Twelve thousand cyclists end up in hospital each year. The startling number of injuries has triggered calls for new driver education.

Alana Riley reports.

TRANSCRIPT

Thirty-eight cyclists are killed on the road each year according to the Australian Institute for Health and Welfare.

Riders over 45 make up half of those deaths.

Older cyclists are also most likely to have life-threatening injuries.

Anne Savage, Bicycle Queensland CEO: “This is a wake-up call and it’s a very clear indication that we need to do much more to support the cycling community.”

Surprisingly the figures show only one-quarter of cyclist crashes involve cars.

The number of accidents may have more to do with the design of roads and the availability of bike paths.

Anne Savage, Bicycle Queensland CEO: “What we really need to see is a massive boost in funding and much of that needs to go into safer infrastructure to make our roads safer for all Queenslanders.”

The Brisbane City Council has invested $100 million into city bike-way programs.

While paths like this make cyclists feel safer, they say there’s still much more that can be done.

VOX 1: “[I’m] just hoping that there’s more education and more knowledge passed on to drivers knowing what cyclists are entitled to on the road.”

VOX 2: “I think it’s pretty safe with all the bike paths around Brissy that all the cyclists can ride on.”

VOX 3: “[A] bit more driver education wouldn’t hurt but in general most of the time I feel relatively safe.”

Bicycle Queensland is adamant the state government must intervene.

Anne Savage, Bicycle Queensland CEO: “We need them to step up and take action and help us get towards the vision of zero deaths on our roads.”

Alana Riley, QUT News.