The potential of different countermeasures to prevent injuries with high risk of health loss among bicyclists in Sweden

Rizzi, Maria C.; Rizzi, Matteo; Kullgren, Anders; Algurén, Beatrix · 2020 · Crossref

DOI: 10.1080/15389588.2020.1730827

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Summary

This study addresses the gap in research regarding non-fatal bicycle injuries in Sweden, where cyclists account for the largest share of serious road traffic injuries. While fatal crash data is extensive, there is limited understanding of countermeasures for injuries with a high risk of health loss. The authors aimed to estimate the potential of various safety countermeasures to prevent these specific injuries and to characterize the "residual" crashes—those not addressed by existing or implementable interventions—to guide future safety development. The researchers analyzed data from the Swedish national crash database, Strada, focusing on crashes between 2013 and 2017 involving specific severe injuries (e.g., hip, leg, and spine fractures; traumatic brain injuries). A survey was sent to a sample of injured individuals to gather detailed crash circumstances, resulting in 7,553 weighted cases for analysis. The study assessed the potential of countermeasures in two steps: first, those included in current Swedish Safety Performance Indicators (SPIs), such as helmet use and infrastructure maintenance; second, "existing but not fully implemented" measures, including Autonomous Emergency Braking (AEB) with cyclist detection and studded winter tires. The analysis calculated the total potential of these measures while accounting for double counting, where multiple countermeasures could prevent the same crash. The results indicated that current SPIs addressed only 22% of the crashes. Improved maintenance of bicycle infrastructure (deicing and snow removal) had the highest potential among SPIs at 8%. In contrast, existing but under-implemented measures showed significantly higher potential, totaling 56%. The most effective individual countermeasures were AEB with cyclist detection for passenger cars (12%) and studded winter tires for bicycles (12%). When combining all assessed countermeasures, 64% of crashes could potentially be prevented. The remaining 36% constituted the residual crashes, 69% of which were single-bicycle incidents. These residual crashes were primarily caused by wheel locking during braking, loss of balance at low speeds, or mechanical issues like wheels catching on objects. The study concludes that unlike fatal crashes, which are predominantly collisions with motor vehicles, serious non-fatal injuries are largely single-bicycle crashes. Consequently, future safety innovations should prioritize preventing single-bicycle incidents rather than focusing solely on vehicle-cyclist interactions. The findings suggest that while vehicle technology like AEB is effective for multi-vehicle crashes, it does not address the majority of severe non-fatal injuries. The authors recommend that safety efforts and resource allocation should target the specific mechanisms of single-bicycle crashes, such as improving bicycle stability and braking performance, to effectively reduce the burden of serious injuries.

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Topics

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• cyclist safety
• helmet protective
• vru crash typology
• incidence prevalence
• comparative international
• demographic disparities

Information type

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• Empirical Findings: crash risk outcomes