UPDATED: Institute of Advanced Motorists poll claims 57% of all cyclists run reds. IAM refuses to add motorist breaches.
Earlier today the press officer for IAM, the Institute of Advanced Motorists, issued a press release headlined 'More than half of cyclists jump red lights'. This is based on an online survey completed by mostly non-IAM members, none of whom had to supply any verification of their identity.
The IAM's press release is embargoed for tomorrow but BikeBiz.com is releasing it today in order to prepare cyclists for the hate they'll receive from the mainstream media tomorrow.
BikeBiz.com asked IAM to supply the stat for the number of motorists who run reds. IAM said 32 percent admitted to doing so but the charity will not be including this 'statistic' in the same press release (which has already been recalled and resubmitted once, because poll numbers weren't included in original release).
Caroline Holmes, senior communications officer at the IAM, said:
"We will of course balance this with a release on car drivers jumping red lights…in the near future."
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Why not make the press release about red light running by road users in general? To not do so, when stats are available, suggests bias against one group of road users.
The survey is still available online. Some of the results can be found here. You don't have to be a statistician or a market research specialist to spot the flaws in the survey or in IAM's press release.
Holmes' email signature says she was the Public Relations Consultants Association's "Young communicator of the year" in 2011.
In 2007, a report for Transport for London - based on actual measurement at notorious 'red light running' locations - found that 16 percent of cyclists ran reds and that "Violation is not endemic."
This is for London, thought to be the UK's capital of red light running by cyclists. The IAM's press release uses an online survey of dubious statistical accuracy to state that 57 percent of cyclists in every part of the UK run red lights.
When asked why they don't provide more infrastructure for cyclists, politicians have been known to say things such as if only cyclists would clean up their act, there would be more chance of such provision. Red light running, as well as "cycling on pavements", is a stick to hit cyclists with. Ministers never say they'll only build more roads if motorists stopped speeding.
Cycle organisations have roundly criticised IAM's poll methodology and the conclusions in the press release.
Eleanor Besley, Sustrans' policy advisor, said: “While not all cyclists are saints, this dodgy survey only tells half a story and misses the biggest issues facing everyone on our roads.
“With more and more people waking up to the benefits of cycling, we need roads that bikes, cars and pedestrians can share - pointing the finger at cyclists and stirring up bad feeling is frankly dangerous.
“Everyone sharing our roads needs to stick to the rules, but we need big changes to our streets to make them safer for everyone starting with lower speed limits where we live, work and play.”
British Cycling issued a statement saying: "we understand that the validity of the ‘57% of cyclists jump red lights’ figure has been questioned. A breakdown of the figures has shown that only 1.9% confessed to regularly doing so. Another 11.8% did so "sometimes" while 24.6% did "rarely", and 19.1% had done so once or twice. There is also a statistic in the poll where 32% of motorists have admitted to running red lights."
Martin Gibbs, British Cycling’s Director of Policy and Legal Affairs, said: “All road users must adhere to the Highway Code and traffic enforcement laws and of course that includes waiting at red lights and not cycling on pavements.
“Some junctions are so badly designed that people on bikes feel they have to choose between riding legally and riding safely, and this urgently needs addressing. Cycle provision and cycle safety must be designed into roads and junctions before they are built, and existing problem junctions re-engineered, so we create an environment in which people can cycle safely."
A statement from the CTC said "the figures, which came from a self-reported internet poll, reveal that only 2% of respondents said they jump lights ‘frequently’, while 42% say that they jump lights ‘once or twice’ or ‘rarely’ and another 44% say they never have.
"All road users, including drivers and motorcyclists, break the law. In a similar self-reported survey drivers admitted to routine lawbreaking as half of respondents admitted to using mobile phones while driving (mostly illegal hand-held). Another found that 82% “sometimes or frequently” exceed the speed limit."
CTC’s campaign director Roger Geffen said: “As road users we would like to see road traffic laws be enforced for the safety of everyone, but let’s not forget that the risk imposed by cyclists is minimal when compared to red light jumping drivers.”
He continues: “Of pedestrians injured in London in a collision caused by red light jumping only 4% involve cyclists, whereas 71% occur when a car driver jumps a red light and 13% when a motorcyclist does. As an organisation representing those two road user groups, CTC suggests IAM ought to call for more road traffic policing to enforce traffic laws, rather than highlighting red light jumping by cyclists.”
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[UPDATE: stung by criticism, IAM has now issued a new opening para to the press release below and has told local media they can release the info straight away because of the broken embargo:
"Fifty-seven per cent of cyclists say they have jumped a red light at least once, with 14 per cent saying they do so regularly or sometimes, according to the IAM's latest online poll of 1600 people.
