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Bicycle accidents are one form of transportation accidents.

According to a Department for Transport reports show that cyclists in the United Kingdom have a higher killed and serious injury rate per million vehicle kilometres, which is half of the rate for motorcyclists and eight times the rate for motorists. [1]

The first recorded bicycle accident is probably a collision in 1842, reportedly between Kirkpatrick McMillan, an early rider of the velocipede, and a young girl in Glasgow. The report, however, is vague and the identification disputed.[citation needed]

Causes of crashes vary according to local conditions. A study conducted in 2000 by SWOV (Institute for Road Safety Research) in the Netherlands found that single bicycle accidents accounted for 47% of all bicycle accidents, collisions with obstacles and animals accounted for 12%, and collisions with other road users accounted for 40%, with the remaining 1% having unknown or unclassified cause.[citation needed]

Even minor bicycle accidents not involving hospitalisation can cause important costs to the cyclist and to society. The Belgian SHAPES project has recently estimated the cost at 12 €-cent per kilometer cycled.[2]

See also

References

  1. "Motorcyclists have an especially poor safety record when compared to other road user groups. Their killed and serious injury (KSI) rate in the UK, per million vehicle kilometres, is approximately twice that of pedal cyclists and over 16 times that of car drivers and passengers.". Road Safety Research Report No. 54. In-depth Study of Motorcycle Accidents
  2. Aertsens et al. Commuting by bike in Belgium, the costs of minor accidents. Accident Analysis & Prevention, Volume 42, Issue 6, November 2010, Pages 2149-2157.
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