Thursday 10 December 2009

Worrying Trend - Part 2



A while ago I published a post about the worrying number of women cyclists killed by heavy goods vehicles this year in London.

Sadly there is now another name to add to the macabre list. Twenty-three year old fashion student Dorothy Rose Elder died on 22nd November as a result of horrific injuries she sustained when she was crushed by a London Transport bus on 11th November. The accident happened at the junction of Theobalds Road and Southampton Row, near Holborn.


Police are still trying to establish the exact circumstances of the accident, and are appealing for witnesses. I am very sorry to hear about yet another life that was taken unneccessarily and my thoughts go out to Dorothy's family.

Some of you may have already seen this BBC article about women cyclists and why we are more likely to be involved in road traffic accidents than men. Whatever your opinions are, I found this article adds food for thought. It also gives a few safety tips.

Note that I do not how this latest accident occurred and so I can't say if the tips in the article would have helped. These tips could still be useful to all commuters who cycle in built-up areas where there are HGVs, trucks and buses.
The London Cycling Campaign have launched various initiatives, including lobbying and signing of petitions to improve the safety of cyclists in London. They encourage as many people as possible to get involved and help to reduce the number of cycling accidents on our roads.

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