Accidents

The first death of a pedestrian in Scotland as a result of being knocked down by a bicycle was reported in December 1869: ‘An accident which has terminated fatally occurred in the village of Denholm. Jedburgh, on the night the 19th November, to a woman named Margaret Henderson or Turnbull, fifty years of age, wife of Ebenezer Turnbull stocking-maker. It seems that on the night in question Thomas Oliver, mason, belonging to Denholm, was passing along the street upon a velocipede, and observing Mrs Turnbull before him, he called out twice for her get out of the way, but before she could do so she was knocked down by the velocipede. Oliver and another lifted her from the ground, but she, being unable to walk, had to be carried home. She was somewhat insensible, and it was afterwards found necessary to send for Dr Blair. She lingered in suffering until Monday afternoon, when she died.’[1] 

Only weeks earlier concern at potential accidents due to velocipedes not being visible at night had been raised at a Montrose Town Council meeting and, perhaps as a result of the widely reported death of Mrs Turnbull, in mid-December the Dean of Guild recommended ‘that all velocipedes after sunset should carry signal lamp in front, that they be not allowed on footways or the pavement, and that all violations of these rules be punished according to law. It was agreed that the byelaws be printed and published.’[2] Mrs Turnbull’s death led a Kelso resident to raise a similar concern: ‘During these few days we have seen the consequences, at Denholm, of that habit of running velocipedes on public roads. In Jedburgh there is sure to be some accident, as these machines are driving along the roads at all hours. The big idle lads surely have very little to do who put themselves to the trouble create the possibilities of accident. Numbers of complaints are heard, both by drivers and pedestrians who have met the machines in the dark; and a sure prediction heard from all that mischief will occur if the evil is not checked. When the police are going out on the evening fishing vigilances they would do well to cast eye upon these dry-land offenders.'[3]

While road accidents were nothing new - people had been injured and died in collisions with horses and carriages – those involving the new velocipedes were novel and widely reported. ‘A young man who unwisely practised running his velocipede down the High Street in Dunblane in the dark became entangled with a dogcart. The horse shied and ran off dragging the bicycle with its rider several yards along the street. Fortunately for the velocipede rider his machine broke in two, otherwise both it and he would have been dashed against a wall.’[4] The first bicycle rider to die in Scotland was a young man named Taylor from  Longforgan, near Dundee in April 1870 although what exactly occurred remained unknown. ‘Taylor went out in the evening after his day's work to ride on his velocipede, and the machine must have upset, for shortly afterwards he was found lying in the road quite insensible with the handle of the machine jammed in his mouth. When lifted, the unfortunate youth expired.’[5]

While bad roads and mechanical faults played their part in accidents, more often the cause was riders being unable to stop or control their velocipede. In 1869 three young velocipedists who were racing each other on the road to Dundee came round a bend at speed to be confronted by a herd of cattle coming the other way. While two managed to avoid a collision, the third hurtled into a huge ox. ‘In the smash that ensued the assailant had the worst of it, for he was placed hors de combat, and had moreover the mortification of finding that his velocipede, being a less substantial structure than the ox, had suffered considerably. The cattle appeared much alarmed at the sight of the velocipedes, with the exception perhaps of the ox who, having tested by experience the frailty of the strange-looking things, looked with greatest equanimity at the prostrate velocipede rider and his shattered machine.’[6]

The arrival of the high wheel bicycle, and more young men cycling, increased the frequency and number of bicycle accidents. The early spoon brakes, consisting of a leather pad or metal shoe that was pressed on to the top of the front wheel, were not very effective in slowing the bicycle, particularly on steep hills, and if pressed too hard could cause the rider to pitch forward head first. Riders also could be thrown forward over the handlebars if the front wheel struck a rock or a rut. As the high wheel bicycle had fixed pedals, when descending at speed down a steep hill riders had to take their feet off the pedals and most riders put their legs over the handlebars to keep clear of the whirling pedals. Also it was thought that in the event of the rider being pitched forward off the bicycle, this position increased the chance of landing on the feet rather than the head. While many did land the right way up when spilled on an over-zealous descent, others were less fortunate and often suffered serious head injuries as few wore any form of protective headgear. The Rt-Hon. Lord of Albemarle offered advice on dealing with spills: ‘A stout pair of gloves is a great protection to the hands in the case of a fall, and when a cropper at high speed seems inevitable the rider should avoid as far as possible falling against banks or similar obstructions. A fair fall on the road, especially if the shoulder can he made to come first to the ground, generally results in a series of somersaults, which, though damaging to the cuticle and the angles of the frame, is not nearly so serious in its results as a dead stop against a bank or wall.’[7]

