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Newspaper records show safety in numbers

Is cycling participation booming in Australia like never before, as claimed by helmet law supporters?

Is there any truth to the claim among helmet law critics that by discouraging cycling participation it reduces the benefit of safety in numbers? *

The Australian Bureau of Statistics did not collate cycling participation before the laws were introduced from 1990-92. However, an estimate of Australian cycling participation can be gleaned from old newspaper records, based on accessible newspapers published up to 1955.

Queensland's police and media published traffic fatality and injury rates in the 1940s and 1950s. Below are stories published from 1948 to 1955.

Queensland road traffic accidents 1948/49:

Cairns Post 1949

Fatalities
pedestrians - 29
motor drivers - 22
motor cyclists - 34
pedal cyclists - 11
others (mostly passengers) - 73

Injuries
pedestrians - 673
motor drivers - 787
motor cyclists - 787
pedal cyclists - 564
others (mostly passengers) - 1,457

% killed or injured per 10,000 population
pedestrians - 6.2
motor drivers - 4.9
motor cyclists - 7.2
pedal cyclists - 5.0
others (mostly passengers) - 13.4

Queensland road traffic accidents first three months of 1952:

The Worker 1952

Fatalities
pedestrians - 12
motor drivers - 6
motor cyclists - 12
pedal cyclists - 1
others (mostly passengers) - 17

Injuries
pedestrians - 243
motor drivers - 258
motor cyclists - 332
pedal cyclists - 189
others (mostly passengers) - 536

Queensland road traffic accidents 1952/53:

The Northern Miner 1954

Fatalities
pedestrians - 67
motor drivers - 59
motor cyclists - 51
pedal cyclists - 17
others (mostly passengers) - 107

Queensland road traffic accidents 1953/54:

The Northern Miner 1954

Fatalities
pedestrians - 62
motor drivers - 44
motor cyclists - 65
pedal cyclists - 20
others (mostly passengers) - 87

Queensland road traffic accidents first three months of 1954:

Nambour Chronicle and North Coast Advertiser 1954

Fatalities
pedestrians - 15
motor drivers - 11
motor cyclists - 15
pedal cyclists - 5
others (mostly passengers) - 22

Injuries
pedestrians - 297
motor drivers - 392
motor cyclists - 374
pedal cyclists - 275

Albeit a rough average, this historic newspaper data suggests that, from 1948 to 1954, cyclists comprised 6.3% of all road fatalities and 12.9% of all road injuries in Queensland.

According to the Queensland Trauma Registry, 496 or 13.9% of all Queensland transport injuries were cyclists in 2010. There were five cyclist fatalities in Queensland in 2010.

The Australian Bureau of Statistics reported in the Brisbane Courier Mail in 1954 on Australian road accidents during 1952/53 - motor vehicles 12,556, motorbikes 1,221, bicycles 514 ... i.e. bicycles = 3.6%.

• January 1940: The Liverpool News newspaper reported that in 1939, there were 80 cyclist fatalities on Australian roads.
• March 1951: The Hobart Mercury newspaper reported a prediction by the Commonwealth Director of Road Transport that 2,300 Australians would die on the roads that year, including a probable 121 cyclists = 5.3%
• June 1951: The Hobart Mercury newspaper reported that in 1950, there were 1,156 fatalities on Australian roads including 88 cyclists, or 8% of the total. The data shows there were 2,747,000 vehicles on Australian roads in 1950 including 1,250,000 bicycles ... i.e. bicycles = 45.5%.

ABS data suggests that 1,645,900 Australians aged over nine cycled in 1985/86, and 1,989,562 aged over nine cycled in 2011. The Australian population in 1950 was 8,307,000. In 1986 it was 15,974,000 and in 2012 it is 22,795,000. This suggests cycling increased 31.7% from 1950 to 1986 and 59% by 2011, while population increased 92.3% from 1951 to 1986 and 174.4% by 2012.