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The embargoed press release can be seen below:
More than half of cyclists jump red lights
Fifty-seven per cent of cyclists admit to jumping red lights according to the IAM’s latest poll of 1600 people.
The main reason given for jumping lights is because it is safer to get ahead of other traffic (38 per cent do this). At the same time over half (54 per cent) of cyclists think that cyclists should improve their behaviour by sticking to the Highway Code at junctions – poor road layout and junctions were a top concern for half (48 per cent) of the cyclists polled.
Other findings are:
Seventy three per cent of cyclists ride on the pavement, with the top reasons being: because the cycle path doesn’t join up completely (59 per cent), to avoid a busy section of road, which doesn’t have a cycle path (55 per cent) and to avoid a busy junction (47 per cent)Ninety-four per cent of cyclists have seen a driver cross an advanced stop line*
And 43 per cent said they would be less likely to jump red lights if advanced stop lines were more strongly enforced.IAM chief executive Simon Best said: “Cyclists are right to feel that roads are not cycle friendly enough, and this is reflected in their behaviour. But while poor junction design, inconsistent cycle paths and inconsiderate drivers put cyclists at risk, cyclists also have to help themselves.
“Changes to road layouts and junctions can improve safety for cyclists, but no junction will ever be safe for those who continue to jump red lights. It’s dangerous and illegal.
“The police need to enforce the law as strongly when cyclists put themselves and others at risk by jumping the lights, as they do for drivers. They also need to ensure that drivers are pulled up for crossing advanced stop lines that protect cyclists.”
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12 comments
Let's see the statistics of motorists obeying to speed limts ... and how many accidents are caused by speeding.
Bryce Benat May 14th 2012 at 1:43PM
0 2Not to mention illegal use of mobile phones and also giving adequate room to cyclists when overtaking.
Patrick Alexander May 14th 2012 at 1:52PM
0 0I suspect that Carlton may have been hinting at this: Red Alert: Motorists Drive Through 278 Red Traffic Lights a Minute - 22nd August 2011 5.2 million drivers have passed through a red traffic signal in the last month Amber gamblers: Almost one in ten drivers doesn’t slow down for amber lights New research from Direct Line car insurance reveals that motorists are driving through 12 million red lights each month on British roads – the equivalent of running 278 red lights every minute *. Over 5.2 million (14 per cent) motorists admit that they drive through an average of two red traffic lights each month. Over 760,000 (two per cent) motorists habitually drive through red lights if they feel the road is clear and there is no traffic. As a result of their reckless behaviour at red lights, drivers risk clocking up over 36 million penalty points (three for each offence) and fines from fixed penalty notices totalling £721** million every month. A worryingly high number of motorists, dubbed ‘amber gamblers’, are putting their lives and other road-users at risk by failing to slow down for traffic lights about to turn red. Almost one in ten (nine per cent) motorists don't reduce their speed when approaching amber lights, with four per cent admitting to putting the accelerator to the floor to race through the lights. Over 1.5 million (four per cent) motorists admit to getting ‘a thrill’ when driving through amber traffic lights that they know will have turned red before they have passed through the crossing or junction. Over 500,000 drivers risk being ‘rear ended’ as they stamp on their brakes as an automatic response whenever they see amber traffic lights.... http://www.directline.com/about_us/news_22082011.htm http://www.webcitation.org/65guz89OR
Christopher Sauvarin May 14th 2012 at 1:56PM
0 0The problem here is that we can all do the "Yah, Boo!" thing ... two wrongs most definitely do not make a right, and just because some motorists speed, drive without tax or insurance, run red lights, use mobiles whilst driving, are abusive to other road users and so on, is not a justification for cyclists to be similarly half-witted. I see cyclists doing some pretty scary things, even to me, as a life-long cyclist and former racing cyclist - just as I see motorists doing things that make my blood run cold (or hot, depending ...) so there is an argument that says that if we as cyclists want to gain some sort of moral high ground, we do have to clean up our act - as otherwise we will always be the whipping boys & girls of the motoring lobby, who have a lot more marketing bucks, better representation in the halls of power and therefore direct influence over those in power and also indirectly, they wield a lot of influence over the populist media, which in large part sets the agenda for government. Running red lights, cycling on the pavement, riding without lights are all stupid in this context *because* they are illegal and destroy the credibility of our arguments ...
