Quote:
Originally Posted by LostCause
The number one reason not to ride is safety. I've heard that you are ten times more likely to die riding a bicycle then driving a car (no idea if that is adjusted in any way, though).
- LostCause
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Here's the Adjusted statistic for 1996
Death's per 100,000
Car: .7
Walking: .19
Cycling: .09
And here they are for 1985
Car: .95
Walking: .39
Cycling: .24
You're about 8 times more likely to die in a car than a bike
Top ten list on how people on bikes die when done by a car...
1. 5.1% The bicyclist exited a driveway in front of an on-coming vehicle.
2. 4.3% The bicyclist turned left in front of a passing vehicle.
3. 3.9% The motorist was overtaking the bicyclist, cause of the accident unclear.
4. 2.7% The bicyclist was struck while traveling on the wrong (left) side of the road.
5. 1.4% The bicyclist, on the wrong side, turned right in front of a vehicle.
6. 1.3% The motorist was overtaking the bicyclist and failed to see him.
7. 1.2% The bicyclist lost control and swerved into the path of the vehicle.
8. .8% The bicyclist made a normal left turn but ignored on-coming traffic.
9. .6% The motorist lost control of the car and struck the bicyclist.
10. .5% The motorist struck a play vehicle (big wheel, bike with training wheels).
http://www.tfhrc.gov/safety/pedbike/...e/ctanbike.htm
AND pedestrians
on a sidewalk are 7 times more likely to die than all cyclists as pedestrians have more fatalities per mile (
http://www.bikewalk.org/assets/pdf/CASE15.PDF). One would think pedestrians are safer as they can look back much more easily and can jump out of the way...
So... The big numbers
Total Injuries (Not Adjusted)
Car: 3,400,000(1999)
Bike: 61,000 (1996)
Total Deaths (Not Adjusted)
Car: 41,611 (1999)
Bike: 850 (1996)
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I guess I should mention... All of the roads I drive on are 35+mph and the longest legs of my daily commute have a speed limit of 45.
EDIT:
Here is an up to date resource - more official like too
http://hazmat.dot.gov/riskmgmt/riskcompare.htm
Car: 1 out of 7,700 died between 1999 and 2003
Bike: 1 out of 410,000 died between 1999 and 2003
Pedestrian: 1 out of 58,000
Large Trucks: 1 out of 55,000
You're 53x more likely to die in a car than a bike.
You're more likely to die on a train or recreational boat than on a bike