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The 20th century has seen a decline in traffic accidents. Governments put their efforts with advertising campaigns, more safety regulations and certain fine implementations. Just alone from 2012 to 2022 there was a 22% decrease in road fatalities in the European Union (EU). Yet, incidents involving cyclists have only decreased by 3% in that same period. The opposite trend, however, has emerged in countries where bicycle use is more prominent. Belgium has seen a 21% increase in bicycle fatalities, Germany’s risen by 17% and the Netherlands has seen the number more than double since 2012.
It seems then that increasing bicycle safety in the roads is an important task still to be tackled. Among fatalities, 57% took place on urban roads, and 42% on rural roads. Cyclists face the challenge of visibility by other road users. Awareness and better protections on roads can be instrumental in reducing fatalities amongst this particular group.
Legislation
Legislation to bring forward this protection, via the creation of more bicycle designated lanes or other safety regulations aimed towards reducing the severity of collisions is key. Currently, there exist a few basic safety features such as brakes, bell and reflectors, that are compulsory for bikes in every EU country. Some countries go beyond this, with additional requirements for visibility, helmets or a minimum age for cycling on roads. Also, according to international and national conventions cyclists must not ride without holding the handlebars with at least one hand and they must keep to the right of the carriageway (to the left in the United Kingdom and Ireland) and give an appropriate arm signal when they wish to turn.
Safety Devices
The introduction of safety devices in bicycles can aid in providing safety and preventing accidents. Devices such as turn lights, brake lights, front lights and lane projection lasers allow riders to inform others of their moves and become more visible to all road users.
Ciclolux offers a devices that combines turn lights, a position light, an automatic brake light, laser lane projection and bell to ensure safety for cyclists as their numbers grow.
In a society aiming towards reducing emissions, the use of public transport and biking are modes of transport being encouraged. Making them safer and more accessible can help such a purpose, and benefit all road users.
