Are Unfixed Potholes to Blame for Cycling deaths and Serious Injuries?

Cycling Injuries and Accident Claims Rises to New Heights!

Since early 2000, London has experienced a phenomenal increase in cycling. This was proven in 2016 by a Bought By Many report. The report revealed that cycling within the UK increased by 110% over the past couple of years.

As cycling increases so do cycling injuries. Amongst these accidents are reports indicating that even cycling death occurred. Shockingly the majority of cycling death causes are due to unfixed potholes. Using Department for Transport statistics, The Times informed us that deaths and accident claims have tripled in the last ten years as a result of potholes. Too many riders have fallen victim to serious accidents due to poor road maintenance. This horrific news has luckily grabbed the attention of a well-respected cycling charity. The Telegraph also stated the above-mentioned charity feels that the first step in ending the problem is to focus on the poor road maintenance. Improve the maintenance and you eliminate a big part of the problem.

Sam Jones, the Spokesman for the CTC said, “For cyclists, potholes aren't mere inconveniences. They're a real blight, where even the most minor defects can lead to serious, life-changing injuries. ” Out of all the reported potholes, a mere 5% was actually taken care of. This led to the charity taking the matter further.

With every newspaper having a written piece concerning a cycling death, it has finally triggered a reaction. The councils have decided to intervene. The Department of Transport even stated that that the UK government will be setting aside a lump sum of 23 billion into UK road maintenance in order to decrease the number of accidents occurring.

Are Local Councils Part of The Problem?

Tension started too built when it was revealed that local councils are part of the reason the roads are in such poor condition. It was the council who denied the people in charge of road maintenance government funding. However, the group Fill That Hole has a different view concerning the current matter. This is Money even went on to put together a top 10 list of councils with the most unfilled reported potholes. First on the list is Surrey County Council with 6733 potholes. This makes you think how many of those were the cause of a cycling death. Hertfordshire council received the number 3 position with 3124 and Essex County Council came in fourth.

Final Conclusion Concerning Cycling Injuries.

Since more and more people are falling victim to cycling injuries and in some cases the end result is a cycling death. It doesn’t mean that UK roads are becoming more worn down and left unchecked. The increase in cycling can be the cause. More cyclists mean more accidents. That’s why it’s so utterly important to have a no win no fee solicitor on your side throughout the entire road accident claims process. If you sustain an injury due to an unfixed pothole, or any other type of accident. The first thing to do is to hire a solicitor to assure you have the best chance at receiving serious injury compensation. We offer clients the opportunity to make a claim online.