Originally Posted by
AltheCyclist
Based on that stat, over 90 people die per day in the U.S. in car accidents. Wonder how that compares to bicycle risk?
My take: people tend to overestimate the probability of rare events (this is why lottery tickets and Powerball are popular) like getting killed on airplane (or a bicycle, for that matter).
If you feel too scared to ride, then don't ride. But, chances are, you'll be safe. So, if you like to ride, go for it and be careful!
Yeah.
Only the OP can judge the relative safety of his route on bike vs driving. But while that stuff is always scary, it is, I've personally known 0 people who have been killed on a bike, and 1 person very close to me who was killed by a drunk driver driving the wrong way on an interstate without their headlights on.
If you have kids, you should stop and consider your safety with what you're doing - just don't overestimate the safety of the alternatives just because you're not doing them right now (cycling might be safer based on your route, or it might not be, I cannot say personally). Certainly, if you're concerned it wouldn't hurt to consider how you can do whatever you're doing in a safer manner (lights, riding behavior, route, etc).
hehe, well to be fair though I'm not married and don't have kids, I wouldn't do anything different than I'm doing now - I'm already being as safe as possible without it being crippling.