title: Recent trends in cyclist fatalities in Australia.
abstract: The study examines trends in bicycling fatalities reported to the Australian police between 1991 and 2013. Trends were estimated using Poisson regression modelling. Overall, cycling fatalities decreased by 1.9% annually between 1991 and 2013. However, while deaths following multivehicle crashes decreased at a rate of 2.9% per annum (95% CI -4.0% to -1.8%), deaths from single vehicle crashes increased by 5.8% per annum (95% CI 4.1% to 7.5%). Over the study period, the average age of cyclists who died in single vehicle crashes (45.3 years, 95% CI 41.5 to 49.1) was significantly higher than cyclists who died in multivehicle crashes (36.2 years, 95% CI 34.7 to 37.7). The average age of deceased cyclists increased significantly for both types of crashes. The observed increase in single vehicle crashes need to be closely monitored in Australia and internationally. In-depth studies are needed to investigate the circumstances of fatal single bicycle crashes in order to develop appropriate countermeasures.
authors.affiliation: Transport and Road Safety Research, University of New South Wales, Sydney, New South Wales, Australia.
authors.forename: Soufiane
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Boufous
authors.affiliation: School of Mathematics and Statistics, University of New South Wales, Sydney, New South Wales, Australia.
authors.forename: Jake
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Olivier
mesh_terms: D000063:Accidents, Traffic / Q000401:mortality* / Q000639:trends; D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D017677:Age Distribution; D001315:Australia / Q000453:epidemiology; D001642:Bicycling / Q000293:injuries*; D002648:Child; D005260:Female; D006260:Head Protective Devices / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D016012:Poisson Distribution; D011050:Policy Making; D055815:Young Adult