Poor road conditions, including potholes and lack of cycle lanes, cause more than half of UK cyclists to feel unsafe on the roads
Cycle SOS surveyed 2,005 nationally representative UK cyclists to uncover how safe they feel when cycling alone on the roads, and the factors which impact this feeling.
37% of cyclists reported that they feel safe all the time when cycling alone, 56% feel safe sometimes, and 7% never feel safe cycling alone.
Furthermore, when asked how safe they feel cycling alone:
- 46% of men answered “yes all the time” compared to just 27% of women
- 48% of men said “yes sometimes” compared to 63% of women
- 5% of men reported they never feel safe, compared to 9% of women
- Overall that’s 95% of men who said they feel safe on the roads in some way vs 89% of women
The data also uncovered that cyclists feel less safe on the roads as they age. For example, 1 in 10 cyclists over the age of 55 reported that they never feel safe cycling alone, compared to just 3% of 16-24-year-olds who reportedly feel the same way.
What makes cyclists feel unsafe when cycling alone?
Poor road conditions such as uneven terrain, potholes and a lack of cycling lanes are the main cause of cyclists feeling unsafe when cycling alone on the roads in the UK.
Cycle SOS asked cyclists which factors (if any) make them feel unsafe when cycling alone. The most common answers, in order of popularity, were:
- Poor road conditions such as uneven terrain, potholes and a lack of cycling lanes
53% of cyclists said that this makes them feel unsafe - Weather conditions such as rain, fog, snow, wind
50% of cyclists said that this makes them feel unsafe - Unpleasant or abusive behaviour from drivers and/or pedestrians
47% of cyclists said that this makes them feel unsafe - Cycling during rush hour
47% of cyclists said that this makes them feel unsafe - Cycling at night
43% of cyclists said that this makes them feel unsafe - Lack of visibility on the roads when it’s dark
41% of cyclists said that this makes them feel unsafe - Unsafe practices from other cyclists
21% of cyclists said that this makes them feel unsafe - Not having other cyclists with me in case something goes wrong
19% of cyclists said that this makes them feel unsafe
The data highlighted that as the age of the cyclist rises, fears about cycling due to poor road conditions increase.
What first-hand experiences have made cyclists feel unsafe on the roads?
Cycle SOS also asked cyclists whether negative first-hand experiences have impacted their feeling of safety on the roads. They found that:
- 37% of cyclists feel less safe since witnessing an accident or injury happening to someone else when they were cycling
- 35% of cyclists feel less safe since experiencing verbal abuse whilst cycling
- 32% of cyclists feel less safe since witnessing verbal abuse happening to another cyclist
- 27% of cyclists feel less safe following an accident or injury maintained whilst cycling
Gen-Z and millennials (cyclists between the ages of 16-34) have been the most shaken after witnessing an accident or injury happen to someone else when cycling; however, for those aged 35 and above, it is experiencing verbal abuse which has had a lasting impact on their safety, more than any other factor.
Other experiences which have made cyclists feel unsafe on the roads included hitting potholes, witnessing poor driving by other road users, and stories seen on television.
One participant reported that they feel less safe after they heard that a fellow cyclist had a glass bottle thrown at them, and was knocked off their bike on another occasion.
Commenting on the findings, Bob Coupland, Head of Bike Claims at Cycle SOS, said: “Cyclists have the same rights to travel on the roads as drivers do, yet undeniably they are faced with more barriers to feeling safe. That’s why we wanted to find out more about how safe cyclists feel when cycling alone, and investigate the key factors which can impact someone’s feeling of safety on the roads.”
“The majority of cyclists report feeling safe on the roads ‘sometimes’, and according to the data, poor road conditions are a key cause of this feeling. It’s also clear from the findings that negative experiences on the road can have a lasting impact on a cyclist’s feeling of safety, with witnessing an accident happen to someone else on their bike and experiencing verbal abuse impacting a third of cyclists.”
