Throughout 2022, the rate of cyclists killed on the roads has been reduced

So far in 2022, the total number of people killed in road accidents in Colombia has increased, compared to the same period in 2021. While in the previous year 1032 people died in road accidents, the number increased to 1136 so far this year. This is an increase of 10.08 per cent.

The figures were provided by the National Road Safety Observatory, attached to the National Road Safety Agency. The road actors who contributed the most deaths were motorcycle users and pedestrians.

So far, there are 688 deaths who boarded a motorcycle: the number constitutes 58.3% of the total number of deaths in 2022 and an 18.02% increase compared to those who died on motorcycles in 2021. Meanwhile, 240 pedestrians were killed crossing the country's roads or sidewalks: the figure is 42.86% higher than in the same period last year and 21.13% of the deaths this year.

Car users are provided with more protective tools in the event of accidents, such as safety belts, airbags and the resistance of cans themselves. However, the death of people on board a car has also increased. 142 people died in these vehicles in 2022, 12.5% of the total deaths. The death toll in cars has increased by 46.39 per cent compared to the previous year.

There is good news in the middle of it all. One of the most high-risk players on the roads are cyclists or bicycle users due to their low stability, the lightness of the vehicle and the speed that other road users, such as motorcycles and cars, can take.

However, the death of people on bicycles in Colombia has been reduced during 2022. So far 52 bicycle users have died so far this year, 4.58% of the total number of deaths on Colombian roads. This represents a 28.77% decrease in cyclist deaths compared to 2021.

Of course, learning to ride the bicycle in safe spaces and the use of safety features, such as helmets, reflective clothing and lights, helps bicycle users preserve their lives. However, a trend can be seen when reviewing the history of vehicles that collided with cyclists who later died.

The historical record of the ONSV, which collects data between 2017 and 2021, shows that the three road actors that hit cyclists the most in 2021 were individual transport vehicles (478 cases), followed by freight transport vehicles (447 cases) and motorcycles (411 cases).

In addition to Bogotá, which is the city where there are the most cases of dead cyclists, the most unsafe departments for cyclists and bicycle users are Antioquia, Cundinamarca and Valle del Cauca.

The director of the ANSV, Luis Lota, said that the entity has been carrying out various tasks aimed at mitigating this type of risk, given the worrying figures.

The official also indicated that cyclists are vulnerable actors on the roads and on which pedagogy activities must be developed, which should be based on a greater awareness of the other protagonists on the roads.

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