New Study Shows More West Midlanders Are Using Bicycles

More and more UK residents are cycling to work, a new study by insurance company Cycleguard has shown.

This is particularly true in the West Midlands, where 69 per cent of regular cyclists said they bike to work each day.

In Yorkshire, more than half of the survey respondents confirmed they are confident enough to use the roads at peak times.

At the other end of the scale, people in the East Midlands are the most reluctant to use their bicycles during rush hour, as just 38 per cent of people are willing to brave the heavy traffic.

Overall, the government's Cycle to Work scheme has led to an eight per cent year-on-year rise in the number of people biking to their job.

Head of Cycleguard Adrian Scott said it is encouraging to see more people using their bikes on a daily basis, but many are still worried about road safety.

The report indicated that 58 per cent of East Midlanders believe the roads are too unsafe for cyclists, while 56 per cent of Scottish bikers agreed, the Associated Press reports.

Meanwhile, only 22 per cent of cyclists in East Anglia are worried about being involved in an accident.

"Safety remains a key consideration for many, with a recent report highlighting road safety as the number one reason for people not cycling to work," Mr Scott remarked.

"We hope that as cities across the UK benefit from the government's recent £94 million investment in cycling, safety for cyclists will be considerably improved and more people will be encouraged to cycle to work."

Figures compiled by the Royal Society for the Prevention of Accidents showed that 19,000 cyclists are killed or injured in road accidents in the UK every year.

In 2012, 118 people lost their lives while out cycling, while 3,222 Britons were seriously injured.

Around 80 per cent of all incidents involving cyclists occur in daylight and this figure rises to 90 per cent when only taking child cyclists into account.

Our specialist road traffic accident lawyers have experience helping a wide number of people who have suffered injuries following a cycling accident. Visit our Cycling Accident Claims page for more information.

Expert Opinion

The Olympics and recent Tour de France successes have meant that interest in cycling has seemingly never been greater, with more and more people feeling encouraged to swap four wheels for two. <br/> <br/>"However, the number of cyclists being seriously or fatally injured on Britain’s roads remains worryingly high, which shows there remains plenty to be done to ensure that those using bicycles are kept safe from harm during their travels. <br/> <br/>"If the Government is keen to encourage people to keep fit and reduce their carbon footprint, steps must be taken to ensure that this good will towards cycling is built upon by providing a better infrastructure to keep riders protected from risks. <br/> <br/>"We see numerous cases when cyclists have suffered catastrophic injuries on the roads and it is vital that efforts are made to prevent such problems." Stephen Nye - Partner