How Safe is Biking?

Though deadly bike accidents are tragic and create dramatic headlines, they are relatively rare.

More than 50 million people ride a bike each year. (Source)
From 1994-2006, annual fatalities on bikes averaged just over 800, and fatalities are steadily falling. (Source)

Read on to find out 6 tips to radically reduce chances of injury and fatality.
1. Don't drink and bike:
In 26% of bike accidents the cyclist was drunk. (Source)

2. Wear a helmet. It won't prevent an accident, but may drastically reduce chances of death if an accident occurs:
91% of cyclists who died in accidents were not wearing helmets. (Source)
74% of cyclists killed in NYC died as the result of head injuries. (Source)

3. If you bike at night or in twilight, use lights and reflectors:

31% of crashes involving bikes happen from 5pm to 9pm; some studies have found 25% of crashes happened in darkness or twilight. (Source)

4. Be predictable: don't dart into traffic from driveways or roadways, bike a straight line (e.g., don't weave in and out of parked cars), and drive with (not against) traffic:

Following these 3 related recommendations could help avoid almost 20% of biking fatalities. (Source)

5. Push for more biking facilities such as bike lanes and separated bike tracks:
Of 225 cyclist deaths in New York City from 1996-2005, only 1 cyclist was killed by a motor vehicle while traveling in a bike lane. With the installation in that period of over 200 miles of bike lanes, the number of bikers nearly doubled while injury rates dropped 46% and fatality rates remained level. (Source)

6. The best way to survive an accident is to avoid it.
Take a safe cycling class. There are some excellent safety tips here and here. If  your organization would like to arrange a bike safety class, Bike Newton can help arrange it. Email Bike Newton.