Women cyclists are far more likely to be killed by a lorry because, unlike men, they tend to obey red lights and wait at junctions in the driver’s blind spot, according to a study.
The report by Transport for London’s road safety unit was completed last July but has been kept secret. It suggests that some cyclists who break the law by jumping red lights may be safer and that cycle feeder lanes may make the problem worse. The Times has obtained a copy of the study, which says that 86 per cent of the women cyclists killed in London between 1999 and 2004 collided with a lorry. By contrast, lorries were involved in 47 per cent of deaths of male cyclists.
The findings help to explain why the growing popularity of cycling by city commuters is resulting in frequent deaths of young women in similar circumstances. The death rate among women cyclists has increased since the report was completed, with two killed in collisions with lorries within 24 hours last month.
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1 comments:
Obeying the law does not mean one HAS TO put oneself at risk. Those women were not at risk because they obeyed the light, but because they pulled up along the left side of a vehicle that could turn left (remember, it's England; for us it would be right side and turning right). Amplifying that risk is the fact that lorries (trucks) have much larger blind spots than automobiles.
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