• October 1951: The Cairns Post newspaper reported that in the June quarter 1951, there were 74 road fatalities in Queensland including four cyclists ... i.e. cyclists = 5.4%. In the June quarter 1951 there were 1,616 road injuries in Queensland including 211 cyclists ... i.e. cyclists = 13.1%.
• Feburary 1952: The Cairns Post newspaper reported that in the September quarter 1951, there were 76 road fatalities in Queensland including eight cyclists ... i.e. cyclists = 10.5%. In the September quarter 1951 there were 1,613 road injuries in Queensland including 181 cyclists ... i.e. cyclists = 11.2%.
• February 1952: The Cairns Post newspaper reported that in 1950/51, there were 216 road fatalities in Queensland including 17 cyclists ... i.e. cyclists = 7.9%. In 1950/51 there were 5,452 road injuries in Queensland including 772 cyclists ... i.e. cyclists = 14.2%.
• June 1952: The Morning Bulletin newspaper reported that in the December quarter 1951, there were 52 road fatalities in Queensland including two cyclists ... i.e. cyclists 3.8%. In the December quarter 1951 there were 1,605 road injuries in Queensland including 201 cyclists ... i.e. cyclists 12.5%.
• June 1952: The Sydney Morning Herald newspaper reported that in 1951, there were 21,356 road accidents in NSW, with cyclists responsible for 2.3%.
• July 1952: The Launceston Examiner newspaper reported that in 1951/52, there were 87 road fatalities in Tasmania including two cyclists ... i.e. cyclists = 2.3%.
• January 1953: The Charleville Times newspaper reported that in the September quarter 1952, there were 89 road fatalities in Queensland including eight cyclists ... i.e. cyclists = 9%. In the September quarter 1952, there were 1,780 road injuries in Queensland including 247 cyclists ... i.e. cyclists = 13.9%.
• April 1953: The Courier Mail newspaper reported that in 1951/52, there were 182 road fatalities in Queensland including 20 cyclists ... i.e. cyclists = 11%.
• July 1953: The Nambour Chronicle newspaper reported that in the March quarter 1953, there were 56 road fatalities in Queensland including three cyclists ... i.e. cyclists = 5.4%. In the March 1953, there were 1,612 road injuries in Queensland including 130 cyclists - i.e. cyclists 8.1%.
• October 1953: The Courier Mail newspaper reported that from 1951 to 1953, there were 3,910 road fatalities in Australia including 287 cyclists ... i.e. cyclists = 7.3%.
• December 1953: The Cairns Post newspaper reported that in 1952/53, there were 301 road fatalities in Queensland including 17 cyclists ... i.e. cyclists 5.6%. In 1952/53 there were 7,102 road injuries including 949 cyclists ... i.e. cyclists 13.4%.
• December 1953: The West Australian newspaper reported that in 1952 there were 2,054 road deaths in Australia including 74 cyclists ... i.e. cyclists 3.6%.
• March 1954: The West Australian newspaper reported that according to the ABS, in the December quarter of 1953 the risk of injury per million population was: pedestrians 435; car drivers 251; motorcyclists 229; cyclists 130; tram and horse drivers/riders 4.
• April 1954: The Nambour Chronicle newspaper reported that in the December quarter 1953 there were 75 road deaths in Queensland including seven cyclists ... i.e. cyclists 9.3%. In the December quarter 1953 there were 2,154 road injuries in Queensland including 240 cyclists ... i.e. cyclists 11.1%
• July 1954: The Hobart Advocate newspaper reported that in 1953 there were 1,863 road deaths including 73 cyclists ... i.e. cyclists 3.9%. In 1953 there were 41,853 road injuries including 2,532 cyclists ... i.e. cyclists 6%.
• August 1954: The Nambour Chronicle newspaper reported that in the March quarter 1954 there were 58 road deaths in Queensland including six cyclists ... i.e. cyclists 10.3%. In the March quarter 1954 there were 1,834 road injuries in Queensland including 269 cyclists ... i.e. cyclists 14.7%.
• October 1954: The West Australian newspaper reported that in 1953/54, motorists were responsible for the deaths of 57 cyclists.
• November 1954: The Nambour Chronicle newspaper reported that there were 70 road deaths in Queensland in the June quarter 1954 including five cyclists ... i.e. cyclists 7.1%. There were 1,338 road injuries in Queensland in the June quarter 1954 including 275 cyclists ... i.e. cyclists 20.6%.
• October 1954: The Biz newspaper reported that there were 728 road deaths in NSW in 1953/54 including 33 cyclists ... i.e. cyclists 4.5%. There were 14,660 road injuries in NSW in 1953/54 including 1,086 cyclists ... i.e. cyclists 7.4%.
• December 1954: The Nambour Chronicle newspaper reported that in the September quarter of 1954 there were 56 road fatalities in Queensland including two cyclists - i.e. cyclists 3.6%. In the September quarter of 1954 there were 2,001 road injuries including 252 cyclists ... i.e. cyclists 12.6%
• October 1955: The Central Queensland Herald newspaper reported that in 1954/55, there were 273 road fatalities including 17 cyclists ... i.e. cyclists 6.2%.

