There are many serious accidents involving cyclists at traffic intersections. Nevertheless, many of them choose to use their mobile phones here, and it is dangerous for everyone else in traffic.
There are still a large number of cyclists who are killed or seriously injured in traffic, especially in connection with crossing accidents.
Inattention and lack of orientation are the most common causes of these accidents, and there is considerable potential to reduce the number of accidents if all road users are more aware.
Surveys from the Council for Safe Traffic show that many cyclists continue to use hand-held mobile phones while driving through intersections.
The organization writes this in a press release .
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According to a survey from 2023, 15 percent of cyclists have cycled through an intersection in the past year while using their handheld mobile, which is an increase from 9 percent in 2020.
The problem is particularly pronounced among younger cyclists, where as many as 30 percent in the 18-30 age group have cycled through an intersection while using a hand-held mobile phone. This significantly increases the risk of accidents.
– It is crucial that the mobile remains in the pocket or bag when cycling in traffic, and especially at intersections it is enormously dangerous to focus on the screen.
– We encourage both cyclists and motorists to take a moment more to look at intersections, because many serious cyclist accidents can be avoided that way, says Mathias Hjorth Frederiksen, senior project manager at the Council for Safe Traffic.
When the call for increased attention to intersections is emphasized, it is for good reason. In urban areas, 7 out of 10 cyclists killed or seriously injured are injured at intersections.
Police-registered accidents, calculated by the Road Directorate, show that in urban areas 2,430 cyclists were killed or seriously injured from 2019 to 2023, of which 1,702 of them were injured in a crossing situation.
23 percent of these intersection accidents took place in Copenhagen's Police District, while 14 percent happened in East Jutland's Police District.
In the big cities, where there are many cyclists, both cyclists and motorists should pay extra attention at intersections.
Although more cyclists mean more accidents, small improvements in behavior can lead to significant reductions in the number of accidents. Taking the time to look better in traffic can be an important step towards fewer accidents.
It's not just at traffic lights, cyclists with mobiles in hand are dangerous. In fact, the majority of motorists say that cyclists are the most dangerous on the road. Read more about it here .
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