Some steep hills, such as one down into Lasswade village, were particular black spots. In 1883 it was reported: ‘On Saturday afternoon a young gentleman from Edinburgh was riding his bicycle down the steep incline leading to Lasswade village when his machine struck against an iron toby on the road, whereby he got his arm broken by a nasty fall. He was taken into the shop of Mr Stewart, druggist, where his arm was set by Dr Allan. This is the fourth bicycle accident that Dr Allan has attended to in the village. Bicyclists would do well to take warning against attempting to ride down this precipitous road with its dangerous and narrow turning at the bridge.’[8] In 1889 Dr Allan was busy again assisting two seriously injured cyclists whose tandem brakes failed on the hill and crashed into a wall at the bottom. When the Scottish Cyclists’ Union began erecting warning signs on dangerous stretches of road the Lasswade hill was one on which the sign, “Dangerous to cyclists” was erected. Yet this did not spare Dr Allan from being summoned to administer to injured cyclists. In 1892 a young man who lost control of his bike as he descended the hill crashed into the parapet of the bridge and pitched into the stream below. ‘He was picked up and conveyed to the hotel, where Dr Allan attended him and found that be had escaped without much injury. The cycle - a safety - was however smashed, and there is a more on the bridge where it struck.’[9]

While the Rover-style safety bicycle was less challenging to ride than the high wheel bicycle and its brakes an improvement, it could do little to ward off the danger arising from reckless riding. In 1893 a young man came careering down Lanark High Street and as he attempted to turn the corner at the bottom lost control and ‘turned into the closed door of a bank instead, knocking the 2½ inch door off its hinges and wrecking his machine. It is only by a miracle that he was not seriously hurt.’[10]

Cyclists had to take care when coming across horse-riders and horse-drawn vehicles. The fifty-year-old Scottish politician, Arthur James Balfour, who cycled when in Scotland decided in 1895 to cycle in the busy streets of London: ‘You will be amused to hear that I went for my first bicycle expedition through the streets of London on Sunday afternoon. I chose Sunday of course because the traffic was small, and I hoped that I might escape being run over by a hansom or omnibus, even though my skill should be somewhat in default. I got on pretty well.’[11] The following year when cycling to the House of Commons where he was Leader of the House he turned into Curzon Street and a brewer’s dray in front of him slowed up causing Balfour to fall. Luckily, he only sprained his wrist although this was a major blow to the future Prime Minister as it prevented him from defending the Parliamentary Golf Handicap that he had won the previous year.

The 1879 regulations were clear that should any ‘horse or other beast of burden become restive or alarmed by reason of a bicycle passing or overtaking it, the bicyclist must dismount as speedily as possible, and continue unmounted as long as may reasonably be necessary.’ Yet a correspondent to a Fife newspaper in 1887 clearly believed many cyclists did not heed the regulations: ‘Within the last few days I have heard of several accidents - perhaps I should say incidents - very nearly resulting in catastrophes, unmistakably pointing to reckless riding on the part of bicyclists in passing horses. There are still a good many horses which can't see a bicycle without shying and every bicyclist before passing a horse should give warning to the driver in sufficient time for him to take any necessary precaution: and when a bicyclist is about to meet a horse, he should not hesitate, on the slightest signal from the driver, to jump off and let the horse be driven quietly past. When riding at night with a lamp, a bicyclist should invariably dismount and hide his light at the approach of a horse.’[12]

Most incidents where people were knocked down by cyclists involved young children, although far more children were knocked down by horse-drawn vehicles and, later, motor vehicles. Bicyclists were required ‘to give audible and sufficient warning of their approach by sounding a bell or whistle’[13] and in the 1880s, in response to complaints about bicycles racing on the open road, the Council of the Bicycle Union issued a code of road rules that included the guidance: ‘Foot passengers on the road should not be needlessly shouted at, but should be courteously warned, and be given a wide berth especially at crossings.’ A bell or shout of warning would have been welcomed by one Edinburgh gentleman in 1870: ‘I was sent flying across the road, and of course the bicycle was upset, although the rider, evidently expert did not fall. Fortunately I escaped with just a bruised elbow as I was not struck by the wheel. This one was so perfectly noiseless that I never heard a sound, while from its position as regards the lamps it could not be readily distinguished in the dark.’[14]

