Cycling when you're old

Qualitymark

Interesting piece about old people in the Netherlands and cycling accidents:
http://bicycledutch.wordpress.com/2013/10/31/elderly-people-on-a-cycle-tour/

In 2012, 200 people cycling were killed in the Netherlands, but of those 200 no less than 108 were over the age of 65

Beasty

The thing I find interesting about some of those stats is that it appears that nearly 20 times as many cyclists are killed in the Netherlands every year than in Ireland

Of course there are more cyclists, but looking at the recent Stickybottle article it would appear that around 10 times as many bikes are sold in the Netherlands than in Ireland. I realise this is not necessarily the full story but it does perhaps give an indication of the relative size of the 2 "markets"

Obviously this is not a proper statistical analysis, but it would appear to me that cycling in the Netherlands is probably no safer (in terms of cycling deaths) than cycling in Ireland despite all the claims over how cyclist-friendly they are in Holland

diomed

So why did the 108 die? The article does not say why.

Qualitymark

It doesn't, but it says two things:

1) Most accidents to old people happen when you're getting on or off the bike
2) Badly placed kerbs are a factor.

Sounds like a design problem mainly.

McTigs

Beasty wrote: »

The thing I find interesting about some of those stats is that it appears that nearly 20 times as many cyclists are killed in the Netherlands every year than in Ireland

Of course there are more cyclists, but looking at the recent Stickybottle article it would appear that around 10 times as many bikes are sold in the Netherlands than in Ireland. I realise this is not necessarily the full story but it does perhaps give an indication of the relative size of the 2 "markets"

Obviously this is not a proper statistical analysis, but it would appear to me that cycling in the Netherlands is probably no safer (in terms of cycling deaths) than cycling in Ireland despite all the claims over how cyclist-friendly they are in Holland

Anytime i've visited Holland i've always noticed how few new bikes there are around, they all seem to be sturdy steel frame bike-for-life type bikes... i certainly wouldn't be confident locking a shiny new bike in amsterdam.

I'd put the disparity between the 20xcyclists and 10xbikes sold down to the fact that they just don't renew that often, especially commuter bikes. Plus the Dutch are frugal by nature and would sooner maintain than spend.

It is interesting about the amount of deaths mind, 200 seems like loads

Alias G

Beasty wrote: »

The thing I find interesting about some of those stats is that it appears that nearly 20 times as many cyclists are killed in the Netherlands every year than in Ireland

Of course there are more cyclists, but looking at the recent Stickybottle article it would appear that around 10 times as many bikes are sold in the Netherlands than in Ireland. I realise this is not necessarily the full story but it does perhaps give an indication of the relative size of the 2 "markets"

Obviously this is not a proper statistical analysis, but it would appear to me that cycling in the Netherlands is probably no safer (in terms of cycling deaths) than cycling in Ireland despite all the claims over how cyclist-friendly they are in Holland

Yes, however everyone cycles Dutch style bikes which last for decades with shag all maintenance. Dutch people are generally far tighter with their cash than Irish people and are far less likely to get a new bike on a whim. Coupled with the fact that cycling is really only beginning to off as a form of mass transport here leading to increased sales, I'd still be convinced that the Netherlands is a far safer place to be on a bike.

Beasty

McTigs wrote: »

It is interesting about the amount of deaths mind, 200 seems like loads

As I said it's certainly not a proper statistical analysis, but even when you look at the overall populations the Netherlads is 3-4 times bigger than Ireland. Yes there is much more of a cycling culture over there, but to be getting nearly 20 times as many deaths does seem very high

victorcarrera

In 2012, 200 people cycling were killed in the Netherlands, but of those 200 no less than 108 were over the age of 65

It may be that many over 65s have slower reflexes and some degree of osteoporosis, so when the do fall they are more likely to suffer big bone fractures and many elders do not come back from these injuries due to either aggravating pre existing conditions or the increased risk of blood clotting etc due to reduced circulation during the enforced inactivity of a long rehabilitation.

Lumen

Qualitymark wrote: »

It doesn't, but it says two things:

1) Most accidents to old people happen when you're getting on or off the bike
2) Badly placed kerbs are a factor.

Sounds like a design problem mainly.

Bike or no bike, falling over is a major problem for old people.

http://www.cdc.gov/homeandrecreationalsafety/falls/adultfalls.html

dub56

Is this a wind-up ? I had to check the calander, no its not April 1st.
How many of these 200 died from head injuries.In the video, not one person was wearing a helmet.
Whats the story, do cyclists in the Netherlands not wear them.

