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The share of cyclists who had used alcohol and/or drugs prior to their accident was the largest.

Getting into the car under the influence of alcohol or drugs is nowadays seen as not done. On the other hand, it is very common to get on a scooter drunk. And not only that: getting on a bike under the influence is also seen as quite normal. In fact, most of the clubbing public think they are doing the right thing by going home by bike instead of by car. A study by SafetyNL shows that the problem of substance use does not only concern drivers of cars, motorcycles, mopeds and light mopeds.

The share of cyclists who had used alcohol and/or drugs prior to their accident was the largest. This concerned three quarters of the cases: it is estimated that in 2021 some 4.500 cyclists will end up in an emergency department after substance use. During this period, the number of ED visits related to serious injury resulting from a cycling accident involving alcohol and/or drugs increased by 84 percent, a greater increase than such ED visits for accidents involving all modes of transport.

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bicycle accident

Ten percent of all traffic accidents after substance use involved drivers of a passenger car, and in another one in ten cases the victim was a driver of a moped, light moped, scooter or bicycle with an auxiliary engine. The investigation of SafetyNL shows that, in addition to actions taken to combat substance use on (shared) scooters, interventions are needed to reduce bicycle crashes after alcohol and drug use.

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