Read an item this morning promoting more people to ride bikes to work and to stores. Which reminded me of a key issue that goes ignored…
Look at most urban planner’s viewpoints, and the viewpoints of cycling enthusiasts and clubs, and you’ll see a big effort to encourage more people to ride bikes. These efforts may take many forms including cycling promotion, adding striped bike lanes along existing roads, creating new, independent bike lanes or more draconian measures like putting in toll roads and higher parking fees for auto usage, coupled with denser housing and retail districts. All to encourage more cycling.
For many, the goal is to be more like some European cities.
But as we dive into this, we ignore the high-risk attributes of cycling.
Here, an economist makes some estimates and finds cycling, relative to participation rate, is the 3rd most dangerous physical activity that people engage in: I’m an economist riding a bike across America, defying what the data says about cycling’s safety – Cycling West – Cycling Utah
Most reports and data on bicycling focus on bikes versus vehicles because many are reported to the police. This sample bias leads to a focus on car versus vehicle – yet most bike accidents do not involve cars.
An estimated 90% of crashes are bike versus roadway hazards like potholes, loose gravel, railroad tracks, drain grates or collisions with other cyclists, pedestrians, or animals (both domestic and wild). Data on most of these is never collected – and estimates are usually from limited surveys.
Some think about 1/2 million cycling related injuries are treated in hospitals or Urgent Care centers annually, but 1.2 to 2 million injuries may happen each year. Many are self-treated or treated by a family physician and are never logged into databases.
When proponents push for more people to spend more time riding more miles, the risk issue is not discussed. Today, typically 1-2% of Americans commute by bicycle. If this suddenly increased to 10-20%, we would be see a 10x increase in accidents and injuries.
Again, most attention to reduce injuries or fatalities focuses on bikes versus vehicles – but ignores the other 90% of crashes and causes.
Can the US decrease that 90%? I have no idea but if it is ignored in government reports, it is unlikely we will make a dent in those statistics.
Note – I was an avid cyclist for almost 4 decades from teen to mid-50s. I commuted to work by bike, I rode recreationally, and rode many cycling Century rides. I rode both road and dirt bikes.
I have suffered 4 serious injuries in bicycle crashes:
- 5″ skull fracture, small pothole around a road turn, knocked out.
- Broken rib, road banked in the opposite direction of what it should have been. Briefly knocked out and broke bike helmet.
- Broken right wrist, attacked by loose German shepherd dogs
- Broken left hand, large group bike ride side swiped by bus. Knocked out, broke bike helmet. I suffered long term TBI effects, mostly mild but difficult to deal with.
3 out of 4 of these did not involve vehicles and were never recorded in accident statistics. Nor was the vehicle collision. It was a terrible intersection (since completely replaced and redesigned as it had the highest rate of accidents in the city). None of us bothered to notify the police so there was no report.
3 of the 4 accidents had associated but invisible traumatic brain injury effects. (The above is not the only time I have suffered knock out blows). Several health care practitioners have been amazed at my recoveries, with one referring to me as a “miracle”. Two doctors have since strongly recommended no more bicycling for fear of additional brain injuries, effects of which some think are cumulative.
I am not joking when I refer to myself as a brain injured idiot.
