It has been an awful year for cycling safety in Australia.

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Last week, a 32-year-old cyclist died after a car collided with a group of five cyclists in Canberra, while another cyclist was critically injured.

It is unfortunate that it often takes a tragedy like this to draw attention to broader safety trends. And speaking of safety trends, the latest figures for Australian cyclists are particularly concerning.

In the 12 months to July 2026, 57 cyclists died on Australian roads. That is 54 per higher than the 37 deaths recorded over the previous 12 months.

The longer trend makes the latest figure even more striking. In the equivalent 12-month period ending July 2017, only 26 cyclists died.

Since then, the annual count has fluctuated between 33 and 46 deaths. It has now jumped to 57 and that is more than double the 2017 figure and 24 per cent above the previous decade-high of 46.

Could greater exposure be the main reason? More people cycling, or cycling more often, would naturally create more likelihoods for serious crashes.

The latest national participation data does not support this hypothesis as it doesn't show a particularly distinct cycling boom.

In 2025, about 15 per cent of Australians, or 4.11 million people, cycled in a typical week. That was virtually unchanged from 2023 and below the 18.2 per cent recorded in 2021.

The 2025 survey describes weekly cycling participation as steady, with riding frequency also stable at around three days per week.

Cyclists are not the only road users for whom the longer-term picture is concerning.

Over the same period, deaths among drivers have remained broadly flat, from 564 in the 12 months to July 2017 to 584 in 2026. Passenger deaths declined from 222 to 202.

The picture for vulnerable road users is different.........

© Canberra Times