Garda report highlights cyclist’s concerns over under-reporting of accidents

The Garda Inspectorate Report on Crime Investigation, 2014 gives credence to cyclists concerns about how road traffic collisions involving motorised vehicles impacting with cyclists are handled by An Garda.

The Bedford Report for the HSE in 2011 showed that only approximately 10% of serious injuries (with hospital admission to a bed) incurred by cyclists in road traffic collisions were recorded by Garda.

The GI Report doesn’t mince its words: “This inspection has identified several deficiencies in recording practices, supervision and governance over recorded crime and the level of recorded detections for those crimes. The veracity of crime recording in Ireland must be addressed immediately. It is for this reason that the Inspectorate is making substantial recommendations to get it right from the first contact with a victim reporting a crime and through every stage of the investigative process”.

If a cyclist is knocked off his/her bike from impact with a motorised vehicle that is a potential criminal offence if serious injury results. Cyclists expect all such RTCs to be properly and fully investigated and recorded with appropriate follow-up. That clearly is not happening at present. Acute hospitals need to document all admission cases arising from cyclist RTCs and inform the Gardai of them.

The Departments of Transport, Justice and Health and the Road Safety Authority need to ensure that this scandal ends. It is an action from the NCPF since 2009. No sign of urgency so far.

Analysis of accident data and safety issues (abstract only)