The law requiring the use of a front lamp at night was introduced around 1880 and arrests for riding without one were common. ‘At the Banchory Burgh Police Court yesterday, a number of gentlemen were charged with riding bicycles without lights. Amongst them was the Hon. Mr Fielding, brother of the Earl Denbigh, who is residing in the neighbourhood. As the result of the proceedings the parties were fined 5s each, with the alternative of three days' imprisonment. On sentence being passed, Mr Fielding asked if the prison was in Banchory as he was anxious to see the interior of Scottish prison. The Magistrate stated that the prison was Craiginches, Aberdeen, whether he would be convoyed if he did not pay his fine. Mr Fielding, still desiring to go to prison, declined to pay his fine. The Countess Denbigh, who is a sister of the late Lord Brougham, accompanied Mr Fielding to Banchory Station, and saw him off with his escort. Later intelligence states that Fielding did not carry out his resolution. He journeyed to Aberdeen but, after having had a look at the exterior of Craiginches Prison, paid the fine and returned home.’[16] Even by the 1930s the police were busy arresting cyclists for not displaying lights at night. One day in May 1938 the Kirkintilloch court dealt with eighty-two cases involving cyclists, almost all lighting offences. ‘The accused might think these to be very trivial matters, but it was a very serious matter for other users of the road. If cyclists were allowed to cycle after the hours of darkness without lights, they were just a menace to themselves and everybody else.’[17]

No rear lights on bicycles were required until 1914 when as part of the blackout regulations in the First World War cyclists were required to show lit front and rear lamps from half-an-hour before lighting up time. One night in 1916 the police kept a special watch on the public highways leading to Cowie and East Plean collieries near Stirling: ‘A couple of officers secreted themselves on each road, and as the miners were coming home caught a big number riding bicycles without lights. Those without any lights were fined 15s and those just missing a backlight 10s. The same thing happened again about six o’clock the following morning. Around forty men fell into the hands of the police and will appear in Stirling Sheriff Court.’[18] One cyclist who was caught without lights claimed he had no option but to set out without lights as he had suddenly been required to ride on important war business. However, the prosecution told the court that while the defendant was indeed a munitions worker, his important business was to try and reach the pub before its wartime closing time of 9pm. The threat of being fined for having no lights led to a spate of lamp thefts and when the war ended the Cyclists’ Touring Club campaigned for the rear light law to be abolished and the requirement ended in 1921. This was not universally popular and the CTC had to continue to combat demands for the regulation to be reinstated. In 1927 Dundee Council passed its own bye-law deeming a rear lamp essential, much to the anger of local cyclists. Mr McRobbie, the secretary of the Dundee Road Cycling Club, wrote to the local paper: ‘Is Dundee the worst illuminated city in Britain? No other city finds it necessary to compel cyclist to carry rear lights. I consider it a monstrous interference with the liberty of the cyclist.’

Yet, Dundee’s action came from a concern at the rising bicycle accidents, mostly due to motor traffic, and that same year the government regulated that all bicycles must to carry a white patch on the rear that measured at least twelve square inches and was thirteen inches above the ground - a section of the rear mudguard painted white was agreed to be acceptable - and have a rear reflector fitted on the back mudguard.[19] It was not until the Second World War that cycles had to carry rear lights again and that again came as part of the blackout regulations. The cycling bodies decided not to protest openly but sought an interim approach: ‘May we, on behalf of organised cyclists, make one suggestion in regard to the carrying of rear lights during the black-out? Such is the demand for rear lights that the supply is for the moment insufficient. In these circumstances we feel sure the authorities will appreciate the value of discretion, and refrain from prosecution of innocent offenders against this wartime regulation. As a temporary measure, an ordinary cycle lamp might be covered with red tissue paper. Incidentally, there is one fundamental difference between the situation to-day and in 1914, when the white patch had not been adopted. Many motorists state that the white patch is an even greater guide to them than the red rear light itself.’[20]

By 1900 a frustration for many – as it still is today – was cyclists riding on the footpath and many prosecutions resulted. Yet in 1875, when the Edinburgh Amateur B. C. held a velocipede race from Edinburgh to Bathgate, incessant rain over the preceding week had left the roads in such poor condition that the members rode the whole way there and back on the footpath.

