Key Figures
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3,993cyclist road crashes in 202322.6% higher than 2022
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6,734cyclists hospitalised for traffic injuries in 20239.2% higher than 2022
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3.3%of total road crashes involved cyclists in 2023Up from 3.0% in 2022
The National Road Safety Strategy 2021-30 prioritises safety for vulnerable road users, which includes pedestrians, motorcyclists and pedal cyclists. These individuals lack protection from crash forces compared to occupants of cars, buses or trucks.
According to the National Road Safety Research and Reporting Database (NRRD), nearly 4,000 cyclists are involved in police-recorded road crashes annually. However, this number does not capture all cyclist injuries, as the Australian Institute of Health and Welfare (AIHW) notes that over 6,000 cyclists each year end up in hospital due to traffic-related injuries. Tragically, road accidents result in the deaths of between 30 and 44 cyclists every year.
Cycling crash rates have remained largely unchanged over the past decade. Data from NRRD and AIHW can guide injury reduction plans and improve safety for cyclists sharing roads with other vehicles.
The rise in e-bike use complicates analysis of cyclist crashes, as there is no national standard for recording e-bike incidents. E-bikes are inconsistently classified in data as pedal cycles, motorcycles or other vehicles, making them hard to track. As data collection becomes more consistent, understanding of e-bike-related accidents will improve. This analysis covers accidents reported as involving pedal cycles.
How do cyclists fare in traffic accidents compared to other road user groups?
Between 2014 and 2023, pedal cyclists represented just 3.3% of all road users involved in accidents. This percentage remained relatively stable throughout the decade.
Changes in cycling participation rates are hard to estimate. Unlike motorised vehicles, pedal cycles do not require licences or registration. Recent Census(Opens in a new tab/window) data on commuting by bicycle may have been affected by movement restrictions related to COVID-19 during the data collection period. Although the Cycling and Walking Participation Survey(Opens in a new tab/window) uses large samples to capture national trends, it still faces coverage limitations. Even though crash rates relative to total cyclist trips cannot be consistently measured over time, crash data on its own shows that cyclists continue to face injury risks from traffic accidents.
Pedal cyclists have a higher risk of fatality in road crashes compared to drivers. Cyclist fatalities occur in 1.0% of crashes compared to 0.7% for drivers. Though most crash victims are drivers and passengers, the size, speed and safety feature differences between motor vehicles and pedal cycles result in differing outcome severity.
How have cyclist road fatalities changed over time?
From 2014 to 2023, cyclists represented between 2.6% and 3.9% of total road fatalities. Total road fatalities ranged between 1,100 and 1,300 each year, with cyclist fatalities accounting for between 30 to 44 of these. Despite the introduction of minimum passing distance laws between 2014 and 2021, this number has remained steady.
