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Bicycle Accidents: In 2003, there were 622 bicycling fatalities and 46,000 bicycling injuries resulting from traffic crashes in the United States. The raw numbers hide all kinds of trends, truths, and lessons, and they beg a wide range of questions. Is bicycling dangerous?
While these numbers continue to decrease from year to year, bicyclist fatalities still account for 1.5 percent of all traffic fatalities as well as 2 percent of all traffic injuries. The loss of 622 lives in bicycle/motor vehicle crashes in 2003, almost two people every day of the year, is an awful toll. The good news is that the number of bicyclist fatalities each year is falling - down from 859 back in 1990, a drop of 28 percent in thirteen years. The number of reported injuries involving bicyclists is also falling, from 68,000 in 1993 to 46,000 in 2003. However, we know from research into hospital records that only a fraction of bicycle crashes causing injury are ever recorded by the police, possibly as low as ten percent. Is it more dangerous than other modes of travel? Is bicycling getting safer? Who is getting killed in bicycle crashes, where, when, and why?
Is bicycling dangerous?
Obviously with 622 deaths last year, there are risks associated with riding a bicycle. Bicycle fatalities represent just under two percent of all traffic fatalities, and yet bicycle trips account for less than one percent of all trips in the United States. However, bicycling remains a healthful, inherently safe activity for tens of millions of people every year - recent numbers from the Bureau of Transportation Statistics reveal that more than 40 million adults rode a bicycle within the past 30 days.
The public health community is now recognizing that lack of physical activity, and a decline in bicycling and walking in particular, is a major contributor to the more than 300,000 premature deaths caused by heart attacks and strokes - this number dwarfs the 40,000 annual deaths due to motor vehicle crashes and the relatively small 622 bicyclist deaths.
Is bicycling more dangerous than other modes of travel?
As mentioned above, bicyclists are over-represented in the crash data as they account for almost two percent of fatalities but less than one percent of trips. However, there is no reliable source of exposure data to really answer this question: we don't know how many miles bicyclists travel each year, and we don't know how long it takes them to cover these miles (and thus how long they are exposed to motor vehicle traffic, for example).
The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration uses a fatality rate per million population to state that 2.14 cyclists were killed per one million population in 2003 - the same figure for pedestrians would be 16.3 people per million and for motor vehicle fatalities the figure is closer to 127 people per million. By that measure, bicycling looks considerably safer than other modes!
Is bicycling getting safer?
A drop of 28 percent in fatalities since 1990 certainly sounds good - but without knowing how many people are riding, and how far they are riding, there's no way of knowing whether the drop in crashes is because fewer people are bicycling, or people are only riding on trails and not the roads, because they perceive conditions to be much less safe than ten years ago.
In 1994, the US Department of Transportation adopted a policy of doubling the percentage of trips made by bicycling and walking while simultaneously reducing by ten percent the number of bicyclists and pedestrians injured in traffic crashes. The goals are to be pursued together - one cannot or should not be achieved at the expense of the other goal. Experience from many European countries suggests that increasing levels of bicycling can be done without increasing crash rates, and that strength in numbers can yield safety benefits.
Who is getting killed in bicycle crashes?
A detailed breakdown of the age, gender, and location of bicycle crash victims is available from the NHTSA and IIHS fact sheets listed under Crash Facts. Some of the more noteworthy trends or numbers are:
- In 1990, the average age of bicyclists killed in traffic crashes was 28 years.
- By 2003, this had risen dramatically to nearly 36 years of age.
- Looking even further back, in 1975, 32 percent of bicycle deaths involved people aged 16 or older.
- In 2003, that figure was nearly 77 percent. So, the percentage of victims that are adults is climbing steadily perhaps signifying that more adults are riding, or that fewer children are riding.
Approximately 47 percent of bicycle fatalities occur in just four states: California, Florida, New York and Texas. While these are among the most populous states, the figure is still remarkably high the same states account for 29 percent of all traffic fatalities.
CAUSES OF BICYLE ACCIDENTS
21.7% - Motorist Failed to Yield
In this crash type, the motorist enters an intersection and fails to stop at a red light or stop sign, hitting a bicyclist who is traveling through the intersection. Twenty-four percent of bicyclists are riding the wrong way against traffic (20 percent on the sidewalk or road in the first half of the intersection). Almost one third of the bicyclists hit are traveling with traffic in the far side or second half of the intersection.
Crash Type Motorist drove through intersection -- 9.6%
In this crash type, the motorist enters an intersection and fails to stop at a red light or stop sign, hitting a bicyclist who is traveling through the intersection. Twenty-four percent of bicyclists are riding the wrong way against traffic (20 percent on the sidewalk or road in the first half of the intersection). Almost one third of the bicyclists hit are traveling with traffic in the far side or second half of the intersection. |
In crashes where motorists are failing to yield at Stop sign or signal controlled intersections, potential countermeasures should focus on getting drivers to stop and yield. However, as many of these crashes also involve bicyclists who are riding the wrong way against traffic, there may also be value in tackling wrong-way riding.
In crashes where motorists are failing to yield at Stop sign or signal controlled intersections, potential countermeasures should focus on getting drivers to stop and yield. However, as many of these crashes also involve bicyclists who are riding the wrong way against traffic, there may also be value in tackling wrong-way riding.
Crash Type -- 6.9%
In this crash type, the motorist pulls out of a driveway or alleyway and fails to yield to a bicyclist riding along the roadway or sidewalk. The overwhelming majority of collisions occur in the first half of the roadway and two-thirds involve a bicyclist who is riding the wrong way against traffic (41 percent on the sidewalk and 26 percent on the roadway). |
In crashes where motorists are pulling out of alleys or driveways, the biggest issue is the problem of wrong-way bicycle riders. Motorists are not detecting bicyclists who are riding the wrong way against traffic either on the sidewalk or on the roadway. However, motorists should be looking both ways to check for pedestrians - so it's not appropriate to blame the cyclist entirely!
In addition, the visibility of bicyclists either in the roadway or on the sidewalk may be obscured by buildings, parked cars, trees and shrubs, signal control boxes, sign posts and a host of other things that can be found on the sidewalk or edge of the roadway.
If you or someone you love has been injured in a bicycle accident as a result of the carelessness or negligence of another, you may be entitled to monetary compensation. For a free, no obligation review of your bike accident claim please fill out the form below. A lawyer will review your claim form and may contact you to discuss your legal rights. There is no charge or obligation for this free evaluation
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