Originally Posted by buzzman

What is this strange theory that when we make an effort to make something safer it gives people the impression the activity is so unsafe it's not worth doing? That it feeds their fears!!

By riding with lights and reflective gear does it mean we make it seem to unsafe to ride at night? Should we, in response, ride with no lights?

By riding with the flow of traffic do we give the impression it is unsafe to ride a bike against the flow of traffic? Gee, wouldn't want to give that impression.

Yeah, I sometimes feel stupid here in NYC stopping for red lights like I do as other cyclists glide right through them. I'm sure I'm giving people the impression I think bicycling is unsafe.

I do mechanical checks almost automatically on not only my bike but every bike I see (years of being a bike mechanic/shop manager does that to you). Am I giving my friends the impression biking is unsafe when I point out that their quick release is not closed properly or that their rear brake is unattached?

How about a little reality check here.:

Bicycling is definitely not a high risk activity when done responsibly but you can do a lot of stupid things on a bike, take a lot of risks and despite every possible precaution still fall prey to an accident or someone else's stupidity.

Does admitting this really fuel outrageous fears to the degree that some posters are saying? I ride in two major American cities- New York and Boston. There has certainly been no decline in cycling in the past 4 decades. In fact, efforts made by the city to make cycling safer has dramatically increased the number of cyclists. I see no evidence of this "theory" that promoting bike safety discourages cycling.

And a "by the way" to Hippiebrain, many of us have lost close friends and family in cycling accidents so your cavalier attitude, insensitivity and ignorance about it's impact is hardly going to win people over to your point of view- if real "advocacy" is what you're supposed to be about.