As well as mechanical problems that caused accidents there were other hazards beyond a cyclist’s control. A not uncommon one in the 19th century was a youngster throwing something into the spokes of a cyclist's wheel as the rider passed. In 1880 an eight-year-old boy appeared in court in Glasgow charged with assaulting a cyclist by ‘throwing his bonnet at the bicycle and thus causing the rider to be thrown violently to the ground, thereby causing him severe injury.’ The magistrate commented severely on the practice of boys throwing articles at bicyclists but only delivered an admonition to the boy.’[21] Being brought down by an umbrella was less common. In 1888 a pedestrian in Elgin waved her umbrella in a friendly greeting to a passing cyclist but inadvertently poked it into his spokes, causing the speeding cyclist to fall and be propelled forward along the road. The newspaper described the spectacular aftermath: ‘The unfortunate bicyclist, it seems, had a box of matches in his pocket which, owing probably to the rapidity of his flight, took fire, and he flew along in a cloud of smoke and flame. So extraordinary was the appearance that one witness came to the conclusion that the machine was driven by steam, and told her mother, when she got home, that a new style of cycle was now to be seen on the highways. No one would seek to deny the usefulness of Inciter matches, and if they can be made to propel bicycles the fortunate manufacturers will triple and quadruple their fortunes in a very short time.’[22]

Tram and train rails have always been a danger to cyclists and there were many reported instances of cyclist being brought down by riding into them. In 1900 a nurse, Annie Bennett was cycling to work along Trinity Quay in Aberdeen and as she went to turn into Market Street her front wheel caught in the rails that ran along the quay. She was pitched over the harbour wall, and fell between the wall and a berthed ship. Providentially, she managed to catch hold of a beam and was rescued from her perilous position by a carter. ‘She escaped with minor injuries although she but suffered somewhat from the shock which the occurrence naturally caused.’[23]

As today, accidents also were caused by road works not being properly executed. In 1901 one cyclist was awarded £350 against a local gas company in compensation for damages received when crashing due to its workmen having inadequately repaired a road.[24] The Scottish Cyclists’ Union worked diligently to alert councils to hazardous road fixtures. In 1890 Andrew Rennie, then the SCU General Secretary, wrote to Greenock Council: ‘Dear Sir, I am writing on behalf of the Scottish Cycling Union to inform you that mostly all the sewer gratings are placed the wrong way in the streets of Greenock to allow of the safe transit of cycles. The slots in the said gratings run the way of the traffic instead of facing at right angles. On the recommendation of this Union a number of towns (Glasgow, Edinburgh, Paisley, Dundee) have either reversed the gratings, or, better still, placed gratings with round holes instead of slots. As the gratings stand at present they are only traps for cycle wheels. Now that you have been given notice of their dangerous nature, I trust you will acquaint your Councillors of same. In the event of these suggestions not being I carried out in a reasonable time, I give due notice that should any cyclist get hurt or get his machine damaged your Council will be held responsible.’[25]

For those cycling in rural areas in the days of little passing traffic there was the risk of having an accident far from any help, and there were instances of cyclists incapacitated by a crash who died as a result of not being discovered for a day or two. In May 1904 when Miss Copland, the medical officer of the small island of Rousay on Orkney, was travelling on her bicycle she took a short cut along a peat road and her bicycle struck a stone, causing Copland to crash to the ground. She struck her head and was rendered unconscious. Luckily, she came round and was able to make her way to the nearby manse of Reverend Pirie. ‘A telegram was dispatched to Kirkwall for medical assistance and Dr Bell proceeded there with the coach in the evening, and the following morning brought Miss Copland to Kirkwall where she is being attended to. Amongst the injuries received is a severe cut on one of the eyelids.’[26]

