A majority of cycle accidents occur on bikes that the rider is unfamiliair with and when using Bike Hire firms always ensure basic safety standards are adhered to.
As the surge in cycling popularity grows and in particular with the success of London’s Boris Bike hire scheme bike safety is important to avoid any unforseen accidents or mishaps.
Figures released following a Freedom of Information Act request have revealed that the emergency services were called to 13 incidents involving cyclists using London’s Barclays Cycle Hire Scheme bikes during the two months following its launch at the end of July.
Data from Transport for London also showed that there were a total of 34 recorded incidents involving users of the distinctive navy blue ‘Boris Bikes’ up to the end of September.
A further five incidents related to the scheme were recorded, including one in which a female cyclist was knocked off her bike by a trailer used to transport bicycles between docking stations.
Always wear a helmet, check the bike for any basic defects before removing the bike from the docking station
However, by way of illustration, DfT figures show that in the UK in 2007, per billion kilometres travelled, the equivalent of 35 cyclists were killed and 541 killed or seriously injured among total casualty figures of 3,814.
That provides strong evidence against critics of the scheme who had warned before it became operational that London’s streets risked becoming swamped with inexperienced cyclists and predicted a rise in accidents as a result of the Boris Bikes.