The rate of bicycle lighting faults is decreasing, but equipment in reflective clothing or accessories is not progressing.
It’s better than five years ago, but it’s still not enough. Nearly six out of ten cyclists (57%) ride poorly lit at night in the city, according to a survey of the Prevention Road Association published Tuesday, October 9. Volunteers observed nearly 3,300 bicycles in 10 cities in France, as the critical winter season approaches – between November and January, the month with the shortest days, 40% of accidents involving cyclists take place nightly.
“Between 2013 and 2018, the rate of defects in the lighting of the bicycles decreases.” If rented bicycles remain exemplary on this point (7% in 2018 against 9% in 2013), the number of deficient personal bikes is still of 57% in 2018, compared to 76% in 2013. Among them, more than a third (37%) are totally devoid of lighting (against 58% in 2013) “. The association notes in a statement.
More and more cyclists killed
On the other hand, the equipment in reflective clothing with reflective materials or accessories (vests, armbands…) does not progress: it was 17% in 2018, against 14% five years ago. “There is still much to do but we are on a good trend. The bike is better equipped. For the cyclist, it’s something else,” regrets the General Delegate of Road Safety, Anne Lava. And remember that a reflective vest can be seen five times further by motorists (150 meters with, against 30 meters without).
The number of cyclists killed has risen in recent years. In 2017, 173 of them died (+ 6.8% compared to 2015, an additional 11 killed). Since 2010, the number of cyclists killed on the road has been increasing, with an average annual evolution of + 2.4%, while the number of other users of vehicles killed has fallen by an annual average of -2.6% per year and the number of pedestrians killed is stable.