Bike Accidents: The Facts

Love it or hate it, bikes have made an overwhelming comeback these past ten years. A combination of health concerns, traffic congestion and a successful cycle to work scheme, have helped the humble bicycle become almost as ubiquitous on city roads as the car.

Although cycling is extremely safe in most parts of Ireland’s cities – Dublin has an ever-extending network of bike lanes and Dublin drivers are also a lot more comfortable with the sudden influx of cyclists than they may have been a decade ago – accidents still do occur.

Unfortunately, a rise in bike numbers invariably leads to an increase in accidents involving bikes.
So we have a clearer picture, we’ve done a bit of research on the facts surrounding bike accidents and bike accident personal injuries in Ireland.

Bike Accidents in Ireland

We will start with the most dramatic statistic. Based on the most recent published data – compiled in 2017 – 15 cyclists were killed on Irish road in 2017.
Nearly half of these deaths occurred on a Sunday, during daylight hours. Of these 15 fatalities, all the victims were over the age of 25; the majority were aged between 45 and 64 and two-thirds of those killed were men.

Bike Accident Personal Injury*

Cyclist deaths on Irish roads are thankfully relatively rare, however, an accident resulting in a personal injury* to the cyclist is much more prevalent.
In 2017, in Dublin alone, over 600 cyclists were admitted to hospital following a bike accident personal injury.* These injuries ranged from minor cuts and brushes to much more serious, debilitating injuries.
If the year on year trend of increasing bike accidents continues, we are likely to see an increase in bike accidents* when the 2018 data is released.
If you are a cyclist, remember to be as vigilant as possible while cycling on Irish roads. You can do everything right yet still be at the mercy of a negligent third party road user.
In cases where you have suffered a bike accident personal injury,* we invite you to get in contact with our Dublin offices today. Our specialist bike accident solicitor can offer advice and recommendations on how best to proceed with legal action.*

For more information on bike accidents please visit our bike accident solicitors page.