Statistics released in August 2014 by the Department for Transport show that he number of cyclists killed and seriously injured on the UK's roads between January and March 2014 rose by 27% as compared with the same period of 2013. The corresponding rise for pedestrians was 16%. Most cycling accidents happen in urban areas, while the latest (August 2014) statistics from the Royal Society for the Prevention of Accidents show that about a quarter of all accidents resulting in serious injuries to cyclists involve large vehicles - HGVs, buses or coaches -passing too close. Drivers' blind spots, and the inadequacy of conventional rearward-facing mirrors, are among the reasons. London, where bus trips account for over a quarter of all road journeys made, has recently been the beneficiary of a downward trend as far as public transport-generated accidents are concerned. Between 2008 and 2013, the number of cyclists killed or seriously injured (KSIs) as the result of colliding with a bus or coach fell by 40%, while the comparable figure for pedestrians was 48%.
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