Commuters who cycle to work are at higher risk of injury compared to those who walk to work, use a car or take public transport.
The findings are released today in a study by the University of Glasgow and published in the British Medical Journal (BMJ).
Overall, commuting exclusively by bicycle was associated with a 45% higher risk of injury that required a visit to hospital, and cycling commuters were also at a 3.4 fold higher risk of injury where the cause was listed as a transport accident. The risk of injury was higher still in those that cycled longer distances to work.
However, the researchers found that the risk of injury is counterbalanced by the lower risk of cancers, heart disease and deaths seen in cycling commuters.
The British Social Attitudes survey of adults suggests that only 4% of people cycle to work once a week despite 39% owning a bicycle. Crucially, 64% of respondents agreed or strongly agreed that cycling on the road is too dangerous.
Senior author of the study, Dr Paul Welsh, from the University of Glasgow, said: “We know there is a perception that cycling in commuter traffic is dangerous, and that this perception may be putting people off actively commuting by bike to work.
“Now, as a result of this research, we can to some extent quantify the risk associated with this form of commuting. If 1000 people incorporate cycling into their commute for 10 years we would expect 26 more injuries, but 15 fewer cancers, 4 fewer heart disease events, and three fewer deaths. So, the benefits offset the risks, and this should be encouraging, but more needs to done to make commuter cycling safe.”
While authors of the study did not carry out research into the methods and facilities that could be used to make commuting by bicycle safer, they were able to put their findings into the wider context of current cycle safety.
