Spatiotemporal Patterns of Cyclist Collisions in Germany: Variations in Frequency, Severity of Injury, and Type of Collision in 2019

Abstract

AbstractCycling has gained increasing interest in Germany in recent years due to its manifold environmental, societal, and economic benefits. However, the number of cyclist collisions resulting in injury or death remains high and little is known about regional variations in frequency, severity of injury, and type of collision. This study investigates spatial and temporal patterns and characteristics of cyclist collisions across Germany in 2019. Using a detailed cyclist collision dataset for most German federal states, we identified statistically significant regional differences in frequency, severity of injury, and type of collision. To facilitate this and future cyclist collision surveillance studies in Germany, we developed and published a custom R package to download and combine the collision data with geographical data. Our analysis reveals that densely populated regions exhibit higher collision rates and a higher share of collisions involving turns, but lower severity of injuries and a lower share of collisions whilst driving in a straight line, a higher collision frequency during the work week compared to weekends, and a higher collision frequency peak during morning rush hour. We also observed a markedly high share of fatal bicycle-truck collisions in densely populated regions. In contrast, rural regions show lower collision rates, but a higher share of severe collisions, a higher share of collisions whilst driving in a straight line, as well as higher collision frequencies during weekends and summer months. Our findings underscore the complex and multifaceted geographical variations in collisions involving cyclists. The results of this study suggest that a one-size-fits-all approach to collision prevention infrastructure and policy may be insufficient for addressing variations in risk, and that future efforts to improve cyclist safety should be tailored to the local geographical context.