BikeBiz Bicycle and cycling retail news
Manufacturer of airbags Hövding recently released figures from its survey that examined the capital’s cycling habits, which supposedly display a sizeable difference in the riding habits of bike rental riders and bike owners.
Around 270 million cycle journeys were made in London last year, with at least 71 pedestrians and cyclists killed. According to TfL data, to date 1,216 cycling incidents involving Santander Cycles have been reported since the scheme launched in July 2010. However, according to Hövding’s research conducted in the end of 2016, 61 per cent of those using a Santander cycle failed to wear a helmet while cycling in London.
2016 was a record year for Santander bikes, with over 255,000 sign ups to the cycle scheme since the launch six years ago. In spite of growing numbers of people riding Santander cycles and the bike scheme proving to be gaining popularity amongst London commuters and tourists, Hövding’s study shows that cyclists opting for a rented bike pay less attention to personal safety while on the road.
CEO of Hövding Fredrik Carling commented: “Cycling safety is our number one focus. Whilst it’s great to see more people cycling in London, our research shows a worrying amount of those who rent bicycles haven’t invested in protecting themselves properly. To date, we are aware of over 1,100 cases where Hövding’s airbag has potentially saved a cyclist’s life in an accident, and we are determined to raise awareness of our product in the UK and deliver greater cycling safety to urban cyclists.”
Hövding is now available from over 836 stores worldwide and more than 60,000 units have been purchased by cyclists across Europe and in Japan to date.
