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Metropolitan Police.jpg900 London cyclists injured in 2015 as hit and run incidents in capital reach "epidemic" levels
More than 900 cyclists in London last year were injured in hit and run incidents last year according to figures obtained by a London Assembly Member who warns that instances of drivers failing to stop after crashes have reached epidemic proportions.
The figures, which were obtained by the Green Party’s Sian Berry, showed that 80 cyclists were seriously injured and a further 831 sustained slight injuries as a result of hit and run incidents last year.
The true figure is likely to be much higher, however, since only incidents reported to the Metropolitan Police or City of London Police are included.
According to Transport for London figures, there were 4,744 cyclist casualties reported to the police in 2015, of which 387 were serious, including nine fatalities.
The data obtained by Ms Berry therefore reveal that nearly one in five of total casualties, and a similar proportion where a rider was seriously injured, resulted from a hit and run.
Looking at all road casualties in the capital – 30,182 in 2015 – across all road users, around one in six, or 4,945 were the result of a failure to stop incident, including 10 of the 65 pedestrian fatalities during the year.
However, Ms Berry, the Green Party’s candidate in May’s London Mayoral Election, says that while the number of hit and run incidents in which someone is hurt has risen year on year since 2009, police cannot quantify how many result in a prosecution.
The figures were provided in response to a question posed by Ms Berry to Mayor of London Sadiq Khan, who said in response: "Like you I am passionate about road safety and have campaigned on this issue for many years."
But he added that “due to limitations within the current systems utilised by the MPS [Metropolitan Police Service], it is not possible to report specifically the number of these cases that were subject to prosecution action.”
Ms Berry said: “With drivers now failing to stop after a shocking one in five crashes, this is a real epidemic that needs real action from the police to tackle it.
“Londoners are being killed and injured and yet we don’t even know whether hit and run drivers are being brought to justice.
“Hit and runs are associated with other illegal activities such as drunk driving, speeding, being disqualified or simply having no insurance.
“The Mayor needs to ensure that the police enforce the rules of the road and people need to believe that if they run away from a crash they will face consequences.”
She added: “I am very disappointed that the Metropolitan Police Service is still not able to provide data on the rate of prosecution of hit and run drivers.
“The Mayor has admitted current systems aren’t adequate to track prosecutions and with a new Police and Crime Plan being drafted, replacing unfit systems must be a priority.
“We need to know how effective the police currently are in dealing with these crimes, and to be able to prioritise work to tackle it.”
Yesterday, a cyclist posted a video to Twitter that showed him crash into a car as the driver turned right across his path.
The rider shared the footage, apparently shot n London, in the hope that the vehicle might be identified so the incident could be reported to the police – meaning for now, the incident will not be recorded in official figures.
> Video: Cyclist appeals for help to track down hit and run driver
Simon joined road.cc as news editor in 2009 and is now the site’s community editor, acting as a link between the team producing the content and our readers. A law and languages graduate, published translator and former retail analyst, he has reported on issues as diverse as cycling-related court cases, anti-doping investigations, the latest developments in the bike industry and the sport’s biggest races. Now back in London full-time after 15 years living in Oxford and Cambridge, he loves cycling along the Thames but misses having his former riding buddy, Elodie the miniature schnauzer, in the basket in front of him.
Latest Comments
- biking59boomer 3 min 50 sec ago
Looks like yet another bike share service that's going to fold because of selfish idiots.
- biking59boomer 7 min 32 sec ago
It would be more educational to give them a fine. They wouldn't forget that in a hurry.
- Rendel Harris 16 min 25 sec ago
Interesting article but it does in fact seem to prove that coaster brakes indeed aren't suited for descents: "the bikes’ antiquated hub coaster...
- headingley 20 min 6 sec ago
Here in Leeds the fantastic network of city centre protected cycle lanes are annually partly blocked by the Christmas Market. I can only guess what...
- quiff 4 hours 8 min ago
Fair point - I was restricting myself to pedal bikes. As I've never spent that kind of money on anything though (mortgage doesn't count), it's kind...
- brooksby 5 hours 10 min ago
And finally: I wonder how many of the "more than 3,000" signatures on that petition are actually locals, who live or work there (and are not just...
- Doug_D 6 hours 46 min ago
Another book suggestion - I can highly recommend "Lost Summers and Half-Forgotten Afternoons: A Mint Sauce collection" - a beautifully presented...
- mdavidford 8 hours 37 min ago
I think you're missing an opportunity to pack even more tech into it - add accelerometers that can detect whether they're pedalling or stepping....
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22 comments
A rare photo of a police car to accompany the story. I've not seen one of those in ages.
In order to report a recent hit and run, I was asked to turn up in person at a Police station in order to fill out a form. There was no way to send the details, or fill out the form on-line.
Local cut-backs mean my local Police station is closed at weekends and in the evening!!
So in order to fill out a form to report a crime, I have to take time off work...
"Tough on the causes of crime" my arse!
