Cyclist fatalities on British roads in 2022 hit lowest number for 30 years

• 24% drop in rate of cyclist fatalities per billion miles cycled in 2022 compared to pre-pandemic levels
• Cycling mileage up by 12% compared to pre-Covid levels
• Provisional casualty stats published in May show cyclist fatalities down 85 in 2022 – lowest level since at least 1993

The number of people killed while cycling, per billion miles, on Great Britain’s (England, Wales and Scotland) roads fell by nearly a quarter (24%) compared with pre-pandemic years, according to new analysis by Cycling UK.

The latest Department for Transport statistics on road traffic estimates for Great Britain – published yesterday (Thursday 13 July) – show the number of miles travelled by people cycling in 2022 totalled 3.9 billion miles. This is an increase of 12% from an average of 3.5 billion miles per year for 2015-19.

Provisional road casualty figures published in May show there were 85 fatalities for pedal cyclists in 2022, the lowest number of fatalities since 1993. This was a 15% reduction from an average of 100 fatalities per year between the years of 2015 and 2019, the closest comparable years after the pandemic.

Cycling UK says this is significant as it allows it to calculate the rate of people killed while cycling per billion miles travelled – the best way to see if cycling on the roads is growing safer. In 2022, 22 people were killed while cycling per billion miles cycled compared to an average of 29 over 2015-19, a 24% reduction.

The cycling charity believes a number of road safety measures, including liveable neighbourhoods and updates to the Highway Code, introduced in 2021 and 2022, may be part of the reason for the significant decline. However, the charity says more government action and investment is needed to ensure this marks the beginning of a longer-term trend in road casualties for people cycling and doesn’t become a statistical anomaly.

Sarah Mitchell, Cycling UK’s chief executive, said:

"These figures prove the tragic death toll on our roads isn’t inevitable. They show the government could save hundreds of lives and prevent thousands of devastating injuries by taking more action to reduce road danger.

“Proving cause and effect is always difficult, but over the last two years a number of measures have been introduced to make roads safer, such as an updated Highway Code, wider roll out of 20mph zones, and interventions to reduce through traffic in residential areas. It is likely a combination of these contributed to last year’s reduction in cyclist deaths.

“Despite making up less than 2% of all non-motorway traffic on our roads, people cycling are still over-represented in the fatalities and injuries on our roads. Action can make a difference, which is why Cycling UK wants to see the government reverse cuts to cycling and walking infrastructure investment. This infrastructure keeps people safe and saves lives but the cuts threaten to exactly the opposite.”

ENDS