Olympic cycling champion Chris Boardman grew emotional on Thursday as he lashed out at Government plans to crack down on “killer cyclists”, stressing that more people are killed every year by lightning strikes and cows.
Mr Boardman, who has his own bicycle brand, objected that there was little discussion from ministers about how five people are killed on the roads by motorists every day on average.
“I struggle with talking about it, to be honest, and I'll tell you why. My mother was crushed to death by a driver a few years ago, which devastated our family, and we’ve not really got over it,” the 1992 Olympian said on BBC Radio 4’s Today programme.
“She was one of five people to die on the roads that day. And then the next day, there was another five… there'll be another five today,” added Mr Boardman, who in 2022 was appointed the Government’s “National Active Travel Commissioner” and is also chairman of Sport England.
“There's over 1,700 deaths caused by, or involved in, vehicles every year, 30,000 killed or seriously injured. It's important that we say that because there are three involving, not necessarily caused by, but three or less involving a bike rider.”
Mr Boardman insisted: “And as the Secretary of State [Mark Harper] said, this is such a tiny minority. More people are killed by lightning, or cows. And that same thing [cycling] is joyous. It's good for society. And we put the focus on this minuscule, negative thing.
“Absolutely, everybody should obey the laws of the road. But is this really the best use of our time to be talking about this now?”
An average of two people are killed in Britain every year by lightning strikes, while stampeding cows were responsible for 32 fatalities between 2018 and 2022, according to official statistics.
Cyclists who cause death by dangerous cycling could face up to 14 years in prison after the House of Commons on Wednesday voted through an amendment to create three new offences.
Mr Harper said the Government would incorporate the amendment into a Criminal Justice Bill currently going through Parliament, vowing to ensure “justice is done” after a handful of deaths in recent years caused allegedly by speeding or reckless cyclists.
The Royal Society for the Prevention of Accidents (Rospa) said an average of two deaths were caused by cyclists each year in the past five years, next to about 400 pedestrians killed every year by other types of road user.
“While we encourage debate on how to make our roads safer, it is important to not look at cycling offenses in isolation,” Rospa’s director of policy, campaigns and public affairs Steve Cole told the Standard.
"Having the right legal framework and prosecuting those who break the law is a crucial piece of safety on our roads, but it is also the solution of last resort,” he said.
“The Government needs to prioritise the publishing of its long overdue road safety framework so we can begin to have a clear, joined-up approach to road safety that focuses on the health and wellbeing of all road users - motorists and cyclists included."
Lucy Straker, campaigns manager at the road safety charity Brake, agreed with the charge that the Government is neglecting to tackle rising numbers of deaths on the roads.
She told the Standard: "Five people die on our roads every day. One of the main causes of that is speeding or driving too fast for the road conditions - and yet they talk about a 'war on motorists', not a plan to help people travel safely.
"As the Government are keen to support this new legislation, then perhaps they would also be keen to deliver on their commitment to publish a new Road Safety Strategy - which they committed to doing in 2021 - and to which we are still waiting for in 2024.”
Duncan Dollimore, head of campaigns at Cycling UK said: “It’s clear work needs to be done to make our streets safer for everyone, but by tinkering at the edges of reform we will be adding new offences to existing road traffic laws which already aren’t working.
“What we need is what the government promised 10 years ago: an in-depth review of road traffic laws and penalties,” he said. “Better road traffic laws will help to ensure our roads are safer for all communities. It’s time the government answered our consistent call for a full review."