Cyclist traffic proportion

But how many people were cycling and what proportion of road traffic did they comprise in those earlier years?

ABS data is scant but clues can again be found in old newspapers. Concentrating on Queensland to compare the injury figures above, in 1952 the Morning Bulletin in Rockhampton conducted an experiment at a river bridge, repeating a survey from 1881 with a count of different traffic types from 6am to midday on a Saturday in September. The 1952 figures were:

pedestrians - 142
motor cars - 1,360
motor utilities and panel vans - 930
trucks - 215
buses - 119
motor cycles - 302
horses - 6
horse drawn vehicles - 9
dogs - 2
bicycles - 1,890

One survey isn't necessarily representative of the Queensland state average but this Rockhampton survey in 1952 found 38% of all bridge traffic were cyclists.

The death and injury figures above suggest cyclists in 1952/53 represented 5.6% of all Queensland road fatalities.

In the first three months of 1952, when the Rockhampton bridge survey was conducted, cyclists represented 2.1% of all road fatalities and 12.1% of all road injuries in Queensland.

Traffic surveys since 1910

• November 1911: The Reporter newspaper in Melbourne published a story about a week-long September survey at Power St in Hawthorn which found the following traffic - one horse carts 4,053; two horse waggons 835; cabs, buggies, etc 2,280; motors 762; motor cycles 261; bicycles 3,822. i.e. bicycles = 31.8%.
• May 1921: Werribee Shire Banner newspaper reported on an 8am-12am survey along the Melbourne to Geelong road at the Guiding Star hotel which showed a total of 2,375 vehicles including 244 bicycles ... i.e. bicycles = 10.3%.
• May 1924: The Western Mail newspaper reported that an April traffic survey over four days outside the Newmarket Hotel in Fremantle counted a total 4,997 vehicles including 402 bicycles - i.e. bicycles = 8%.
• February 1926: The Register newspaper reported that a two hour February census of road traffic entering Adelaide found: 2,960 motor cars; 97 motor vans; 675 lorries; 173 buses; 710 motorbikes; 872 horse-drawn vehicles; 2,761 bicycles ... i.e. bicycles = 33.5%.
• July 1933: The Townsville Daily Bulletin newspaper reported that a 1933 mid-winter survey over 12 hours of the Prince's, Queen's and Spencer St bridges in Melbourne counted a total 48,042 vehicles including 6,551 bicycles ... i.e. bicycles = 13.6%. A survey of the same bridges in 1932 found the cyclist ratio at 10.4%.
• October 1935: The West Australian newspaper reported that in a seven day September survey of the road traffic between Kalgoorlie and Coolgardie, 13.4% were cyclists.
• January 1937: The West Australian newspaper reported that from 5pm to 5.10pm in a January survey, 167 cyclists crossed the Causeway in one direction from Perth.
• July 1937: The Western Mail newspaper reported a Royal Automobile Club survey showing 2,500 cyclists rode across the Canning Bridge in Applecross every day. Monitoring of the Perth Bicycle Network 2012 at Ardross St in Applecross registered a total of 118 cyclists on 3 April, 2012.
• June 1940: The West Australian newspaper reported that in a 1939 seven day survey on the Causeway bridge at Perth's eastern entry, there were an average 4,762 cyclists recorded each day ... representing 30% of total traffic. According to Monitoring of the Perth Bicycle Network 2012, this compares to an average 5,623 cyclists per workday during 2012 at all paths across the Causeway, Windan Bridge and Narrows Bridge combined. Perth's population in 1939 was 225,000 and by 1947 it had increased to 272,500. This compares to 1.83 million in 2012.