The first cyclist to die in Scotland from being knocked down by motor car was Robina Muir, a young girl from Carnwath. On 16 August 1905 she was cycling outside Lanark when a car travelling in the other direction came round a bend and, as there were few cars at this time, the girl may have been in the middle of the road.  Although the driver swerved into the hedge at the side of the road to avoid her, Muir struck the car’s outside bumper and was seriously injured. The car’s passenger was General Tucker, Commander of His Majesty's Forces in Scotland, who was being driven to Irvine. The general and his chauffeur carried the injured girl to a nearby farm and a doctor was called. However, she died a few days later. There were local rumours that the car had been exceeding the then speed limit of 20 mph on the open road.[27]

It is possible that ten days earlier David Brand, a 20-year-old miner from Wishaw, was actually the first cyclist to die as a result of a motor car although his accident remained a mystery. On the road to Airth in Stirlingshire the driver of a horse-drawn circus van spotted a young man lying unconscious in the road, next to his undamaged bicycle. The injured cyclist was carried to a nearby farm and a doctor called, but by the time medical help arrived he had died.[28] For a time no one knew the deceased man’s identity but later he was identified as Brand. There were no witnesses to Brand falling from his bicycle although the showman recounted that a car containing ladies had passed him just before he spotted Brand lying in the road, and it was thought that perhaps the car’s passing had forced Brand to swerve and fall. The car was traced but the occupants stated they had no knowledge of any incident that might have caused Brand’s death and as his bicycle was undamaged the cause of his accident remained unexplained.

A third cyclist may also have died that same month in an incident involving a car and, in this case, speed certainly seems to have been a factor. Three Glasgow men were cycling to Tarbet and coming round a sharp bend met a motor car speeding towards them. ‘Two of the wheelers managed to get clear of the car, but the third was not so fortunate, and before the driver of the car could avert it, the cyclist was knocked down, and it is thought the car passed over him. He was conveyed by the motor to Alexandria where it was found that his injuries were of a serious nature. He had a deep wound on the forehead, several bruises on the body and legs, his face was greatly disfigured, and he was injured internally.’[29] Whether he survived is not known.

These at the first two, possibly, three cyclists to be killed in motor car incidents happened in the same month and at a time when car ownership in Scotland was still small - in that month there were only 70 motor cars registered in Edinburgh – was the first sign of the danger cyclists would face from the rise of car ownership. Many other cyclists would be injured, some fatally, by motor cars and while some accidents in the early days of motor cars were a result of cyclists not having much experience of on-coming or over-taking cars, many others were due wholly to inexperienced drivers. At the time no driving test was required and many driving on Scotland’s narrow country roads did not take sufficient care. Early cars were heavy and even travelling at the speed limit of 20mph were hard to slow down or manoeuvre quickly. Although there were instances of car drivers being held responsible for accidentally injuring or killing pedestrians and cyclists, more often the driver of the motor car was given the benefit of the doubt. Cars were owned by wealthy, often important, individuals and as car ownership expanded changes to road regulations tended to favour the motorist; to the detriment of the cyclist. The rise in motor traffic and faster cars resulted in a greater number of cyclists being injured and killed, and often the cause was speeding. One lady cyclist in Doune had ‘a miraculous escape for on being hit by a motor car was carried some distance on the radiator before falling on to the pavement.’[30] In this instance, the driver was fined £4 for having exceeded the speed limit. However, the powerful motor lobby objected to speed restrictions and in 1931 convinced the government to abolish all speed limits. The adverse effect was immediate. Cyclist fatalities from motor car accidents rose from 600 a year to a peak of 1,500, and pedestrian fatalities also increased. Thus, by 1934 the government was forced to re-introduce a 30 mph speed limit in built-up areas although until 1967 vehicles could travel at any speed on open roads.

One unfortunate manifestation of the increased number of women cycling was that many more women featured in newspaper reports of cyclists being injured or killed in road accidents. In 1936 the Dundee racing cyclist, Mary Stewart was almost killed while out riding with two fellow Heatherbell Club members. The three were overtaken by a motor cycle combination and Stewart was caught by it and the dragged several yards, ultimately colliding head-on with a wall. She was knocked unconscious for half an hour though fortunately, fully recovered. Of course on some occasions accidents were the fault of careless cyclists as was the case in 1930 when David Smith did not pay sufficient attention while riding in a Motherwell Cycling Club time trial: ‘He was pedalling his push bike along the road with his head well down. He banged straight into the back of a milk cart going in the same direction, and so great was the impact that he made a considerable dent in one of the large cans.’[31]

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