Background Australia has made significant efforts in recent years to promote cycling with anecdotal evidence of a rise in cycling particularly among older adults. Few reports also pointed to a parallel increase in serious injury and death associated with cycling in this age group.

Objective To examine trends in cyclist fatalities in Australia between 1991 and 2022 with a focus on older adults aged 60 years and over (60+).

Methods Information on cycling fatalities were obtained from data on national road fatalities reported by the police to the State and Territory road safety authorities and compiled by the Australian Bureau of Infrastructure, Transport and Regional Economics (BITRE) Trends in cyclist fatalities in Australia over the study period, particularly in those aged 60 years and over, were examined using segmented quasi-Poisson regression modelling.

Results Overall, cyclist fatalities decreased by 1.1% annually. However, while there was an annual decline of 2.5% (95% CI: -3.3, -1.7) in those aged less than 60 years, fatalities in the 60+ group increased by 3.3% (95% CI: 1.8, 4.8) annually. Mortality rates per 1,000,0000 population also showed an annual decrease of 3.5% for cyclists aged less than 60 years but remained almost stable in the 60+ group over the study period. Single vehicle fatalities increased markedly, particularly among the 60+ group (4.4% annually).

Conclusions The observed increase in 60+ fatalities is due to the ageing of the population rather than a rise in cycling popularity as previously thought. The rise in single vehicle fatalities is likely to be related to the increase in the availability and use of dedicated cycling infrastructure. It is important to raise awareness of the risk of single-bicycle crashes among older cyclists, to further investigate their risk factors, and to improve the design and maintenance of cycling facilities.