Pleasure and frustration on two wheels: The police in safety vest reported an increase in accidents with cyclists in the previous year. The causes are manifold. Only where there are still blue signposts, the cycle path has to be used.
The police have no reliable figures. "But the share of cyclists in traffic is increasing," said Jorgen Hageman and Reinhardt Grumman of Paderborn police. Hageman has for many years been head of the traffic management department of the police, Grumman is a traffic safety consultant.
An increase can be observed in the group of those who regularly drive to work with the wheel. Since they were on the road in any weather and were not deterred by rain or snow, they would have correctly equipped wheels with intact lighting. And they wore helmets and high visibility vest. The city of Paderborn in the Paderborn district is at the front of the accident. Two-thirds of all accidents happen here - and a total of 50 percent in the core city. The number of accidents with cyclists rose by 12 percent in the Kris area last year with 523 compared to 2015 (466). There were 397 cyclists injured 14.1 percent more than 2015 (348).
Accident causes are manifold
According to the police, the causes of accidents are manifold and begin with the behavior of the cyclists and their self-perception. Thus the occurrence of the cyclists is quite criticized by the police. They often acted as pedestrians, the insight that a bicycle was a vehicle was not so pronounced. "It's about having your own behavior in mind and reflecting," says Hageman.
The main sources of danger are the prohibited driving on the sidewalk, driving on the cycle path in the wrong direction (ghost driver), errors in turning, alcohol and individual driving errors. The use of Smartphone on the bike is also increasing: those who are caught must pay 25 Euros. The evaluation of accidents shows that the majority of accidents involving cyclists are caused by them, according to the police.
Very important: "Within the city the cyclist belongs to the road", says Hageman. However, not every road could be equipped with a protective strip for cyclists. Often there is a lack of space for the necessary width of road and protective strips.
Blue signs must be observed
The blue signs, which prescribe the use of a cycle path, have disappeared in the last few years from quite a few places. Hageman and Grumman, however, emphasize the fact that there are banners: "Where they stand, they must also be respected." If cyclists share a path with pedestrians, they would have to take reverence. Here the weakest is the standard.
There are no roads that need to be used, for example, but these roads can still be used. However, a healthy self-esteem is important to drive with the bike. "He who knows what is to be done is self-assured," says Hageman. Whoever carries a reflective vest is also perceived by drivers differently. Such a vest signals a danger. One of the reasons why accidents occur more frequently in these areas is, according to the police, the many adjoining shops on these streets as well as landings.
In the past year, 61 children aged between 14 and 19 years of age died in the Paderborn district, while 36 were between 15 and 17 years of age. 53 people who were injured in age group 18 to 24, 59 were older than 65 years. For the age group in between, there is still a lack of broken data. Potential for dangers includes a development which is designed to provide relief and provide for: electric bicycles. Even if the users are not all too old for classic cycling, the interaction of higher speed and decreasing reaction time is a source of danger.
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