Sheffield cycling injuries: Tell us in person at police station, say cops after reporting row

But those who are hurt will have to go into a police station to get details of their incidents put on the books, according to a statement issued by South Yorkshire Police today.

The issue was highlighted after cyclist Stephanie Wall told how she suffered a serious knee injury after falling off her bike when it got caught in tram tracks near Glossop Road in Sheffield.

She and partner Jamie Irvine, a roads engineer, said no one in authority had been prepared to take any details of what happened, leaving them worried lessons are not being learned from hundreds of accidents which have happened on the tracks over recent years.

Their concerns then prompted a complaint to the police from Dexter Johnstone, the chairman of Cycle Sheffield, who said he was concerned police were not following official regulations on reported cycle accidents, and warning it could mean under reporting.

South Yorkshire Police have now said in a statement: “If a cyclist falls on a public highway and there is no injury, then no action would be taken. However, if the cyclist does suffer an injury, and reports this via 101 or online, they will be advised to attend a police station and file a report. This then goes to our Road Traffic Collision department to ensure that the incident is recorded for stats purposes. While it may not be a recordable RTC under the Road Traffic Act and won’t be subject to any police action, the information will nevertheless be recorded.”

MORE: Cyclist critical after falling off bike as tyre got stuck in Sheffield tram tracks

Mr Johnstone said the issue had been raised twice before by Sheffield City Council with South Yorkshire police commissioner Alan Billings, who had previously stated in a letter that there “appear(ed) to be a lack of understanding around the definition of a RTC under the Road Traffic Act by Police Officers and Police staff within Atlas Court” and told the council the issue would be resolved by ‘additional training for call handlers’ and ‘an internal communication to all staff’.

Sheffield City Council said it uses accident data to inform its highways planning and scheme development, based on police reported personal injuries.

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