Bike Safe - A bicycle safety initiative of Manitoba Public Insurance
Cycling injuries in Manitoba and Canada – the facts
According to Statistics Canada, 263 cyclists were killed in road collisions in Canada between 2000 and 2004. Each year, approximately 7,500 cyclists suffer serious injuries and another 70,000 are treated in hospital emergency rooms for cycling-related injuries.
In Manitoba:
- Over the last five years, each year we have seen two fatalities and more than 200 injuries involving cyclists.
- Almost 45 per cent of collisions that involve bicycles and motor vehicles occur at intersections.
- Right and left turns comprise close to 25 per cent of total cycling injury claims.
- More than 20 per cent of cycling injury claims involve cyclists riding on sidewalks and coming off those sidewalks at intersections.
- Cyclists 15-19 years of age are the most likely to be killed or injured.
- More than 75 per cent of cyclists killed or injured in a collision with a motor vehicle were not wearing a helmet at the time.
- Collisions with vehicles occur most frequently during heavy traffic times of the day with roughly:
- 30 per cent ocurring during afternoon rush hour between 3 p.m. and 6 p.m.
- 70 per cent between Monday and Thursday
Why are collisions occurring?
Claims reports suggest that the primary fault is often shared between drivers and cyclists in bicycle and motor vehicle collisions that cause injuries. There are many causes for bicycle and motor vehicle collisions, such as not following the rules of the road, failing to yield the right of way, motorists failing to see the cyclist or motorists squeezing cyclists to edge of the road.
To avoid collisions, road users should always be aware of their surroundings. Whether you're on a bicycle or in a car, it's important to continually scan your surroundings as focusing on only one area can cause you to not see something else that is occurring.
Some common collisions that take place between cyclists and motorists happen when:
A motorist turns left in front of a cyclist who is travelling through the intersection.
- A motorist turns onto a roadway from an adjacent street or driveway and into the path of a cyclist.
- A motorist passes a cyclist close to an intersection and then turns right into the path of the cyclist who is travelling straight through.
- A cyclist is travelling illegally on the sidewalk and crossing an intersection.
The Costs of Cycling Collisions
The cost of cycling collisions is significant in Manitoba. Claims involving cyclists (including all fatal, injury or physical damage only collisions) cost Manitoba Public Insurance over $34 million dollars between 2005 and 2009. That's an average of $6.8 million annually. The average cost of a bicycle claim over the past five years was $18,753 and it was even higher in 2009, at $20,838.
And the human costs are immeasurable. Bicycle collisions with motor vehicles often result in serious, life-changing injuries, which can devastate families and require years of recovery.
