed four months for causing the death of the cyclist through his recklessness.
A district court heard that the breath analyser test he took about two hours after the accident showed he had 78 micrograms of alcohol in 100ml of his breath - more than twice the legal limit of 35 micrograms per 100ml.
The cyclist, Nanyang Technological University engineering undergraduate Alvin Boey, was on the road with a group of friends in Jalan Bahar, which has a speed limit of 60kmh, when the accident happened.
Koe, who was driving his car at about 70kmh, was on his way to pick up his wife and year-old son, when he spotted Mr Boey and his friends on the inside lane, travelling in the same direction.
Instead of slowing down or moving to the right lane, Koe continued driving on the inside lane at the same speed, and hit Mr Boey's bicycle.
The undergrad was flung onto the windscreen of Koe's car, landing so heavily that he cracked it before ending up on the road.
Investigations later revealed that Koe had finished work at the airbase at about noon and gone to the mess hall where he drank beer for about four hours until he left.
In his mitigation, he told the court he had a clean driving record before the accident. He also said he was remorseful and had swerved right after he hit Mr Boey to avoid running over him.
He could have been jailed for up to two years and fined."
Copyright @ 2004 Singapore Press Holdings. All rights reserved.
Thursday, October 02, 2003
Who gets killed on the road?
See the updated post here
According to the traffic statistics in the Singapore Police Force's Annual Report 2000/1, motorcyclists and their pillion riders are the single largest road user group involved in accidents - accounting for 46% of road fatalities in 2000/1 and 52% of people slightly or seriously injured. The sheer numbers make them a specific target group for road safety measures by the police. Trends point to peak hour accidents and younger riders.
But if you look at fatalities amongst all accidents for 2000/1, the fatality rate for all accidents is 2.1% (407/19,308). This is contributed largely by the fatalities by motorbikes and their pillion riders at 1.9% (187/10,029). Motorcar drivers and passengers are relatively safe at 1% (47/4,584). Cyclists on the other hand have a 3.9% (27/689) fatality in reported accidents and for pedestrians, its 6.1% (113/1,852)!
I am missing estimates for number of road users by user group. Considering the relatively small number of cyclists on the road, the 27 fatalities are high. But I can understand Traffic Police being more concerned, for now, about the 10,000+ injury-resulting accidents involving motorbikes.
First posted on Otterman speaks
According to the traffic statistics in the Singapore Police Force's Annual Report 2000/1, motorcyclists and their pillion riders are the single largest road user group involved in accidents - accounting for 46% of road fatalities in 2000/1 and 52% of people slightly or seriously injured. The sheer numbers make them a specific target group for road safety measures by the police. Trends point to peak hour accidents and younger riders.
But if you look at fatalities amongst all accidents for 2000/1, the fatality rate for all accidents is 2.1% (407/19,308). This is contributed largely by the fatalities by motorbikes and their pillion riders at 1.9% (187/10,029). Motorcar drivers and passengers are relatively safe at 1% (47/4,584). Cyclists on the other hand have a 3.9% (27/689) fatality in reported accidents and for pedestrians, its 6.1% (113/1,852)!
I am missing estimates for number of road users by user group. Considering the relatively small number of cyclists on the road, the 27 fatalities are high. But I can understand Traffic Police being more concerned, for now, about the 10,000+ injury-resulting accidents involving motorbikes.
First posted on Otterman speaks
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