Serious cycling injuries in Alberta spike during pandemic: Canadian Institute for Health Information
New data from the Canadian Institute for Health Information (CIHI) shows cycling injuries spiked in the first year of the pandemic.
Across Canada, hospitalizations for cycling injuries increased 25 per cent and hospitalizations for cycling-related brain injuries increased 36 per cent, from 4,190 to 5,255.
In Alberta, the numbers are more drastic, with 15 per cent of all cycling injuries in Canada being reported in the province and emergency department visits for cycling incidents rising 48 per cent from the previous year, up to 13,000 from 8,734.
Tayna Khan, manager of clinical administrative databases at CIHI, said the pandemic is a potential explanation for the spike in injuries.
“Our data doesn’t capture exactly why this happened, however. . .we’re generating a few hypotheses,” Khan said. “And it’s possible that some of the public measures had an impact.”
Bike – and electric bike – sales rose during the first year of the pandemic, and Khan said the loss of team sports and social activities may have driven people to look for new ways to enjoy the outdoors.
Stephen Reitz, chair of Paths for People, said Edmonton doesn’t have a well-developed network of safe connected lanes and shared-use paths, putting new cyclists at an increased risk for injury while moving around the city.
But even experienced cyclists aren’t always safe on roads, he adds.
Dana Creran has been cycling for close to eight years, but she has decided to take a break from riding in the city after getting in an accident on Saturday.
Creran said she was crossing the road at a crosswalk with her sister on their bikes when a car turned right across their path without stopping for the red light. They avoided getting hit, but both were clipped into their road bikes and fell hard, she adds.
“I’m all bruised up all over my left side, and she’s currently in a sling for four to six weeks,” Creran said. “And this all could have been easily prevented if the person would have stopped at the stop line where the red light was.”
Creran doesn’t feel safe riding in the city anymore, and said she isn’t shocked by the statistics showing the increase in cycling related injuries.
“Every year I can count on my hand at least five or six times where there’s a car who is riding right behind us, trying to scare us off the road,” Creran said. “We’re getting honks, we’re getting fingers, we’re getting yelled at.”
“It’s a lot of close calls.”
Reitz said road users can take care in different ways to ensure a safe ride for everyone. Cyclists should wear a helmet, ride in lit areas and use bike lanes and shared-use paths where possible. For drivers, he said, it’s important to stay vigilant and remember that pedestrians and cyclists are more vulnerable to injury.
“It’s really important for drivers to remind themselves that they’re using a vehicle that can cause serious harm and potentially death,” he said, adding that all road users benefit from signaling with intent and being patient on the roadways.
“One thing we’re really like to stress is that it’s just really important to be kind to everybody else using the roadspace, no matter the way that they’re getting around. Because at the end of the day, everybody just wants to get home.”
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
![](https://www.ctvnews.ca/polopoly_fs/1.6903244.1716897063!/httpImage/image.jpg_gen/derivatives/landscape_800/image.jpg)
BREAKING Scotiabank suffers direct deposit outage on pay day
Scotiabank has acknowledged technical difficulties affecting direct deposits as clients report missed payments Friday morning. On Friday morning, the bank's client services phone line was playing an automated message assuring customers that work was underway to rectify the outage.
Canada Soccer head investigating 'systemic ethical shortcoming' amid spying scandal
Canada Soccer chief executive officer Kevin Blue said he was investigating a potential 'systemic ethical shortcoming' within the program but has not considered pulling the women's soccer team from the Paris Olympics due to a drone spying scandal.
Suspected train sabotage, bad weather dampen spirits ahead of Paris opening ceremony
The Paris Olympics are getting off to a rough start, with suspected acts of sabotage targeting France's flagship high-speed rail network.
Elon Musk's estranged daughter calls out his 'entirely fake' claims about her childhood
Vivian Jenna Wilson, Elon Musk's estranged daughter, publicly refuted several recent anti-trans statements her Tesla CEO and X owner father has made about her.
'She led it the whole way': 18-year-old B.C. woman leads hikers to safety in Jasper National Park
As fire threatened people in Jasper National Park, Colleen Knull sprung into action.
'Catastrophic' situation 'cannot continue': Open letter from Trudeau, other PMs calling for Gaza ceasefire
Prime ministers of Canada, New Zealand and Australia released a letter renewing calls for an “urgent ceasefire” in Gaza on Friday morning.
Arson attacks cause chaos before start of Olympics in Paris, thwarting athletes' travel
Arsonists attacked the French high-speed rail network early Friday, paralyzing travel to Paris from across the rest of France and Europe for some 800,000 people, including Olympic athletes heading to the grand opening ceremony of the Games in the evening.
Saskatchewan First Nation lifts 17-year long water advisory
After 17 years, residents of Star Blanket Cree Nation can breathe a sigh of relief when turning on their taps.
Latest updates on wildfires in Jasper National Park: Rain, cooler weather limiting spread
Cool and wet weather is making a difference in Jasper National Park.