REGULAR cyclists experience a "very scary" near-miss collision at least once a week, according to a nationwide study.
The Near Miss Project analysed the daily cycling experiences of 1,500 people across the UK between October 20 and November 2 November.
Between them, nearly 4000 potentially hazardous incidents were recorded over the course of 24 hours.
While the vast majority of these did not incur any injury, the study found that regular cyclists experience a "very scary incident" at least once a week and an average of 60 per annum.
Women, who tend to cycle more slowly, were more likely to be involved in a near-miss incident than male cyclists, and peak risk for a near-miss incident was during the morning rush hour.
The vast majority of incidents fall in to one of five categories. These included being blocked, being passed too close, a vehicle pulling in or out across a cyclists path, being driven at and a near left/right hook.
Dr Rachel Aldred, a London-based cycling sociologist who led the study, said: “Many of these incidents correspond to types of injury collision, so it looks like collecting near miss data could help prevent injuries.
"Moreover, growing evidence suggests such incidents put people off cycling, and so reducing them could increase cycling uptake. Given cycling’s multiple benefits, it’s crucial cycling both is safe and feels safe, and near misses are an important part of the picture here.”
The study also explored factors that cyclists thought could have prevented incidents, such as infrastructure, road conditions and the behaviour of other road users.
The cyclists questioned for the study believed that around half the near-miss incidents they had been involved in could have been avoided with improvements to the road condition, layout or route infrastructure such as segregated cycle lanes.
In around three quarters of incidents, they said the behaviour of other road users had been a factor.
In 2014, there were 885 pedal cyclist casualties in Scotland, of whom 155 were seriously injured and eight died.
There are more cyclists than ever on the roads, with pedal cycle traffic up 32 per cent in the last decade.
Emily Brooke, founder and chief executive of Blaze, a partner in the Near Miss Project, said: "Near misses happen all the time but while each individual one might not feel like more than a frustration or irritation at the time, taken together their ramifications are significant. Each one creates an immediate emotional impact and serious cases can stop people cycling."
The findings of the study will be presented to the UK Parliament later this year, and a second round of research is due to launch on October 19.
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