GCHU is pleased to share the report: ‘Preventable deaths involving cyclists in England and Wales: Solutions to improve their safety‘ written by Louis Odgers and Georgia Richards.
Louis Odgers was a Research Analyst at GCHU in Summer 2021 part of the Micro-Internship programme run by the University of Oxford’s Careers Service.
As part of my time at GCHU, I conducted a research project on coroners’ Prevention of Future Deaths reports (PFDs) involving cyclists. I identified 32 reports (33 deaths) and focused on four areas of concern, including classification of defects on carriageways, structurally dangerous junctions, cycling education and ‘e-bike’ regulations. I chose to investigate cycle-related deaths because I started cycling as my primary means of transport during the coronavirus pandemic.
During this project, I learnt about web scraping with Python – a technique that efficiently collects data from websites, and gained experience on how to conduct research and think critically about the impact of research in public policy. In addition, I produced a systematic analysis report that demonstrates the skills I developed during this internship. Throughout the week, Georgia and her team were invariably accessible, friendly, and extremely helpful, always willing to take time out of their schedules to arrange individual and group meetings and allow me to ask questions. As well as giving me confidence with the project itself, these meetings also made me feel very welcomed as part of the team and that I was contributing in a positive and collaborative atmosphere.
Louis Odgers, GCHU Micro-Internship Research Analyst
Read more from the cohort of micro-interns that completed their summer placements with GCHU on Kellogg College’s blog page.