We all are familiar with coworkers or even strangers telling is to "Be Safe" or "Be Careful" before we drive somewhere on our bike.

I've occasionally started saying the same to people who are getting ready to drive somewhere in their motor vehicle. Some appreciate it, some don't see it as strange, but some folks give double takes or ask why.

Al

pretty much any time anyone leaves our se we say "safe home" whether they're flying, walking, skating, riding or driving.

I say it to my wife all the time.....

I say it to people I care about, whether it's driving, flying, whatever.

Yeah, family is one thing and we say it as matter of course no matter the form of transport. Friends to as part of a goodbye.

I am more talking about those encounters with folks who you don't know too well, who tell you to be safe when they learn you are about to cycle. Folks who would otherwise not talk to you let alone tell you to be safe except that they realize you are cycling.

Like grocery store checkout clerks, folks in the parking lot when you are unlocking your bike, folks at the gym you are walking out with who see you head to your bike. They often say "be careful" and I'll say "thanks, drive carefully' or "have a safe drive home" in reponse or something like that.
Al

I use the "drive safe", "travel safe" or "be safe", or something along those lines, parting phrase all the time. I don't recall ever having had anybody question it.

I think they're just being nice. Better than the alternative.

Agreed. I wasn't complaining, just now saying it in response too, often proceeded by a 'thanks'
Al

Actually, I think this is a positive thing, beyond the "just being nice" part. These people know a cyclist, and that humanizes cyclists.

I usually tell my wife and the kids to be careful and pay attention to what's going on around them.

If someone tells me to have a safe ride, I tell them to be careful as well. Usually no more than that. One woman kind of laughed and dismissed it. She was on the stairs at the time, and I said "hey, you're more likely to get killed walking up the stairs than I am riding my bike."

In jest, I usually say that I was planing to be reckless but will be careful now (My wife always says it to me if I am leaving on my motorcycle or bicycle). I always tell the kids to be careful when they leave the house or to whomever has my kids in their car. Not that anyone is not going to be careful but seems like the thing to say at times.

Yes, occasionally I tell someone, "Be careful and watch for cyclists."

Well, it's a lot easier to die when you're thrown off 25 pounds of steel than when 3000 pounds of it cradles you in a crash

Is it really? Which is more likely to happen?

Al

Given my druthers I'd rather die in a bike crash than a car wreck. I've totalled two bikes and one car. The bikes hurt more. Yes, I encourage car drivers to be safe, just not after they have just threatened me. Then if they are driving solo and have no dependents they can just wrap themselves around a K rail.

This is a widely believed assumption, but do you have any figures to back it up?

Consider that most bike crashes happen at slower speeds, and cyclists are often thrown clear of the wreckage. This can be very painful, but who knows, maybe less lethal.

Also, most injuries in car crashes result from the person being slammed against a part of their own auto. Far from "cradling" them, the auto then becomes the weapon that injures them.

To answer the question in the OP, it is common here for people to say "Drive safely" when saying goodbye.

At the end of visiting hours at the hospital where I work, we announce on the PA system, "The visiting hours are now over. Thank you for coming and please drive safely." Only I change it to "...please travel safely."

I tend to think so too... but my personal experience in both auto and bike accidents indicates that the severity of auto accidents tends to be greater.

The last bike accident I had left me in pain for 2 weeks and required some cosmetic surgery.

The last auto accident I was in required well over 6 months of treatment.

I was moving at well over 20 MPH in the bike accident.

I was at a complete stop in the car accident.

Both accidents were the result of someone else failing to yield the right of way.

I like to say "have a safe trip" to people who are flying, even though it's largely up to the pilot.

When people say it to me, my stock answer is "No thanks, I have other plans."

I have few friends by the way, so don't do what I do.

It sounds like a general wish for well-being, in line with "Take care" = "See ya later"

I do occasionally encounter folks who take it farther, and they offer to stash my bike in their car and go out of the way to drive me home. I think they see bike riding as a hardship I have to endure. It takes a little work to convince them that I like to bike, even at night, and I'm not just saying no out of politeness.

If they persist, I laughingly tell them about all the money I've put into my safety equipment (headlight, tail light, reflective tape, etc.) and I want to at least get some use out of it.

I tried to stay away from this one, but I thought I'd add to Gene's comments. It's really hard to say exactly which is worse, because there are so many variables and possibilities. Of course, a well-designed motor vehicle can protect you somewhat from the effects of a collision. But on the other hand, travelling at higher speeds typical of driving a car, even if you don't get a head injury (a major cause of death in car crashes) or crushed in some way, your internal organs can be damaged just by sudden deceleration. Internal bleeding can result.

On a bicycle, you are not protected from collisions and you can be thrown on your head or neck (this happened to my niece while mountain biking--I also landed on my head/face once.) Yet speeds are usually not very high, and as a result, motorcycles, which usually go very much faster, are involved in about 30 times as many fatal crashes per million hours of riding than bicycles.

Oh yes. They see me in my gear ready to hop on my bike for a ride home, "Be safe". Annoyed, I usually say, "You too, it's dangerous out there." But then, the stats I know DO indicate there is increased risk on a bicycle so I guess their concern is justified, if overblown.