Identifying and treating high risk locations on high speed roads for cyclist crashes

Cyclists are considered vulnerable road users with cycling crashes often resulting in serious injury or even death due to the lack of protection offered by apparel, road infrastructure and size and structure of a bicycle in comparison to other vehicles. In Australia between 2010 – May 2018, 276 cyclist fatalities occurred, almost half 120 (43%) occurred on roads with speed limits of 70kph or more (BITRE 2018). Single vehicle cyclist only crashes resulted in 22 fatalities while 98 fatalities involved multiple vehicles whereby the cyclist was struck by another vehicle. Heavy vehicles were involved in 21 of the multiple vehicle fatalities. This identifies the need to attempt to reduce the likelihood of a cyclist being struck by a passenger or heavy vehicle.