Comments on: Car is God in Athens

By: DB

DB — Tue, 30 Nov 1999 00:00:00 +0000

Very good point on heart disease vs biking — but applying this in a car vs bike argument doesn’t apply because the stats are not normalized for the number of bike versus car commuters. By your “read” on the numbers, you can also claim “getting shot accidentally” (1/5,134) and “getting struck by lightning” (1/79,746) are safer than biking — even though the odds for someone in that activity dying are rather high.

By: DB

DB — Tue, 30 Nov 1999 00:00:00 +0000

Ooh…the “Most dangerous to NOT ride a bike” post you link to is PERFECT, though — since it’s fatalities per hour, the units match!

By: ChipSeal

ChipSeal — Tue, 30 Nov 1999 00:00:00 +0000

We continue to experience about 800 deaths a year by people on bicycles. Usually, about half of them are children. A large percentage of the rest are killed while engaged in risky behavior- riding against traffic, riding on sidewalks, riding without lights at night for example.

If one avoids the riskiest behaviors, and operates his bicycle according to the rules of the road as a vehicle, his risk of injury is very very low.

A very good primer on how to avoid the most common traffic hazards can be found here:
http://www.bikexprt.com/streetsmarts/usa/index.htm

Tailwinds!

By: Josh

Josh — Tue, 30 Nov 1999 00:00:00 +0000

Thanks for the link ChipSeal (although your username makes me want to adorn my own bikes with extra-wide, cushy tires). And, good points – you’re dead on. Many of cycling-related injuries/deaths are the result of the cyclist riding in a stupid way – i.e. on the sidewalk then crossing at a light and getting plowed by a turning car.

DB- thanks for the insight and keeping our stat-reading honest. Fatalities per hour of activity is the key or even more precisely, perhaps – fatalities per MILE (since bikes are typically moving slower).

Keep the comments coming guys – we appreciate the input.

By: DB

DB — Tue, 30 Nov 1999 00:00:00 +0000

Thanks Josh. I do love you guys — I was out this afternoon on my first test run of my likely-soon-to-be carless bike commute…and for a n00b like me it was very nice to have fresh (favorable) statistics in my head as the cars zoomed past!

By: David Patton

David Patton — Tue, 30 Nov 1999 00:00:00 +0000

Can you provide a link to a high-quality version of this graphic? Thanks …