Graeme King May 14th 2012 at 1:56PM
0 1Graeme King, You are exactly correct, however there seems to be a widely-held but incorrect perception among motorists that motorists are generally law-abiding while cyclists are all inveterate law-breakers. Sadly, rubbish surveys are exactly what is not needed and merely create much heat without shedding much light. It is a tragedy that such appalling surveys are ever allowed to see the light of day. I wouldn't be surprised if the survey was featured on their website by the Association of British Dunderheads aka cyclist-hating bigots.
Christopher Sauvarin May 14th 2012 at 2:17PM
0 2No. of people killed by red-running cyclists = X No. of people killed by red-running motorists = Y Now can we get to something important....
Richard Powell May 14th 2012 at 2:38PM
0 0Have to ask...I understand that a requested embargoe was broken by BikeBiz in the interests of cyclists and the barricking they would take today in light of IAM's high profile release, BUT was that action right as there appears to have been limited/no exposure of this stunning revelation that most of us, particularly those of us who live in London experience every day? I note that even the most denigrated publication...The Daily Mail!!! found it only worthy of a few inches of boring facts on page 24 today...
billy hunt May 15th 2012 at 6:10PM
0 1Of course what the IAM ignores, is that all those participating in their survey (dogy or otherwise) is that the participants would identify themsleves as motorists, not cyclists. I mean how many cyclists will be taking part in online Insitute of Advanced Motorist Surveys?
Paul May 15th 2012 at 8:23PM
0 0The one thing that always seems to be overlooked by these self promoting surveys is that cyclists are also motorists and vice versa. Perhaps the motorists which jump red lights are the same guys that do it on their bicycles or vice versa?
dominic langan May 16th 2012 at 8:10AM
0 1@ Billy Hunt Story was covered sensibly by Guardian and The Times (I started an email round robin between these guys and CTC etc so we could all sing from the same song sheet). Daily Mail and Metro ran long rants. Evening Standard's piece had "Lycra louts" in the first sentence and swallowed the release whole. BBC Breakfast yesterday has IAM spokesman on the show alongside Kirsty, a British Cycling PR officer. Kirsty wasn't believed when presenter again and again asked she if her ran reds. Story is still running today (and will likely linger, with the 57% stat wheeled out for ever and a day). "Fuel card news: Drivers warned of cyclist danger" "Survey: majority of cyclists jump red lights" by MSN Cars All the coverage can be seen here via a Google news search: http://bit.ly/Ksxhho I think I was right to break the embargo and forewarn cyclists and sensible media outlets about the sh*tstorm to come.
Carlton Reid May 16th 2012 at 10:41AM
0 0dominic - wash your mouth out! Cyclists are not the same thing as motorists, they are a special type of earthling that only ever travel on bicycles, they fight constantly with the motorist earthling, who is not fit to go near a bicycle! Cyclists have even been known to view a few bland column inches about a weak, unimportant survey of motorists (who shhh may also cycle) on page 24 of the Daily Mail as a ‘rant’ against cycling. Perhaps cyclists should visit Madison’s ice bike event (to name but one) and see the hundreds of mainly upmarket motor cars that the industry own, lining what must be going on for a mile of roadway….funnily enough most of these retailers, who are the at the heart of the bicycle Biz also cycle. If a minority of cyclists stopped pretending that they were a separate tribe of higher beings and took more responsibility and the higher ground as GFK suggests here, then perhaps the majority of the UK might feel that cycling was more accessible to them and the minority of motorists who do have an issue might learn something. Yeh…dream on….
billy hunt May 16th 2012 at 10:01PM
0 1@ Billy Hunt How sweet, you read genuine news print. Showing your age there. The rant was on Mail Online, the world's most read website. I pointed you to the Google News link which would have shown you all the online mentions. Please do a modicum of research before you throw your sticks and stones. I'm not too sure what you're trying to say with your 'earthling' comments. I'm a motorist, and a cyclist. The 'them and us' thing is not my doing. A large number of motorists don't realise cyclists own cars too, they believe cyclists are paupers, even those on £2000 bikes. As Phillip Darnton's letter to the IAM argues, the press release from an organisation that formerly tried to dispel the 'them and us' thing was unnecessarily divisive. It could have been about the bad behaviour of all road users but IAM decided not to include the 32 percent of motorists run reds stat and only went with the cyclists angle, knowing this would enflame the red-tops (which it did). IAM has done a great disservice to road safety in general. At least the Bicycle Association (made up of members who, between them own lots of flash cars) recognises this. If only other cycle trade organisations had the same foresight.
Carlton Reid May 17th 2012 at 9:23AM
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