Cyclist crash rates and risk factors in a prospective cohort in seven European cities

Research output: Contribution to journalResearch articleContributedpeer-review

Contributors

  • Michael Branion-Calles - , Simon Fraser University, University of British Columbia (Author)
  • Thomas Götschi - , University of Oregon (Author)
  • Trisalyn Nelson - , Arizona State University (Author)
  • Esther Anaya-Boig - , Imperial College London (Author)
  • Ione Avila-Palencia - , Barcelona Institute for Global Health (ISGlobal) Hospital Clínic, Pompeu Fabra University, CIBER - Center for Biomedical Research Network, Drexel University (Author)
  • Alberto Castro - , University of Zurich (Author)
  • Tom Cole-Hunter - , University of New South Wales, Queensland University of Technology (Author)
  • Audrey de Nazelle - , Imperial College London (Author)
  • Evi Dons - , Flemish Institute for Technological Research, Hasselt University (Author)
  • Mailin Gaupp-Berghausen - , University of Natural Resources and Life Sciences, Vienna (Author)
  • Regine Gerike - , Chair of Mobility System Planning (Author)
  • Luc Int Panis - , Flemish Institute for Technological Research, Hasselt University (Author)
  • Sonja Kahlmeier - , Swiss Distance University of Applied Science (FFHS) (Author)
  • Mark Nieuwenhuijsen - , Barcelona Institute for Global Health (ISGlobal) Hospital Clínic, Pompeu Fabra University, CIBER - Center for Biomedical Research Network (Author)
  • David Rojas-Rueda - , Barcelona Institute for Global Health (ISGlobal) Hospital Clínic, Colorado State University (Author)
  • Meghan Winters - , Simon Fraser University, University of British Columbia (Author)

Abstract

Increased cycling uptake can improve population health, but barriers include real and perceived risks. Crash risk factors are important to understand in order to improve safety and increase cycling uptake. Many studies of cycling crash risk are based on combining diverse sources of crash and exposure data, such as police databases (crashes) and travel surveys (exposure), based on shared geography and time. When conflating crash and exposure data from different sources, the risk factors that can be quantified are only those variables common to both datasets, which tend to be limited to geography (e.g. countries, provinces, municipalities) and a few general road user characteristics (e.g. gender and age strata). The Physical Activity through Sustainable Transport Approaches (PASTA) project was a prospective cohort study that collected both crash and exposure data from seven European cities (Antwerp, Barcelona, London, Örebro, Rome, Vienna and Zürich). The goal of this research was to use data from the PASTA project to quantify exposure-adjusted crash rates and model adjusted crash risk factors, including detailed sociodemographic characteristics, attitudes about transportation, neighbourhood built environment features and location by city. We used negative binomial regression to model the influence of risk factors independent of exposure. Of the 4,180 cyclists, 10.2 % reported 535 crashes. We found that overall crash rates were 6.7 times higher in London, the city with the highest crash rate, relative to Örebro, the city with the lowest rate. Differences in overall crash rates between cities are driven largely by crashes that did not require medical treatment and that involved motor-vehicles. In a parsimonious crash risk model, we found higher crash risks for less frequent cyclists, men, those who perceive cycling to not be well regarded in their neighbourhood, and those who live in areas of very high building density. Longitudinal collection of crash and exposure data can provide important insights into individual differences in crash risk. Substantial differences in crash risks between cities, neighbourhoods and population groups suggest there is great potential for improvement in cycling safety.

Details

Original languageEnglish
Article number105540
JournalAccident analysis and prevention
Volume141
Publication statusPublished - Jun 2020
Peer-reviewedYes

External IDs

PubMed 32304868