Provisional figures from the Department for Transport (DfT) show that fatal accidents among cyclists have increased five-fold, possibly because more people are using bicycles during the credit crunch.

The Daily Mail reports that deaths and serious injuries among cyclists between April and June this year totalled 820, representing a 19 per cent increase on last year’s figures for the same period. Slight injuries among cyclists also rose by 9 per cent, the DfT said.

Motorcycle fatalities and injuries also rose by 5 per cent in the same period this year, with slight injuries rising by 2 per cent.

The AA’s head of road safety Andrew Howard said that the increases could reflect the effects of the recession – or changes in weather conditions. However, Mr Howard added:

'At the same time, it is clear that there are some new patterns in accidents occurring – for example, the six lady cyclists killed in London in collisions with goods vehicles in the first half of the year…’

Mr Howard said that the road safety world needed to ensure that that emerging patterns were identified and acted upon quickly. Many cyclists involved in serious accidents have been crushed by heavy goods vehicles turning when the cyclist is in ‘blind spot’ on the inside lane next to the vehicle, he explained.

In September, government advisers at Cycling England provoked a backlash when they suggested that motorists should be made responsible for all accidents involving cyclists, even if they had not caused the accident. Ministers have also suggested allowing cyclists to ride the wrong way down one-way streets to encourage more people to use cycles as transport.

However, some critics say reckless cyclists are to blame for many incidents – in October, government watchdogs said antisocial cyclists were ‘a menace’ to other road users and pedestrians, putting the lives of others at risk.

Many critics of ‘reckless cyclists’ say the government is turning a blind eye to the problem, with one MP calling them ‘Darth Vader on wheels’. A report by the Public Accounts Committee into improving safety for cyclists and pedestrians attacked the government for failing to take antisocial cyclists seriously, some of whom have caused deaths – in 2007, just 147 cyclists in England and Wales were prosecuted for cycling on pavements, a figure thought to vastly underestimate the extent of the problem.

© 5r1 Limited 2009