Question reference: S5W-10511
- Asked by: Alexander Burnett, MSP for Aberdeenshire West, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
- Date lodged: 27 July 2017
-
Current status: Answered by Humza Yousaf on 15 August 2017
Question
To ask the Scottish Government how many road traffic accidents involving cyclists have been recorded in each of the last five years; how many of the cyclists involved were wearing a (a) helmet, (b) high-visibility jacket and (c) both at the time of the incivent, and what its position is introducing legislation regarding wearing such safety equipment.
Answer
We do not hold information on whether pedal cyclists involved in injury road accidents were wearing high-visibility jackets. However, since 2013 Transport Scotland has collected information on whether injured cyclists were wearing helmets or not. Figures for 2016 are provisional and final figures will be released in October 2017.
The following table shows the number of accidents where pedal cyclists were involved over the last five years:
|
Injury road accidents involving pedal cyclists |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Year |
Number |
|
|
|
|
2012 |
927 |
|
|
|
|
2013 |
910 |
|
|
|
|
2014 |
913 |
|
|
|
|
2015 |
816 |
|
|
|
|
20161 |
802 |
|
|
|
|
1. Provisional |
|
|
|
Of the pedal cyclists who were injured in those accidents, the following table shows the number of casualties who were wearing or not wearing a cycle helmet:
|
Pedal cyclists injured in road accidents, whether wearing a helmet |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
2013 |
2014 |
2015 |
20161 |
|
|
|
Yes |
381 |
473 |
422 |
387 |
|
|
|
No |
233 |
200 |
179 |
178 |
|
|
|
Not known |
271 |
221 |
196 |
224 |
|
|
|
Total |
885 |
894 |
797 |
789 |
|
|
|
1. Provisional |
|
|
|
|
|
Safety for all road users is of paramount importance to the Scottish Government. However, we have said for many years now that the wearing of helmets and high visibility clothing is up to the individual, as it is in other parts of the United Kingdom, and we have no plans to legislate for these changes. We do, however, promote the use of correctly fitted helmets, encourage cyclists to be as visible as possible to all other road users, especially in the hours of darkness or in bad light, and of course, the use of reflectors and lights on bikes are already in legislation and therefore it is against the law to ride a bike without lights and reflectors at night time.