Firefighters at St Austell Community Fire Station are holding a cycle safety event next weekend to encourage cyclists and motorists to work together for safer roads.

The event will take place at White River Place shopping centre Saturday November 1 from 10am to 4pm to raise awareness about the number of incidents involving cyclists on Cornwall’s roads and to encourage a co-operative attitude between cyclists and other road users.

Cornwall Fire and Rescue Service is working with colleagues in the Council’s road safety team to highlight that nationally around 19,000 cyclists are involved in reported road accidents each year, including around 3,000 who are killed or seriously injured.

CFRS Crew Manager Andy Jones said: “These figures only include cyclists killed or injured in road accidents that were reported to the police. Many cyclist casualties are not reported to the police, even when the cyclist is injured badly enough to be taken to hospital. The figures also exclude cycling accidents that occur away from the road. Although the number of deaths is accurate, there could be two or three times as many seriously injured cyclists and double the number of slightly injured.

"Through this initiative, we will be working in partnership with local businesses to promote modern and effective safety wear and we are planning some fun games to engage with youngsters.”

  • The team will be highlighting some sobering statistics:
  • Males are far more likely to be involved in cycling accidents than females; four out of five cyclist casualties are male.
  • 93% of drivers claim they find cyclists hard to see, whilst recognising that they are a vulnerable road user.
  • Cyclist casualties have risen in recent years as the amount of cycling has increased.
  • Cycling accidents increase as children grow older, with 10 to 15 year old riders being more at risk than other age groups however the majority of cyclist casualties are adults, with less than one fifth being children.

Cornwall Council road safety officer Tamsin Ferris said: “To some extent, these statistics reflect increased cycling as children grow older, followed by a switch to car use from the late teens onwards. It also coincides with the age when children attend secondary school and may indicate riskier behaviour by this age group.”

Geoff Brown, Cornwall Council cabinet member for homes and communities said: “This is a great initiative as many hundreds of people now cycle for enjoyment and fitness but it is essential that safety is always foremost in your mind.”