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Old 08-19-10 | 09:03 PM
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Bacciagalupe
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I don't think you will find any meaningful statistics along those lines.

The closest stats I see are "7.3 injuries per million miles for cyclists and 1.5 injuries per million miles traveled for motorists, making cyclists 4.9 times more likely to be injured per mile of travel" from the NHTSA. You might be able to massage that to support your position, but I seriously doubt it will hold much meaning. You'd have to do a very thorough statistical analysis if you want your position to hold any credibility.

Like it or not, automobiles are most likely safer than bicycles. Although autos will travel significantly faster, they have significantly more mass to absorb an impact; they're designed with impacts in mind; they have numerous safety features like crumple zones, seat belts and now airbags. (Motorcycles, in comparison, are relatively dangerous -- as you can travel at very high speeds with no protection.)

If you are in your car, not moving, and you get hit by another car at 25-35 mph you are virtually guaranteed to survive; if you're on a bike and get hit at 25-35 mph, you're in trouble. If you're in a car and hit a tree at 25 mph, you've probably screwed up your car but that's it; if you're on a bike and hit a tree full-on, you're off to the hospital. If you're in a car and something bad happens at 70mph, you may well survive; if you're in a bicycle and anything bad happens involving 50+ mph (e.g. fast descent, hit by a speeding car) you are SOL.

Crash and fatality rates will also vary greatly from region to region. Bicycle accident rates are very likely to be different in Portland OR (less auto traffic, lots of bicycles and mass transit) than Houston (lots of cars, bad drivers, poor mass transit options, poor bicycle infrastructure) than rural Idaho (minimal traffic, minimal cyclists) than NYC (where millions of cyclists ride in car-free areas like Central Park, Prospect Park and the West Side Greenway) than Belgium (huge cycling population, lots of completely isolated bicycle facilities, laws that favor pedestrians and cyclists).

And, of course, there's the issue of poor data collection. Autos are likely to have pretty reliable data collection, but cycling data is very likely to be way off.

That said, I don't see much reason for concern on the matter. It's nowhere near as dangerous as riding a motorcycle, a vehicle that millions of people manage to use safely anyway despite its inherent risks. Just obey traffic laws, use lights at night, and use some common sense and you'll be fine.
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