Bike Forums - View Single Post - US tops other wealthy countries in traffic death rate

07-17-16 | 08:53 AM

#15

wphamilton

Senior Member

Joined: Apr 2011

Posts: 15,278

Likes: 342

From: Alpharetta, GA

Bikes: Nashbar Road

Quote:

Originally Posted by Daniel4

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Transportation safety over time: Cars, planes, trains, walking, cycling - Journalist's Resource Journalist's Resource

I'm surprised nobody has also criticized the comparisons saying it has to be done by deaths per miles.

Everybody goes on and on about the dangers of cycling. But the major factor in making cycling so dangerous is the motor vehicle and we hardly hear anything from the motor vehicle advocacy groups about what they do to each other on a daily basis.

Factoring that all in, annual motor vehicle deaths is so much higher than cycling deaths.

Your article does compare with deaths per miles, which is one of several correct ways to look at it (deaths per capita can evaluate social costs, but not risk).

Your conclusion is not correct. "Factoring that all in", specifically fatalities per billion miles traveled, bicycles have about nine times higher risk of fatality than passenger cars and trucks. 64 fatalities per billion miles bicycle, vs 7.3 per billion miles traveled car per your article.

Bicycling is still safe in my opinion, and fatalities don't show the whole picture of risk, but comparisons of fatality numbers work against your conclusion that cycling is safer than driving.

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