The number of pedestrians killed or seriously injured by cyclists is soaring – and mobile phones are being blamed.
“Smartphone zombies” who fail to look before crossing the road are believed to be responsible for a surge in accidents.
Sixteen pedestrians have been killed in crashes with cyclists and another 590 seriously injured in the past five years.
Government data shows one pedestrian was killed in a crash with a bike last year and another 144 were badly hurt – an increase of 35 in the past five years.
The Department of Transport says there were 2658 accidents in 2017 involving pedestrians who were “reckless or in a hurry”, including people using phones.
Of these, 41 were fatal and 765 caused serious injuries to the pedestrian.
Separate NHS statistics reveal there is about one emergency admission to hospital every day for a pedestrian who has been in collision with a cyclist.
In June, yoga teacher Gemma Brushett, 28, sued a cyclist who hit her as she crossed a street while looking at her mobile.
A judge found her carelessness was partly to blame but cyclist Robert Hazeldean, 38, was deemed liable to pay thousands of pounds.
Duncan Dollimore, of Cycling UK, said: “The reality is that cyclists do little harm to other road users, including pedestrians.”
