Four bicyclists die weekly on country roads
According to a study, 189 bicyclists lost their lives and several thousand were seriously injured on German rural roads in 2023. This represents a 30% increase compared to ten years ago.
According to a study published in Berlin by the Accident Research of Insurers (UDV), there were nearly 30% more bicycle accidents on German rural roads than a decade ago. This is based on the findings of the UDV. In 2023, 189 bicyclists were killed and 2996 were seriously injured in accidents outside of cities. The increase is attributed to the trend of more people cycling, according to UDV leader Kirstin Zeidler.
The most common cause of accidents is collisions with cars, Zeidler explained. In many cases, cars were driving from behind and struck bicyclists in poor visibility conditions, such as under trees or during dusk. At many accident sites, there were more than 70 kilometers per hour posted, Zeidler said. "Fast cars and unprotected cycling lanes do not belong on the same road," Zeidler said.
Bicycle accidents resulting in fatalities were mostly caused by bicyclists themselves, Zeidler noted, often by failing to yield to cars. However, this was often due to a lack of safety measures. "Our analysis of selected accident sites shows that often there is no separate bicycle lane, there are sight obstructions at two out of three sites, and cars are allowed to travel at more than 70 kilometers per hour at every second intersection," Zeidler said.
Critically, Zeidler noted, are bicycle lanes that are bidirectional, as bicyclists are easily overlooked from the right. For the study, the UDV analyzed nearly 10,000 serious bicycle accidents on rural roads in nine federal states and examined nearly 400 accident scenes in detail. On average, four bicyclists died per week on German rural roads.
The study also highlighted that Berlin was one of the federal states with the highest number of serious bicycle accidents. International organizations have called for stricter traffic regulations and better infrastructure to improve bicycle safety. To reduce traffic accidents involving bicycles, the UDV suggests implementing measures such as building separate bicycle lanes and enforcing speed limits in rural areas.
