alan s 

+1

bragi

Statistically, hour for hour, bicycling is slightly safer than driving, and much safer than walking. Eating bacon is probably a lot more dangerous to one's health than any transportation choice.

https://www.kirksvilledailyexpress.co...than-you-think

krobinson103

I commute by bike every day. For 5 years before that I did the same thing on a motorcycle. In five years I was on the pavement twice. Once due to black ice (evil stuff hate it) and once due to blind truck driver. The reason I shifted to bicycle commuting was the fact that the truck driver came very close to making me into a pancake. I was lucky and the bike and armor took the hit, but if he had moved a foot further forward my kids would be sans a Father today. after the accident I continued to commute, but as I was riding my bike more and more anyway it just seemed to make more sense to use leg power.

I find a bike gives me more and safer options. I can play in the cars if need be, and I do, but you can also take to the sidewalk, the MUP, trek over the local mountain, or any other space you can find. I be sure to be visible, put lights on the front and back, and ride defiensively. We are even getting to the stage that my six year takes to the road with me. She has learned to do as I ask and stay still in the back seat and generally makes the ride more fun (and 24kg heavier - good for exercise).

You could have an accident in a car, bus, on a bike, on a motorcycle, or just fall down dead tomorrow. I think a bike while it is less safe than traveling in a cage and getting fat is a pretty good comproise between safety (on the road), cost, and health benefits. My wife didn't like the motorcycles - so much so her Mother got us a car. I let it sit in the garage for years as to me its a worthless waste of steel. If they don't like my transport choices - too bad thats one thing I won't compromise on.

psychicandroid

I can't offer too much more from what other people have in the way of advice, but I do agree with the other ladies: You need to let your wife know that you're not blind to what risks there are on your commute. She'll appreciate that much like the people in my life did. Pretty much whenever someone else who is severely important to me finds out I'm cycling and flails around about how it's dangerous, I text them to let them know when I get to my destination okay. It worked with my mother figure, boyfriend, friends, siblings. Showing her your route and pointing out what you do during certain parts of it will also help. Talk about and show how much better you feel after your commute as well, which may have a positive impact on what she thinks. I also found that not riding in bad weather (rain, etc) helped alievate fears.

Now, I'm going to go make my boyfriend and roomie worry and my coworkers freak out by cycling to work at 3:30 in the morning. XD

Standard Issue

It's just like anything with wives: stand your ground, prove your point, and she'll accept it. She'll even respect you for it.

bkjames00

Thanks. Yes, I've done all those things including google bike. That's how I established my options and honed my route. That said, there may be a couple ways I could cut down on the more risky sections. However, there seem to be a couple places where it's simply not possible.

bkjames00

Thanks. Very helpful. I have committed to telling here when I leave and arrive.

bkjames00

Very helpful. I'll continue doing all the constructive things you recommend. The hardest thing for me is being patient enough. I think ultimately she knows how stubborn I am once I decide to do something. I tend not to take no for an answer. So I'm guessing that she knows I already made up my mind and am not going to listen to her no matter what. Which isn't entirely true. I want her input and I want her to feel comfortable with this and will make some adjustments and compromises, but the likelihood that I'll just give up on it is much much lower.

That said, maybe I should consider just biking locally and skip the commuting..... but that's what is such a big draw for me. I can bike for 2.5 hours a day going back and forth to work or I can bike for about an hour around the house and then an hour driving to and from work.... wasting gas, sitting in traffic, etc. Much less efficient use of time and money.... which drives me crazy!

storckm

Buy a tandem and take her on a date on it to a nice restaurant.

debit

Believe me, I understand. Biking in puts me in a good mood and ready to tackle the day; driving makes me crabby and resentful. It's a joke at work that as long as I get to ride my bike, no one has to die.

Sounds like you're doing what you can do. She probably won't stop worrying, but it may ease in time as you show her that you're being careful and stay safe.

MK313

Interesting statistic & really goes to show just how safe cycling is. less than 2 deaths/day in the US due to cycling. or approx 1 death per month/per state in the US (obviuosly they aren't blanced that equally), but it should put some persepctive on the relative seriousness of the issue.

tjspiel

The problem is that it doesn't really tell you anything regarding the relative safety of cycling vs driving.

If I said I was in 4 car accidents last year but only 2 bike accidents you might conclude that cycling is safer but what if I went on to say that I made 500 car trips and only 4 bike trips.

supernovae

I'd say use your own judgement, you're obviously a statistical anomoly at that point The data does speak for itself though and i'm sure you could find research that showed trend analaysis for fatality expectations if driving is reduced and cycling is increased.. but again, they're just averages and there are always exceptions.

With the data though, you could also say that even with 2.9 billion miles driven or whatever, there are only the few hundred cycling fatalities. So the odds per mile of killing someone while driving a car are low and the odds per trip of being killed on a bike are low - even when compared to walking.

fdmsiv

Have you considered that your wife's concern for your biking safety really isn't the issue, it is more a reaction? I'm not suggesting that she doesn't care or anything like that. She might be hurt by the attention and time you are spending on/with your bike and not with her and the kids. When you get new goodies for your bike did you get your wife anything?

