Bicycle accident research: analysis of road accidents in Victoria 1977-1980

Road accident records for the years 1977-80 inclusive in the state of Victoria have been examined in detail to identify the characteristics of reported bicycle accidents on roads. Some examples of the accident factors considered are age of rider, road user movement, road location and time of the accident. Distributions of data are presented for such dimensions, and those interactions between factors that are significant are discussed. Literature relevant to the bicycle accident area is reviewed. This information is used, along with the accident analysis, to identify factors contributing to such accidents. Accident countermeasures are discussed with reference to such factors. A number of problems relating to the development of a better understanding of bicycle accidents are highlighted. These include the significant problem of non reporting of accidents, the lack of well formulated exposure factors, and inadequate evaluation of countermeasures. Possible future study approaches are proposed (a).