That is what the law requires. See Section 170 of the Road Traffic Act 1988 which requires drivers/ riders to report to a police officer or police station that they have been involved in an accident involving in any of the following;
◾any personal injury
◾damage only, where the other driver/ rider did not stop
◾damage only, where names and addresses were not exchanged with the other driver/ rider/ cyclist and any other owner of property damaged (even if the other driver stopped)
It is a legal requirement to provide drivers details to police, has to be otherwise speed camera penalties would not work. So police should apply the law vigorously, if the registered keeper does not provide the driver details then they should be incarcerated.
Seems that anarchy is being allowed to descend on a society that does not enforce its laws. Next logical effect will indeed be vigilantism. I certainly don't feel society is safe at all.
You might like to consider signing this:
https://www.change.org/p/uk-parliament-deliver-stiffer-punishments-for-d...
The Clarkson Factor.
And because of a hit and run a couple of months back, I now have cameras front and back. Not that it'll do much good as the police don't give a monkeys.
At least helps you to get an insurance claim in so the perpetrator loses their no claims bonus, which is what these scumbags care about above all else.
My son and I have been the victims of hit and runs and as said above there is usually a reason for it other than being scared frightened or panicked. My sons case the car was insured on a motor traders policy the trader had forgotten to take it off when he sold the car and I can't claim the registered keeper had sold the car and not filled out the log book an offence in itself but the police won't prosecute they know with my help where the car parks and the house the driver goes to and all the police did was lift the car. The problem is trying to prove who was driving at the time it's near impossible so the drivers get away and they know it so will keep doing it. I feel the named driver on the policy or register keeper should be held accountable in these situations
Shows me an increase in the number of cowards on our roads, and an ever decreasing feeling of empathy towards others. Surely if you were involved in an accident, a decent person would of course stop at the scene and check the other party were ok, not run away and hide.
A big part of the problem is the government's austerity drive, with much reduced numbers of police on the streets to enforce the law. Obviously you can't expect a policeman to be on every street corner, but the number of officers enforcing road law has fallen dramatically.
The austerity drive affects every aspect of government activity: NHS, public transport, the police, everthing really. Except road building. The chancellor announce another £1.3bn spending on roads yesterday.
Yeah but at least it's got the debt right down. Hasn't it....
this may be true in the rest of the country but the Met can't use this excuse as front line officer numbers have changed very little in the last 6 years - nearly all of the savings have come from reducing back office admin roles a great number of which were being done by officers that should have been out on the beat.
The Met police has a complete disinterest for enforcing road laws in London even though there continue to be endless reported deaths and serious injuries to cyclists - the best example of this is that it can't confirm whether it's ever issued a single enforcement notice to motorists for stopping in the cyclist advance stop box.
On weekdays in my part of town there is no shortage of uniformed officers wandering round "patrolling" parks in twos, threes and fours yet you'll never see them on a bike or giving out tickets to the huge number of motorists using phones while they drive (aside from the once a year 3 hour enforcement "blitz" they manage to do.)
the problem with the Met isn't therefore a lack of resources it's their complete disinterest and refusal to prioritise road safety despite having in excess of 30,000 uniformed officers.
A case in point being my routine morning ride takes me past the pedestrian bridge linking the cycle-permitted Broad Walk in The Regent's Park with Princess Road (a busy cycle route) in Primrose Hill. This is an obvious north-south desire line for cyclists.
Guaranteed, once a week there will be two officers hiding at the hedge https://goo.gl/maps/RgRLdXorXmL2 catching cyclists who fail to dismount for the 50 metre long bridge. As it is a connection between quiet back roads, and a shared use cycleway in a park, it tends to attract the less assertive commuters. Easy pickings for the officers.
Meanwhile on the Outer Circle, I'm being close-passed at speed, there are hoards of cars parked at 08:30 in the "no stopping before 09:00" zones, commercial vehicles (not permitted) left right and centre, and coaches (not permitted). Of course nothing is done about these, they are invisible offences to our overstretched forces.
But no problem diverting resources to catch a few lady cyclists on the bridge.
I suspect one of the main reasons for this is hitting their target quotas in the easiest way possible - when the "system" counts both incidents as a single crime prosecuted, it leads to a inversion of priorities.
So, every car having two number plates doesn't seem to prevent this being an issue - why would cycles having one be an answer? Also, “Hit and runs are associated with other illegal activities such as drunk driving, speeding, being disqualified or simply having no insurance."
So once, again proof that the House of the Motor Vehicle needs to get it's house in order, before throwing stones at others.
Yes indeed - all Houses but get their houses in order before throwing stones, and the other Houses are free to do what they want until then. Also all Houses must stop over-generalising goddammit as it annoys the other Houses.
Sorry, we don't accept any form of group responsibility on this forum.
I think that they may have been being sarcastic...?
Smelt more like hypocrisy to me, but only the OP knows for sure.
To me it seemed a case of drawing attention to they way the stupid 'house in order' argument is never used for motorists.
Incidentally, who doesn't accept _any_ form of 'group responsibility'?
It's obviously fair enough in some cases. When its about a group defined purely by what its members actually do (i.e. the group of 'people who use hand-held phones while driving'), or if its a group with an organisation and the ability to self-police (like, er, the police).
Neither applies to 'cyclists' or 'motorists' as a group.
If the Police aren't prepared to enforce the law, then I have not other choice but to do so myself.