Commuting by bike is going to take longer than by car, is this typically time when the kids are asleep or is your wife having to round em up, feed em, dress em, and get em on their way by herself?

You are both being selfish, you both need to compromise and or come to understand why each feels the way they do and move forward. Your commuting sounds like a big change for you and your wife, sometimes change is best implemented slowly and over time. Maybe try biking 2 ~ 3 days and driving the others?

cycle_maven

The biggest problem is that her response is an emotional one, and that can't be argued against using rational arguments. And if it's addressed on an emotional level (you just want me to get fat and die of diabetes-related heart disease, e.g.) then a serious rift in the relationship can occur. I guess the best advice has been given here- address the emotional response by showing that the ride is safe and enjoyable by taking her along.

Now, I wish my wife would accompany me on my commute. But I'm working on that.

kevmk81

/rant *sigh* I hate how strong of a car culture we have... it's so depressing that people even worry about this crap. Yes, we take risks every day by bike commuting. But what are we going to do about it? All of the folks saying 'move to a different location', is that truthfully a realistic option? I don't think so. Some of you are basically saying to just succumb to the wifes demand, and just drive to work. Wow... so op, tell your wife that when she trains for triathlon, only use the trainer - even on a nice 72 degree windless day (since that's about the only type of weather most people will venture outside during), because the instant she rides off your driveway, the chances of getting hit by a car on the street increases exponentially, and you're worried about her. So sad, the culture we live in, that this is something we need to even discuss. The world really is turning into that Wall-E movie.

The more people bike to work, the more we might inspire someone else to bike to work. That means one less motorized vehicle on the road to get creamed by. When my kids get old enough, I want the road to be safe enough for them to ride their bikes on the street. That doesn't happen by caving in and driving to work at the time being... if we cave in now, it will only get worse... *something* needs to change, be it higher gas prices, more and more traffic other drivers have to deal with, when we finally figure out the actual damage we're doing to our planet, etc... it's almost a movement that needs to happen to change our culture. It's a movement that would save lives, save money, save time, etc.

I know I'm preaching to the choir (or at least I hope most of us are in the same choir). /rant

MK313

It absolutely does not address the RELATIVE safety of cycling vs driving, but that was not the point I was making. It definitely points out the safety of cycling. If only 2 people in the US die every day & (statistically from the statistics given), only 1 person dies per state per month, it's pretty esy to see that you are pretty safe riding your bike to work (not versus driving, just in absolute terms). How many people ride their bikes to work every day in the US? I don't know the answer, but in Ohio, I'd guess there 10's of thousands, maybe even hundreds of thousands. If only one of those people (statistically) will die in the entire month of commuting, then my chances of dying on today's commute are pretty low. It certainly takes away some of the emotional charge that a loved one will die riding their bike to work today (or any day).

Deaths from bicycle commuting are extremely rare.

caloso

Woohoo! I passed!

(See, this is the INTJ in me. I understand that some folks react emotionally. I don't understand why, and have no idea how to convince them otherwise, but I at least understand what I don't understand. Understand?)

alan s 

Fact of the matter is, everyone on this board who has a wife and also bike commutes has "passed" (or is woefully ignorant of her feelings). There is no magic formula to convince a doubting/fearful/controlling/whatever wife that bike commuting is a relatively safe activity.

troyWI

Just do what I've done with my motorcycle. Don't feed into the fear, change the subject when it is brought up, and continue to do your thing.

Vandal

Have you tried hitting her?

SlimRider

TJspiel says:

Alright, so there needs to be relative equivalent sample sizes, if we're going to compare the different modes of travel. True. However, you'd need other types of data as well. You couldn't just stop there. We'd need to know relative speeds, comparative safety risks of each vehicle given their unique routes etc...

Again, this requires more information, before anyone can truly answer correctly. I mean, did your bike hit a car, a tree, or what? Did your car hit a car? Was your car hit by another car? Was your car hit by a bike? What speed were you going at the time? What speed was the other person going? There are so many variables here...

Yes. You can make statistics say practically anything that you want them to say. Especially when numbers are taken out of the context of complete accuracy.

This is quite true. Individual commute routes can make a huge difference. That's why we would use the mean or the median number.

Sorry about your brother...But again, there are many other types of data that are needed here in order to make any statements concerning statistical accuracy.

I think Ralph Nader nailed it many years ago. Cars are unsafe at any speed! The sooner we move away from fuel driven vehicles, the better off we'll all be. If there were only bicycles traveling in lanes provided for only bicycles, the Cross Check would get an excellent rating. It would have to, it's a Surly!

No it's not. However, it will be, if I ever have it my way!

SlimRider

What? Is that supposed to be, funny? ...Well it's not!

If I were your neighbor and I heard about you battering your wife/girlfriend, I'd have you fixed!

Stuffstuff1

My GF tried that on me.. And it worked for her

one_beatnik