Peter Walker - Cyclists, they can be a bit irritating can’t they. I mean it’s not just the funny clothes, or the bike lanes, it’s the way they seem to think they’re above the law. Riding on pavements, scattering pedestrians in their wake. And don’t even get me started on jumping red lights, I mean it’s really dangerous. Isn’t it? Well, lots of people certainly think that way. And the media definitely believe it.

Channel 4 news - Cyclists routinely flout traffic laws. Mounting the pavement, and no helmet, talking on a mobile phone.

Good Morning Britain ITV - So you’ve got cyclists who are uninsured. They could crash into your car; they could crash into you.

Good Morning Britain ITV -  I’ve noticed cyclists have got more and more aggressive over the years, right? They’re completely unaccountable.

Peter Walker - Do cyclists really think they’re above the law? And does it even matter? So let’s start with the basics. When we talk about cyclists, what do we mean? Do we mean this? Or this? Or even this? I mean sure, some people do look like the stereotype, but there’s really no such thing as a cyclist. There’s just people who ride a bike.  

Rachel Aldred - Being seen as a cyclist is part of the problematic stereotype of people cycling. You’re not seen as a “bus-ist" or a “train-ist”, but there’s this stereotype, this stigma of being a “cycl-ist” even though of course most people who cycle are also using other modes of transport.

Peter Walker - So cyclists are really no different to any one else. Now, while statistics are limited, there’s no evidence people break the law more often when they’re on their bike than they do at any other time. There are some studies on cyclists’ law breaking. One survey of five major London junctions found cyclists jumped or at least partly anticipated the red. But there is more to it, a lot of the cyclists said they’d done so in part for safety.

Dame Sarah Storey - The people that do jump red lights sometimes it’s because of the fear they have of something that’s perhaps happened to them previously. They might have had a close call with a vehicle they’re trying to get away from. They might well be on a pavement for that reason as well. But most of the time it’s safety, and it’s a self-preservation thing

Peter Walker - So yes, some cyclists do break the law. But even when they do, is it especially dangerous?

PC Mark Hodson - The effects of that behaviour that people are moaning about is negligible. If you look at the statistics, if you look at the actual threat of harm, you think cyclists aren’t posing a risk to anybody.

Peter Walker - In the UK, about 1700 people a year are killed on the roads. And how many of those are hit by bikes? Usually between zero and two.

PC Mark Hodson - They’re not self-harmers as a group, cyclists. Because of the inherent sense of vulnerability you have on a pushbike. They take a great deal of care even when they are offending. Which is a complete opposite to what you get with people in cars because people feel so secure in cars with seatbelts, airbags, big steel cage around them. They tend to offend with almost gay abandon.

Peter Walker - Some police forces have actually taken the strategic decision to pay less attention to cyclists’ law breaking, and instead focus resources on the sort of offences more likely to kill or maim people.

PC Mark Hodson - I’ve been a traffic officer for 13 years in the West Midlands. I think I’ve given out 3 tickets for red light jumping for cyclists. And one of those wouldn’t have got one, for the fact that he made off. He was caught eventually.

Peter Walker - So does this all mean that breaking the law on a bike is fine? I’d say “no”. It can not only be annoying, it can also be intimidating, but they’re extremely unlikely to be a serious danger to others. Given it is so relatively harmless, why does everyone go on and on about dangerous cycling? It could just be because people on bikes breaking the law are just that bit more obvious. But you won’t necessarily notice a driver doing 30 in a 20 zone, or looking at their phone at the wheel. Yep, you knew this bit was coming. What about drivers who, let’s remember, can also be cyclists. When they’re in cars can they also break the law? And if they do, can it be dangerous?

PC Mark Hodson - Today five people will die on our roads, and 63 will suffer life-changing injuries, and it is in the majority of cases drivers that are causing these collisions and the offending that causes these collisions. You have your typical distraction offence: mobile phone, which probably is responsible for a vast amount of all collisions now. The other things that we look at: excess speed. The speed limit is not just a limit. They see it as a target to get to. The other behaviour is of course drink and drug driving, and unfortunately drink and drug driving is on the rise. When you crash your car at 30mph it’s got the same energy, the same destructive power as a small explosive device. And so we’ve got to make efforts as a society to reinstil into people when you’re driving that car you’ve really got to take care.