A CAMPAIGN for strict liability for Scotland's cyclists has secured cross-party support in the wake of statistics showing a five-year high in cycling casualties.

MSPs from all parties have added their names to an online petition calling for a change in civil law to bring Scotland in line with the rest of Europe by ensuring cyclists injured in road collisions are compensated quickly and fairly. They have backed Cycle Law Scotland's Road Share campaign after provisional figures revealed there were 898 cyclist casualties in 2012, up 9% on the previous year.

Brenda Mitchell, founder of Cycle Law Scotland, said: "By embedding this principle in civil law, cyclists and pedestrians injured in road collisions – often seriously – would receive their fair compensation in a streamlined and efficient way."