Pedestrian injuries in collisions with pedal cycles in the context of increased active travel: Trends in England, 2005–2015

Introduction: Increasing levels of active travel in the population brings many public health benefits, but may also change the risks of road injury for different road users. We examined changes in rates of pedestrian injuries resulting from collisions with pedal cycles and motor vehicles in England during 2005–2015, a period of increased cycling activity, and described the gender, age distribution and locations of pedestrians injured in collisions with pedal cycles and motor vehicles. Methods: Collisions data were obtained from police STATS19 datasets. We used two measures of cycle/motor vehicle use; miles per annum, and estimated average travel time, and assessed evidence for trends towards increase over time using Poisson regression analysis. Results: There were 3414 pedestrians injured in collisions with one or more pedal cycles in England during 2005–2015, 763 of whom were killed or seriously injured (KSI). This accounted for 1.3% of the total pedestrians KSI from all vehicles. Of those KSI in collisions with cycles, 62% were female; 42% over the age of 60; 26% were on the footway or verge and 24% were on a pedestrian crossing. There was a 6% (IRR 1.056; 95% CI 1.032–1.080, p < 0.001) annual increase in the pedestrian KSI rate per billion vehicle miles cycled in England over the time span. This increase was disproportionate to the increase in cycle use measured by vehicle miles or time spent cycling. Conclusions: Increases in cycling were associated with disproportionate increases in pedestrian injuries in collisions with pedal cycles in England, although these collisions remain a very small proportion of all road injury. Increased active travel is essential for meeting a range of public health goals, but needs to be planned for with consideration for potential impact on pedestrians, particularly older citizens.