I’ve said it before in this column, and now I’m going to say it again: cycling isn’t nearly as dangerous as people commonly believe it to be. Noncyclists assume people on bikes have a death wish. But the killer statistic (as it were) is pretty persuasive. The number of people who die in road accidents of all types is roughly 10 a day; the number of cyclists killed on the roads is approximately just three a week.

Research shows it is fear of having an accident that is the biggest factor in deterring people from cycling – and, more important, in persuading parents that their children shouldn’t use a bike for getting around. Two studies this month reinforce the point. Cycling England, the government-backed body that promotes cycling, asked parents about their cycling habits when they were young. The survey revealed that more than a third were allowed to cycle to school, yet only 18% of those parents now allow their children to do the same.

A meagre 4% of children use a bike for getting to school these days; some studies suggest the figure is actually 2%. That’s pretty sad. The transport charity Sustrans carried out research involving 11,000 school pupils. The youngsters were asked: would you like to cycle to school? Nearly half – 47% – said they would, yet most of the little darlings are being scooped up and flung into their parents’ cars for the journey – one that is typically short and eminently cyclable.

More than four in five parents ban their children from cycling alone, or restrict their offspring to a few roads around the home. All pretty depressing stuff – particularly if you consider that a bike is supposed to represent freedom and independence.

So do we simply shrug our shoulders and accept this state of affairs? Cycling England’s research showed that the one thing that would persuade parents to allow their children to cycle unsupervised on the roads would be training. Sustrans has shown that, if the right training is given – plus some encouragement, such as installing bike racks and helping children find a sensible route to school – travel patterns can be truly transformed.

Under the auspices of the Bike It scheme, pupils and staff at scores of schools around the country are given help, advice and training to encourage cycling. Typically, the use of bikes by children at these schools increases fivefold.

Furthermore, the government has made money available for 500,000 children to have access to training under the Bikeability banner – the successor to the old Cycling Proficiency scheme – over the next three years.

So all is not lost. If you have children, hassle their school to take advantage of cycle training.

And please don’t be taken in by the old claim that bikes are dangerous.