Cycling injuries up 100 per cent for over 65s
Adam Blackwell20:18, Dec 31 2021
WARWICK SMITH/Stuff
Robyn Laing broke her arm in May after being hit by a car at a roundabout in Palmerston North.
Cycling injury claims are on the rise in New Zealand, especially for those over 65, an indication of its increasing popularity.
Palmerston North cyclist Robyn Laing, 70, has had a few crashes of her own over the years.
Last year Laing had made it to the centre of a roundabout in Palmerston North when someone in a car didn’t see her and knocked her off her bike, leading to a broken arm.
Her quick movement away from the car at the last minute saved her from worse injuries.
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WARWICK SMITH/Stuff
Robyn Laing says she would have been dead if she wasn’t wearing her helmet during her 2013 crash.
“Another bizarre thing, I’d been to church, you think, you know, I would have a bit of credit.”
It was the second serious crash Laing had been involved in, having suffered a head injury in 2013 after she was knocked off her bike by a car in Auckland.
Laing had ridden a bike all of her life and learned a few things about safety, and had some advice for those getting into cycling: have high visibility clothing and always wear it.
She said some people didn't want to look uncool, so they wouldn’t put it on.
She also said to have lights on your bike, avoid going out in bad weather if you were not experienced, and hold your position in the middle of the road when you were going around a roundabout.
And of course, always wear your helmet.
She would have been dead if she wasn’t wearing hers during her 2013 crash, she said.
According to figures from ACC, cycling-related injuries involving people aged 65 and over increased by 101 per cent between 2016 and 2020, from 2256 to 4526.
Overall cycling injury claims increased 30 per cent in that same timespan, reaching a record high of 36,063 in 2020.
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Patrick Morgan (right) says riding has amazing health benefits and people should keep doing it (file photo).
Cycling Action Network spokesman Patrick Morgan said he thought these figures reflected the boom in cycling among over 65-year-olds.
“The cliche is cycling is the new golf,” Morgan said.
E-bikes had played a part in this. Sales for e-bikes in New Zealand had basically doubled every year since 2013.
Data from Statistics New Zealand showed imports of e-bikes, e-scooters and other similar devices had increased from 1532 in 2013 to 63,855 in 2019, before dropping to 47,338 in 2020.
Morgan said the recent drop was likely due to disruption from the Covid-19 pandemic.
Riding had amazing health benefits and people should keep doing it, but they needed to be aware of their own skill level.
“It is a good idea to match your activity with your skill level, and I think some people overestimate their abilities.”
He said the figures could also to relate to the size and number of vehicles on our streets, and many councils had not done enough to keep pace with the demand for bike lanes.