Danger on two wheels: Cyclist deaths are on the rise in Germany

Newly-released figures are sure to prove a cause for concern for Germany’s avid cyclists. According to provisional data from the Federal Statistical Office, deaths on the roads in 2018 were up 15% from the previous year across all forms of bicycles, with 445 losing their lives. That worrying figure increases to as much as 27% when looking at the numbers killed riding partially motorised ‘e-bikes’, with 89 of them killed in traffic accidents.

Not only has this number increased in 2018, experts shockingly predict that even more will die this year. Siegfried Brockman, head of accident research in the insurance sector for the UDV Institute, has a sobering forecast for 2019.

"There are more and more cyclists, more e-bikes and soon there will be e-scooters as well. You would expect infrastructure would get ahead of the new developments, and not merely follow them, but we are far from this."

With more people choosing two wheels over the safety of a car or simply walking, more bikes on the roads equals more deaths on them too according to Brockman. Plus, he says hot weather plays a part, with the upward trend set to continue "unless we have a truly terrible summer, and nobody gets on their bicycle."

As 2018’s summer was long and hot, currently the only thing that may prevent another increase is a cool wet summer, not an ideal scenario in most people’s minds, but it may quell the numbers.