Originally Posted by
genec
No, the available resources tend to indicate that night time riding is more dangerous.
But of course all statistics are based on averaged conditions... your specific situation may be such that it IS safer to ride your route at night.
I don't know of any studies that focus only on risk to competent, sober adults with proper equipment, but there are studies on the increased risk of riding without lights, riding while intoxicated, riding against traffic, etc. Those are all common misbehaviors, and they all dramatically increase the risk of getting hit. So it stands to reason that if you're riding on the right side of the street, in a visible lane position, with proper lights and reflectors, without drug or alcohol impairment, cycling is still a very safe activity at night. But "it stands to reason" isn't the same thing as a controlled study.
Studies tend to focus more on what goes wrong than what goes right, since researchers are usually looking for solutions to problems. If you're not the problem, you're boring, statistically speaking.
An epidemiological study of the risk of cycl... [Accid Anal Prev. 2013] - PubMed - NCBI
Incidence, risk, and protective factors of bicycle ... [Prev Med. 2013] - PubMed - NCBI
Bicyclists overestimate their own night-time... [Accid Anal Prev. 2013] - PubMed - NCBI
Cycling-related crash risk and the role of cannabis... [Prev Med. 2014] - PubMed - NCBI