Fatal cycling accidentsHigh accident risk in winter

Tour Magazin

 · 06.01.2025

Fatal cycling accidents: High accident risk in winterPhoto: dpa/pa; Jochen Tack
Cycle paths are often not cleared in winter
Every third cycling accident is a single-vehicle accident with no other parties involved: this is a key finding from the new study by the German Accident Research Association (UDV).

According to the authors, it is particularly dangerous between December and February. Around 6400 people were seriously injured and 147 fatally injured in almost 27,400 cycling accidents without other people involved in 2023. According to police estimates, inadequate infrastructure was to blame for around a third of single-vehicle accidents - the people involved in the accidents see this as the main cause, according to the UDV. According to the accident victims, most falls occur between December and February.

International cycling capitals as role models

Wet conditions, ice, snow and foliage are particularly dangerous. According to the study, alcohol was only involved in four per cent of accidents. "Of course you have to adapt your riding style to the adverse conditions. But making cyclists solely responsible here is not enough - because the real cause of danger is poor and badly maintained infrastructure. International cycling capitals such as Copenhagen and even Oulu in Finland near the Arctic Circle show that safe cycling is possible in winter," commented ADFC National Director Dr Caroline Lodemann.



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