• February 1943: The Melbourne Argus newspaper reported that among the five bridges crossing the Yarra River, a January survey had found: motor vehicles 40,821, other vehicles 2,433, bicycles 5,344 ... i.e. bicycles = 10.1%. In 1942, it was motor vehicles 44,316, other vehicles 1,778, bicycles 8,306 ... i.e. bicycles = 15.3%.
• April 1945: The Daily News reported roughly 20 cyclists per minute crossing the Causeway during peak hour, suggesting as many as 1,200 in one hour. This compares to 1,326 over a 12 hour period in March 2012.
• May 1948: The Adelaide Advertiser newspaper reported that a 1947 survey of 18 entry points to the city found bicycles comprised 26.1% of all road traffic. During the morning peak, bicycles comprised 56% of all traffic. During the evening peak, bicycles comprised 46% of all traffic.
• March 1954: The West Australian newspaper analysed Perth traffic census results, noting that a city survey in 1930 found 16.3% of 62,062 traffic movements within 12 hours were by bicycle.
• May 1954: The Melbourne Argus newspaper reported legendary road cyclist Hubert Opperman's estimates of traffic on Australian roads: motor cars and trucks 1,670,000; motorcycles 150,000; bicycles 1,500,000 ... i.e. bicycles = 45.2% of all Australian road traffic in 1952.

Summary

The data above suggests that by the 1950s, cyclists comprised 30-40% of all traffic on Australian roads. Based on Queensland medical data reported above, they represented about 6% of all road fatalities and 13% of all road injuries.

The Road Safety Council estimated 45% of all Australian traffic was bicycles in 1950 yet cyclists comprised just 8% of fatalities. ABS data suggests cyclists represented 3.6% of all road accidents in 1954.

Press reports about cycling participation from 1955 to 1990 haven't yet been located or researched but by the time bicycle helmet laws were enforced, cyclist numbers and traffic proportion were substantially less than the 1950s as car ownership had become common for all income levels.

Earlier newspaper reports show the cyclist fatality and injury rates were rising by 1952, but this was because the traffic proportion of cyclists was declining as Australian car ownership put its foot down in the 1940s.

There were no seat belts, drink driving laws, motorbike or bicycle helmets in the early years, and little enforcement of speed limits. Nor were there extensive city cycle paths as exist in 2012, suggesting a more dangerous travel environment for cyclists in the early half of the 20th century.

Despite this, the historic data reported in newspapers shows lower cyclist death and injury ratios than are experienced now in Australia where all-age mandatory bicycle helmet laws are enforced.

This suggests a higher accident/injury risk in the mandatory helmet regime and adds weight to evidence that by discouraging cycling participation in Australia, the helmet legislation has damaged the safety in numbers previously enjoyed by cyclists.

* See Safety in numbers: more walkers and bicyclists, safer walking and bicycling and Injury Prevention Editor’s Choice.

Mandatory Bicycle Helmet Law in Western Australia

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