Bicycle Accident Claims Compensation Claims

With more people riding bicycles due to the money, health, and environmental benefits that cycling affords, the number of accidents involving pedal-powered road users is also going up. Whilst the number of fatalities amongst cyclists has remained at a constant level over the past few years, the number of serious cyclist injuries has been growing

The level of congestion on our roads seems to increase almost daily and the volume of traffic has also played its part in the number of cyclists who are involved in potentially fatal road traffic accidents every single day. As well as accidents involving cars and vans, there is a very real threat of fatal injury from HGVs. Even grassy roads are a potential injury waiting to happen for cyclists and as for the ever more numerous, deep and untreated pot holes!

Generally, cyclists in city centres face the biggest risks not only of injury but of death, with an alarmingly high number of these accidents involving HGVs and trucks. While HGVs only make up around 5% of the country’s vehicles, they account for 19% of road deaths to cyclists and many of these occur in city centres with London being the most likely place to suffer an accident.

According to statistics, a cyclist is 8 times more likely to die if they are involved in an accident with an HGV than with a car. However, the death count amongst cyclists only paints a small part of the picture as many more cyclists suffer from non-fatal accidents every year. According to ROSPA, in 2016 over 18,000 cyclists were involved in cycling accidents where they sustained injuries of a non-fatal nature. Bear in mind too that these figures only include injuries from accidents reported to the police. Many more accidents where cyclists have been injured enough to require hospital treatment are not included in these figures. If you are unfortunate enough to have been injured in a cycling accident, loss of income and serious problems in the short and long term can be an unwanted consequence.

Broken bones are common in a bicycle accident because the cyclist does not enjoy the same level of protection that is offered inside a car. Lightweight clothing which is typically worn when cycling also offers very little in the way of protection. Wearing a helmet will certainly reduce your chances of head injury but it will not remove this risk completely.