There were 16 road accidents involving cyclists in each of the past two years.

Home Affairs Minister Bill Malarkey gave the figure in the House of Keys on Tuesday.

Jason Moorhouse (Arbory, Castletown and Malew) tabled a question asking for a breakdown of road accidents that also involved either cyclists or horses.

In 2015, there were 14 accidents involving cyclists and two involving horses. In each of 2016 and 2017 there were 16 accidents involving cyclists. There was one accident involving a horse in 2016, but none in 2017.

Mr Malarkey said: ’Any road accident is one road accident too many. We have a new road strategy committee looking into road accidents for the future and we are working on it.

’I do not see the figures as going up in any great way and hopefully, if we can in the future, we will try and bring them down.’

Mr Moorhouse asked whether there were any plans for more awareness campaigns for road users.

The Minister said that would be looked as part of the strategy, but added: ’I hardly find that the figures are outstanding when you look at the Chief Constable’s report that there are about 1,000 road traffic collisions of one description or another, throughout the whole year.’