Cyclists injured in traffic crashes in Hong Kong: A call for action.

Xu, Pengpeng; Dong, Ni; Wong, S C; Huang, Helai · 2019 · DOAJ

DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0220785

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Summary

This study addresses the growing safety crisis for cyclists in Hong Kong, a region where cycling is often perceived merely as a recreational activity rather than a vital transportation mode. Despite cycling accounting for less than 1% of local trips, the number of cyclist injuries has surged, creating a significant public health burden that has received inadequate research attention. The authors aimed to quantify the longitudinal trends in cyclist injuries and compare the relative risks faced by cyclists against other road users to highlight the urgency for safety interventions. The researchers analyzed police crash records from 1998 to 2017, covering 32,709 injured cyclists. They employed a Bayesian Poisson state space model to evaluate annual changes in injury counts and used quasi-induced exposure to measure the relative risk of crash involvement. To assess injury risk per unit of exposure, the study utilized data from official travel characteristics surveys conducted in 2001–2003 and 2010–2012, calculating fatality and injury rates per billion and 10 million minutes cycled, respectively. These metrics were compared across different road user groups and geographic areas, as well as against international benchmarks. The results reveal a more than twofold increase in cyclist injuries between 1998 and 2017, with an average annual increase rate of 5.18%. By 2017, cyclists were 2.21 times more likely to be involved in crashes than in 1998. Injury rates per 10 million minutes rose from 28.64 in 2001–2003 to 42.54 in 2010–2012, representing a 1.95-fold increase after adjusting for age and sex. Urban areas presented significantly higher risks than rural areas, with urban cycling being 8.82 times more likely to result in fatality. Compared to other road users, cyclists faced drastically higher risks; for instance, they were 15.30 times more likely to be injured than pedestrians and over 160 times more likely than public bus passengers. Internationally, Hong Kong’s fatality rate per billion minutes cycled (33.96) was substantially higher than in Stockholm, France, and major US cities. The study concludes that cyclist injuries constitute a severe public health challenge in Hong Kong, exacerbated by a motorist-dominated road system, fragmented cycling infrastructure, and insufficient traffic education. The authors argue that the current perception of cyclists as intruders contributes to their vulnerability, particularly on carriageways lacking physical separation. They call for the prompt implementation of proven countermeasures, including improved infrastructure and safety education, to protect these vulnerable road users.

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Topics

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• cyclist safety
• vru crash typology
• incidence prevalence

Information type

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• Empirical Findings: crash risk outcomes