VinDevo

Proper information with references:

"The annual number of road fatalities in the Netherlands increased considerably in the 1950s and
1960s. That trend reversed at the beginning of the 1970s and the annual number of road fatalities has
been decreasing gradually ever since. In 2010 there still were 640 fatalities in Dutch traffic. Almost half
of all fatalities are occupants of passenger cars or light goods vehicles. Proportionally speaking – that
is, relative to the size of the population – many fatalities occur among teenagers and young adults
(aged 16-24) and the elderly (aged 65 and above). By contrast, relatively few fatalities occur among
children (aged 0-15). Two-thirds of fatalities occur in rural areas."

from http://www.swov.nl/rapport/Factsheets/UK/FS_Road_fatalities.pdf

and cycling stats from the Netherlands: http://www.swov.nl/rapport/Factsheets/UK/FS_Cyclists.pdf

monument

Should we be looking at deaths per km traveled? See here: http://drawingrings.blogspot.ie/2012/04/no-cycling-is-not-safer-in-britain-than.html?m=1

monument

Cyclist deaths in the NL jumped from just over 160 in 2010 to 200 in 2011 and stayed at the rate in 2012.

Old people seem to a growing percentage of cyclist deaths...

http://www.cbs.nl/en-GB/menu/themas/gezondheid-welzijn/publicaties/artikelen/archief/2013/2013-028-pb.htm

ford2600

monument wrote: »

Should we be looking at deaths per km traveled? See here: http://drawingrings.blogspot.ie/2012/04/no-cycling-is-not-safer-in-britain-than.html?m=1

Is there any similar stats for Ireland?

RV

dub56 wrote: »

...not one person was wearing a helmet.

Nail on the head there I think!
You will probably find that the deceased all wore helmets.
Statistics show that 100% of those in the video were alive and NOT wearing helmets.

slap/dash

id go one louder and note the complete lack of hi vis at dutch funerals

Qualitymark

As we get older our reflexes aren't as fast, certainly; our hearing is less acute and our sight may suffer (though for most people this means getting more long-sighted). If we fall, because of more delicate bones and less muscle and fat to cushion us, we're more likely to be hurt.

Part of the reason for the relatively large number of cyclist deaths *generally* (not among older people) in the Netherlands may be that there are so many cyclists:

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/magazine-23587916

In the university city of Groningen, a cyclists' dream even by Dutch standards, the central train station has underground parking for 10,000 bikes.

This blog has lots of statistics:
http://www.aviewfromthecyclepath.com/2012/04/challenges-to-growth-in-cycling-in.html

And this piece shows how seriously the Dutch take cycle accidents, leading them to redesign dangerous roads:

http://www.bostonglobe.com/metro/2013/09/21/wake-bike-fatalities-government-response-demonstrates-support-for-cyclists/WGxTPDNw1pBm5ZUAP4IP9K/story.html

bambergbike

German insurers are predicting that demographic change (an aging population), greater numbers of cyclists and the rising number of electric-assist bicycles on the roads are going to lead to more bicycles on the roads, more senior citizens on bicycles and bicycles moving at higher speeds. And that this could in turn lead to rising numbers of fatalities and casualties unless quite a bit is done over the coming years to make getting around by bike safer. (http://www.udv.de/en/road/planing-operation/cycling-facilities/traffic-participants/more-safety-cyclists)

Demographic developments and the e-bike trend are probably broadly similar in Germany and in the Netherlands. The main difference is that Germany (like Ireland) has been seeing quite a sudden increase in cyclist numbers in recent years while they have always been high in the Netherlands.

Some of the people currently buying e-bikes are transitioning from not having ridden a bike in years to cycling relatively fast on relatively heavy and unmanoeuvrable bikes. In a situation like that, minor design faults with infrastructure (like an overly tight corner radius) and very slight errors of judgement can be enough to cause serious injuries or to lead to fatalities. It's not hard, for example, to envisage a scenario in which a cyclist tries to avoid colliding with an oncoming cyclist in a tight corner on a rural bike path and ends up losing control, leaving the path and toppling down an embankment.

monument

Still not a measure of per km traveled but... Ireland has a low rate of deaths as a percentage of the total of cyclists: just behind the Netherlands and Denmark:

http://cyclingindublin.com/2013/06/04/ireland-ranked-14th-in-eu-for-cycling/

tomasrojo

I haven't had a chance to look at the latest stat.s but Ireland's rate of KSIs per 100,000,000km was always pretty good .

However, Ireland has very few "vulnerable" utility cyclists (children and elderly), so that probably makes Ireland look a little better than it actually is. The very low numbers of children cycling to get around probably helps your KSI figures a lot actually, but it's symptomatic of another serious problem.

tomasrojo

Page 7 of this has a KSI chart, but Ireland isn't there. As far as I recall we're between the British and Dutch rate.

http://www.ecf.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/ECF_Road_safety_charter.pdf