By Kim Rahn
Staff Reporter
The number of accidents involving bicycles is surging in line with the growing popularity of riding bikes for commuting and leisure.
Experts say that the country needs to improve its bike related facilities and traffic laws, and that riders should receive education about safe riding.
According to the Road Traffic Authority, Tuesday, Korea had 7,922 accidents involving bicycles in 2006, but the figure jumped to 10,848 last year, a 37 percent hike. Most of the accidents were collisions involving bikes and cars.
From those accidents, 11,425 people died or were injured last year, up 38 percent from 2006's total of 8,291. Among the casualties, 313 were fatal, accounting for 5.3 percent of the total number of people who died from traffic accidents last year, 5,870.
The increase in bicycle accidents is contrary to the decrease in total traffic accidents: there were 215,000 traffic accidents in 2008, down 26 percent from 290,000 in 2000. But during the same period, the number of bicycle accidents skyrocketed by 71 percent.
As to the rise of accidents, experts pointed out that the country lacks necessary infrastructure and rules for bicycle riding, while bicycles are gaining popularity as a means of exercise and an environment-friendly, cost-reducing mode of transit.
Seoul has 729 kilometers of roads for bicycles, but only 123 kilometers are designated as ``bike-only," while the rest are sidewalks divided into two lanes, one for pedestrians and one for bikes. Among the 123 kilometers, only 44 kilometers are on streets downtown, with the remainder alongside rivers or in parks.
``We need infrastructure for bicycles, and especially that for daily living rather than riverside ones for leisure. It is more convenient to ride a bicycle than a car when going to a close place, but people take cars when visiting a market just 500 meters away from home because the road conditions are unsafe and inconvenient for bike riders,'' Kim Young-bok, head of the Korea Bicyclists Association's Seoul branch, said.
Traffic laws rarely have regulations for bicycle riders' safety, Kim said, adding that bicycle-friendly nations such as Germany have separate lanes and traffic lights for bikes from those for cars.
He also stressed the importance of education on bike riding and traffic safety from an early age. ``We have to teach children traffic regulations and safety from kindergarten, such as wearing a helmet when riding bikes. Such efforts will lead to an advanced bicycle riding culture,'' Kim said.
rahnita@koreatimes.co.kr
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