The number of cyclists killed on UK roads increased by 40 per cent in 2020, official figures show - despite lower levels of traffic due to the Covid pandemic.
Department for Transport (DfT) statistics show 140 cyclists were killed in Britain last in 2020, up from 100 in 2019.
The Automobile Association (AA) said car traffic was at just 22 per cent of pre-lockdown levels last year.
All other road-related casualties and fatalities were down as people stayed home more often amid intermittent lockdowns, the DfT said.
Meanwhile, the number of people taking to Britain's roads boomed.
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According to Grant Shapps, the transport secretary, weekday cycling was up 100 per cent in June and 200 per cent at weekends.
Although cycling fatalities had increased, the overall number of cycling casualties saw the greatest decrease (34 per cent) compared to all other road user types, the Dft data shows
It said the cycling figures should be viewed in the context of both the relatively small size of the dataset and an increase in cycling.
Cycling groups, however, voiced concerns that fatalities had risen when there were fewer drivers on the roads.
Duncan Dollimore, the head of campaigns for Cycling UK, suggested dangerous driving could have been a factor in the rise of deaths.
He said: "140 deaths is still 140 tragedies that could have been avoided.
"police reports showed an increase in dangerous driving. This type of lethal behaviour needs tackling.”
Edmund King, president of the AA, said it was "staggering" that deaths had increased so much while traffic was "down to as little as 22 per cent" of pre-lockdown levels.
“This points strongly to the need for better engineering, more education and more cops in cars to help eliminate road deaths,” he added.
