‘Near Miss Project’ findings
We were delighted to welcome Rachel Alrded to present her findings from the Near Miss Project
The slides from the presentation can be found here: aldred-nmp-oct_16
Some of the main findings:
- Near misses are an everyday experience for cyclists in the UK.
- Rates are similar for people living inside and outside London; they were higher during the morning peak. Rates were lower for those on touring weekend rides; but when incidents did happen they tended to be more serious.
- Cycling speed is the main factor affecting near miss rates: those who reach their destination at an average speed of under 8 mph have around three times more near misses per mile compared to those who get there at 12 mph or faster.
- Women, who on average cycle more slowly, have higher near miss rates than men.
- Around one in four of all incidents were judged to be ‘ very scary’, with many – like some near left hook incidents – bearing similarities to incidents that have killed cyclists.
- Cyclists felt they could do little to prevent most incidents, but most incidents were judged preventable.
- Over half, suggested cyclists, could have been prevented by improvements to the road condition, layout, or route infrastructure. In particular, this meant separation from motorised traffic, followed by better repairs and maintenance to routes or infrastructure used by cyclists. Those cycling more slowly were more likely to suggest that separation would have helped prevent their incidents.
- Over three-quarters of incidents could, suggested cyclists, have been prevented if other road users had behaved differently.
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