Cyclists recorded 63 serious or fatal casualties per 100 million kilometres travelled in NI in 2025
Official exposure-based road-safety data shows pedal cyclists had a much higher KSI rate per distance travelled than car and van users.
Pedal cyclists in Northern Ireland recorded a killed-or-seriously-injured rate of 63 casualties per 100 million kilometres cycled in 2025, according to the latest DfI road-safety statistics.
The equivalent rate for car and van users was four per 100 million kilometres travelled.
The comparison is important because it adjusts for exposure. Far fewer kilometres are travelled by bicycle than by car, so raw casualty totals alone can make cycling risk look smaller than it is per unit of travel.
What the number actually means
The figure is a population-level rate. It does not mean every cyclist has the same risk and it cannot tell you the probability of a crash on a particular journey.
Risk varies with road type, junction design, traffic speed, lighting, weather, rider experience, visibility and many other factors.
Cyclists remain vulnerable in a collision
Like pedestrians and motorcyclists, cyclists do not have the structural protection of an enclosed vehicle.
A collision that might result in bodywork damage between two cars can result in a serious injury when one of the road users is on a bicycle.
How cycling compares with walking and motorcycling
DfI reports 41 pedestrian KSIs per 100 million kilometres walked and 344 motorcyclist KSIs per 100 million kilometres ridden.
That puts cyclists between pedestrians and motorcyclists on this particular exposure-based measure, but still far above car and van users.
The statistic is not an argument against cycling
Road-safety data should not be used to tell people that cycling itself is irresponsible. Cycling has transport, health and environmental benefits and the level of risk is influenced heavily by the environment in which people are expected to ride.
The value of the statistic is that it shows why safe overtaking, junction awareness and appropriate infrastructure matter.
What drivers need to remember
A cyclist may need to move away from the kerb to avoid potholes, drains or parked-car doors. That movement is not necessarily erratic.
Drivers should leave appropriate space when overtaking and avoid squeezing past where the road is too narrow to do so safely.
What cyclists can do
Good lighting, visible clothing, predictable road positioning and awareness of vehicle blind spots can all help reduce risk.
But those steps do not transfer all responsibility to the cyclist. Drivers remain responsible for operating a much heavier and faster vehicle safely around vulnerable road users.
Car technology does not eliminate cyclist risk
Some modern vehicles can detect cyclists using cameras or radar, and blind-spot systems may warn a driver about a rider alongside the car. Those features are useful but should not create false confidence. Detection can be affected by angle, speed, weather or visibility, and not every car has the same capability.
Physical separation, safe overtaking space and careful observation at junctions remain fundamental.
Used-car buyers can check for relevant safety equipment
When comparing newer used cars, buyers who regularly drive in towns may want to look for autonomous emergency braking with vulnerable-road-user detection, blind-spot monitoring and good all-round visibility. Safety specifications can vary by trim level, so a model name alone does not guarantee the feature is fitted.
That is one reason PureCar recommends checking the actual specification of the individual vehicle rather than relying only on a model-level review.
Source
Department for Infrastructure, Northern Ireland Road Safety Strategy to 2030 Annual Statistical Report 2025.
