In total, more than 30,000 people were injured in a cycling accident in 2014, over 40 percent more than ten years ago. "Half of the increase can be explained by the fact that there are more people insured today than in 2005," says Peter Andermatt, statistician at Suva. If this fact is taken into account, the number of bicycle accidents in road traffic remained stable at 20,000. "This is very pleasing," says Esther Hess, head of the cycling campaign, "because Suva has carried out intensive prevention work in road traffic in recent years."

About 80 percent of accidents are self-inflicted. The main reason for this is that drivers are not paying enough attention or are distracted. "Riding with foresight and consideration and wearing a helmet are key measures to protect yourself against injury." The rate of helmet use in road traffic has risen to 47% in recent years.

Almost only men

The latest evaluations from Suva as part of its "Accidents in figures" series also show that sports and leisure accidents off the road have doubled. This applies in particular to mountain biking accidents. "We suspect that the number of mountain bikers has also risen in the same way," says statistician Peter Andermatt. For campaign manager Hess, one thing is clear: "We will keep an eye on the number of accidents and expand our prevention work if necessary. Around 6000 bike accidents now account for a fifth of all cycling accidents. The majority of them are caused by men between the ages of 30 and 50.

Shoulders and upper arms most frequently injured

Men have more serious accidents on average than women. Among men, injuries to shoulders and upper arms increase twice as much in summer as injuries to wrists, hands and fingers. "This is also due to the fact that men mountain bike more often than women and are more seriously injured in falls," says Peter Andermatt.

Shoulders and upper arms also top the list of the most common injuries. Almost a fifth of accident victims have this as their main diagnosis. A further 16 percent are diagnosed with a head injury and 14 percent with wrist, hand and finger injuries. This is followed by knee, forearm, elbow, lower leg and ankle injuries (see infographic). Traumatic brain injury accounts for 4 percent. "Fortunately, these serious injuries are rather rare," says campaign manager Hess. But the helmet protects against them. "It's as important for cycling as a seatbelt is for driving a car." A cycling accident with a traumatic brain injury costs an average of CHF 26,500.

More abrasions than broken bones

The costs of current cases amounted to around 230 million francs in 2014, which corresponds to an increase of 43 percent over the last ten years. On average, a bicycle accident costs 6,200 francs. 40 percent of accident victims only suffer abrasions and bruises. Such a case costs an average of 1400 francs. 21 percent of cyclists suffer broken bones in an accident (average case costs: CHF 12,000) and 14 percent suffer strains and sprains (average case costs CHF 4,400).