It’s common knowledge that you’re more likely to die in a car accident than in a plane crash. But what about on your bike? We don’t mean to scare you with hubbub about on-road ignorance by drivers and society, anti-pedestrian sentiment, and downed cyclists. On the contrary, we want you to ride your bike, and the truth is that it’s one of the safest modes of transport. In fact, a recent study by the National Safety Council shows that the odds of dying from cancer, a stroke, or a motor vehicle accident are far greater than death by bike.

Here are the odds of death, in a nutshell:

Motor Vehicle Accident = 1 in 84
Pedestrian Accident = 1 in 626
Bicycling Accident = 1 in 4,919

Apart from running the risk of dying in a fatal car crash, drivers and passengers in motor vehicles are causing more self-inflicted harm by sullying the air they breathe and staying sedentary. The odds of dying from heart disease? One in five.

For another perspective on the dangers of driving vs cycling, check out our earlier post that shows it's More Dangerous to NOT Ride a Bike.

Sources: Biking Toronto and the National Safety Council.

Graph by Pixadus.
Photos via flickr by rescue dog & planet schwa.

Comments (5)

Subscribe to this comment's feed

DB said:

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.

April 12, 2008

DB said:

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!

April 12, 2008

ChipSeal said:

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!

April 12, 2008

Josh said:

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.

April 12, 2008 | url

DB said:

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!

April 13, 2008

Name

Email

Website

Title

Comment

Add Comment