Characteristics of single cyclist injury crashes in South Australia

One of the targets in the South Australian Government’s State Strategic Plan is to double cycling participation by 2020 from the 2011 baseline of 299,000 residents riding a bike in a typical week. A potential consequence of increasing cyclist participation is an increased number of cyclist crashes. To address the safety of cyclists on public roadways a number of strategies to reduce vehicle and cyclist conflicts have been implemented. These include minimum passing distance laws (when overtaking cyclists) as well as segregated or dedicated cycling infrastructure. However, risk remains even in the absence of vehicles, with single cyclist crashes representing approximately half of all cyclist casualty crashes. This paper explores some of the characteristics of single cyclist injury crashes occurring on public roadways in South Australia.