Two-Wheeler

The proportion of bicycles in road traffic has increased significantly in recent years, particularly in connection with the Covid-19 pandemic, especially in urban areas. Bicycles are increasingly being used not only as a means of transportation for the riders themselves, but also as a means of transport for children. In addition to the classic child seat, bicycle trailers and cargo bikes are also increasingly being used for this purpose.

Single-vehicle accidents are highly relevant for current cycling accidents. A study on behalf of the German Insurers Accident Research (UDV) has analysed single-vehicle accidents of cyclists in detail.

In 2023, 189 cyclists were killed and 2,996 seriously injured on rural roads. This corresponds to around 42 per cent of all cyclists killed and 21 per cent of all seriously injured cyclists throughout Germany. These figures have stagnated at a high level since 2018, with the partial exceptions of 2020 and 2022 during the COVID-19 pandemic, with no significant impact on the long-term trend. This is why the UDV (German Insurers Accident Research) conducted this study in cooperation with the Department of Road Traffic Planning and Road Traffic Engineering at the University of Wuppertal.

Fixed speed cameras are very effective in reducing accidents. That is one of the findings of a new study by the German Insurers Accident Research.

Motorcyclists still have a significantly higher risk than car occupants of being injured or even killed in an ac­cident. That means, in re­lation to the covered distance, motorcyclists have a consi­derably higher risk of being killed in a road accident than car occupants.

The Germany-wide analysis carried out by the UDV of over 4,100 streetcar accidents involving injury in the period from 2009 to 2011 showed that around 86 percent of these accidents happened at an intersection or within the sphere of influence of an intersection.

The UDV derived recommendations for effective information and education measures for preventing e-scooter accidents.

Germany plans to give technical approval to a vehicle called Segway in the not too distant future.