Record number of cyclists killed or seriously injured in Somerset
Extent of carnage revealed in crash figures
Alice Cachia
Jillian MacMathTrending and Advance Content Writer
Footage of a serious incident in Somerset show riders catapulted off their bikes and left in a heap after being struck by a car.
A record number of Somerset cyclists are being killed or seriously injured in accidents.
Collision records show that 125 cycliist were injured in crashes on the county's roads in 2017.
One in six of them was killed or seriously injured - 22 in total - latest government figures reveal.
A "serious" accident is when a person requires in-patient treatment or suffers injuries such as broken bones or internal injuries.
The 22 people who were killed or seriously injured in 2017 is the highest number on recent record.
Figures go back as far as 2013, when 18 pedal cyclists were killed or seriously injured in accidents.
The figures reveal that one of the victims who was killed or seriously injured across Somerset in 2017 was a child.
The overall number of cyclist casualties - including those where only minor injuries were sustained - is also on the rise in Somerset.
The 125 casualties in 2017 is up from 105 the year before - and is at its highest level 2014, when there were 138.
One such incident involved a group of cyclists mowed down by a passing car Near Yeovil on Novemer 23, 2017.
Martin Wills was riding with other members of the Yeovil Cycle Club, including his wife Sandra, when a car ploughed through the line of cyclists in the village of Mudford.
WATCH: The shocking moment a car crashes into a group of cyclists
The footage shows the riders catapulted off their bikes and left in a heap in the road as the car drives into the distance.
Michael Tarrant, 81, of Thornwell Way, Wincanton, admitted dangerous driving at Taunton Crown Court on Monday (July 9).
He denied a more serious charge of causing serious injury by dangerous driving, which was dropped.
A recent study from the road safety charity Brake revealed that 40 per cent of car drivers said they had seen an increase in dangerous or aggressive driving around cyclists over the past five years.
Joshua Harris, director of campaigns for Brake, said: "Cycling is one of the healthiest and cheapest ways to get around and everyone should
be able to cycle every day without fear for their own safety.
"Yet our research has found that even drivers think dangerous driving around cyclists has increased in recent years, and with 10 people cycling being killed or seriously injured every day, more is clearly needed to be done to keep those on two wheels safe.
"Whilst the government's actions to encourage more people to cycle and keep them safe are welcome, they must go further.
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"We need slower, safer speed limits, greater investment in segregated cycle lanes and drivers who do behave dangerously removed from our
roads.
"Drivers themselves also have a role to play in keeping people cycling safe - with our research showing that they acknowledge the dangers they can pose to cyclists."
Sustrans - a charity campaigning for more people to walk and cycle - has a list of tips to improve cycle safety.
They advise that cyclists should never ride their bike along the inside of large vehicles, especially at junctions where most accidents happen, and that riders should use lights and wear bright or reflective clothing.
They also urge motorists turning left to pay particular attention to cyclists coming up on their near side.
Across England there were 3,511 pedal cyclists killed or seriously injured in 2017 - a record high.
Latest government figures reveal that 125 cyclists were hurt on the county's roads in 2017. (Image: Getty)
That works out as a rate of one in every five of the 17,146 casualties that year.
In recent years the government has pledged to improve cycle safety in a bid to get more people using bikes as an alternative to driving
In March this year the Department for Transport pledged a £21 million investment to improve on- and off-road stretches of the 16,000 mile
National Cycle Network.
The investment will fund dozens of activation projects for upgrading the network.
The Department for Transport was contacted for comment.
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