Bicycle accidents shift away from the road
While the number of bicycle accidents on the road remains stable, they are increasing rapidly off the road. According to Suva, it is mainly men on mountain bikes between the ages of 30 and 50 who are affected.
The number of bicycle accidents has risen sharply in the last ten years. This prompted Suva to take a closer look at accidents at the start of the cycling season.
The result: While the number of bicycle accidents on the road remains stable at around 20,000 incidents per year, recreational accidents off the road have doubled. In particular, the number of mountain biking accidents has risen to around 6,000 per year. The bikers themselves are almost always the cause, and the majority of those affected are men between the ages of 30 and 50.
The fact that the number of bicycle accidents in road traffic has remained stable is by no means self-evident, says Suva: because the number of insured persons has increased since 2005. Another interesting fact is that around 80% of road traffic accidents are self-inflicted.
Most common injuries: Shoulders and upper arms
The ranking of injuries is not surprising: The shoulders and upper arms are injured in around 20% of those affected, the head in 16% and the hand, wrist and fingers in a further 14%. Serious injuries such as a craniocerebral trauma are fortunately rather rare with 4%, but have the most serious after-effects - also financially: Suva reports that a bicycle accident with craniocerebral trauma costs an average of 26,500 Swiss francs. Wearing a helmet protects. "Esther Hess, head of the Velo campaign, calls the bicycle helmet "as important as the seat belt when driving a car.
Men also have more serious accidents on average than women: Among men, injuries to shoulders and upper arms increase twice as much in summer as injuries to wrists, hands and fingers. "This is also due to the fact that men mountain bike more often than women and they are more seriously injured in falls," says Peter Andermatt, a statistician at Suva.
