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Transport Research Centre Verne

Towards sustainable mobility

New study published on single-bicycle crashes in Finland

Cyclist in a park
Copyright: Warunee Heinämäki 22.8.2022. Tampereen yliopisto / Tampere University

A new study with the title Single-bicycle crashes in Finland – characteristics and safety recommendations has now been published in Journal of Safety Research. The study analyses single-bicycle crashes (SBCs) that have led to fatal injuries. Single-bicycle crashes refer to crashes in which there are no other road-users involved in.

Research results highlight that SBCs commonly involve people aged 60–79, males, and cyclists not wearing a helmet. Males were more often involved in SBCs compared to other cyclist crashes. Underlying illness and use of alcohol were highlighted in SBCs.

Human factors, such as informing cyclists about underlying factors and the use of safety equipment were emphasized among safety recommendations. This study identified key characteristics of SBCs which may help traffic safety authorities address this road safety issue and ultimately help to promote cyclist safety.

This study is based on data from in-depth investigated fatal cyclist crashes in Finland from 2010 to 2019. The data was received for research purposes from the Finnish Crash Data Institute (OTI), and Niina Sihvola from OTI was a co-author together with researchers at Transport Research Centre Verne.

The study is available online at https://authors.elsevier.com/a/1hrTF56Wabf0Y.