Safety of road bicycle riding

[NickBull]

The other day after a ride, we were sitting at a table and enjoying an after-ride dinner, when the conversation turned to accidents.  Everyone at the table except my wife and I had been hit by a car while bicycling (I've had solo bike crashes and even one bike-on-bike crash, but no cars).  I must say it was a little alarming and made me feel a little like "My number just hasn't come up, yet."

Since that ride, I've seen news of riders run-down in Texas and killed elsewhere.  And it makes me wonder whether road bicycle riding is more risky than I have thought.  (FWIW, I don't think rando is particularly more risky than just-riding-around.)  Try as I might, I have not been able to find statistics that I find meaningful or trustworthy on this topic.  E.g. looking at cycling fatalities, it's my understanding that a significant number of cyclists who are killed are drunk at the time and on bikes because their license had been suspended for drunk driving--but I wouldn't think of this as a "road bicycle accident". 

So my question:  Of people who you know well enough to have shaken their hand (i.e. not "I heard about a friend of a friend") how many do you know who have been killed in bicycle accidents on the road and how many do you know who have been killed in car accidents (as an occupant)?

I know five who I can think of who were killed in bike accidents, and none that I can think of in car accidents.  But maybe my experience is unusual.

Nick Bull

[Ken Freeman]

Nick, I don't know of any specific person who lost his/her life while cycling.  What I would like to share is some of the federally-funded research on cycling safety and collisions.  The main researcher I know of is Fred Feng, who was with the University of Michigan Transportation Research Institute.  He gave a talk and presentation at a meeting of the Washtenaw Biking and Walking Coalition.  Now he's with National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, continuing his research on bicycle safety matters.  I have definitely seen such research result in policy and rulemaking improvements. 

Here are the keywords for a Google search which will point to a lot of Dr. Feng's work. It's all free and open, mostly in PDFs.

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Ken Freeman
Ann Arbor, MI USA

[David Buzzee]

I can think of five who were killed by cars/trucks while riding bikes, none who were killed in car accidents. But I can think of several who were injured in car accidents and no bicyclists who were injured by cars. 

Sent from Yahoo Mail on Android

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[Martin Shipp]

I've experienced two separate bicycle-to-bicycle crashes -- one in Fall 2009 and the other two or three years before that at an MS-150 event. A scar on my right knee and three fingers that aren't quite right from those AND a left shoulder such that sometimes I cannot sleep on my left side.

Forty-five (or 46) years ago, two high-schoolers in my small hometown died from an automobile crash -- I was a freshman or soph at University -- approx 360 high school students, one knows everybody, esp. those within a couple years of oneself. Authorities (Illinois State Police / Illinois Bureau of Investigation -- NOT the "Barney's" in the town's police force) concluded the car was moving at 75 to 90 mph on a small street in town, the street ended in a T-intersection and the car apparently flew from the edge of the cross street (there were no tyre tracks) and hit a biggish tree some 20 or so feet from the street. No auto deaths known by me since then.

Bicycling. At least 11 cyclists clipped or bashed into by vehicles. Four suffered / continuing to suffer life-altering injuries. Zero bicycling deaths known by me.

(Against Nick's "instructions," I mention one cyclist that was one-person-removed. He semi-frequently rode with a group that I occasionally rode with, but we never met.)

Given the subject the following may seem in bad taste, but I conclude (almost) all my emails with ...
Enjoy the ride, 
...Martin  

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[Brett Sterling]

Hello all,

I usually don't post, but I've seen this happen in too many forums/groups/social media.  The following are my opinions.  Take them for what they're worth. :-)

I don't think there are many folks that recognize the harm that this type of discussion thread does (kind of like most people don't realize the harm facebook does).  Given that this group is targeted at bicyclists, it is highly probable that either we personally know someone who has been injured/killed in a bike accident, or have ourselves been involved in such.  Just like, for example, rock climbers or skydivers are more likely to know of people injured/killed in those sports.  But bringing attention to these things only serves to make it more likely that we will be focusing on the risks (instead of the rewards) the next time we think about going for a ride.

I realize that when I get on my bike to ride on the road (road riding is the only kind of riding I do), I'm getting out there with other vehicles that weigh MUCH more than I do and are not only capable of, but usually are, going much faster than I (or even profession cyclists) can.  And I know there are (a small number of) motorists out there who are, for lack of a better term, a#**oles to cyclists.  Further, I know that with the advent of cell phones, there are even more distracted motorists on the roads.  Knowing this information, I can either decide it's too dangerous (for me) to ride on the road, or I can get out there to enjoy the thing I love doing, and do as much as possible to mitigate these dangers.  I choose the latter because I'm not willing to let fear take me away from something I love doing.  I acknowledge that the possibility exists for me to be involved in a collision and as a result, do as much as I "can" (I don't wear full body armor :-) ) to avoid it.  I've been struck twice by vehicles, both of them the drivers' faults.  I've also been in 2 car accidents while driving (with other cars).  And I've been in 2 bicycle accidents (with other bicycles).  I've been 'brushed' (i.e. no contact) by multiple vehicles (one was a camper, that was pulled over by the state troopers right after it happened, and another was a UPS truck), and I've had things thrown at me from passing vehicles.  And, as many of you have also probably experienced, I've been yelled at (to 'get off the road') by multiple drivers.  But none of this will keep me from doing what I love.

I want to say thanks to Ken for his post on this discussion.  I also hope that we continue to see laws passed that try to provide a 'safer' environment for bicyclists, as well as increase the consequences for injuring (or even just terrorizing - https://www.bicycling.com/news/a20036452/coal-rolling-made-illegal-in-colorado/) bicyclists. And I hope those laws continue to be more strictly enforced.

In closing, I sincerely hope in the future we can keep the discussions on this public forum to the lighter/enjoyable side of the sport.  I support the decision to discuss the 'darker' sides in person if you choose (I'll have a 'toast' to a fallen 'comrade', but will remove myself, like I intend to do with this conversation, if it starts to go down the path of what I feel is fear-mongering), but also balance it with not just what you've seen/read in the news or what others in the sport have heard/read/seen, but do the (objective) research on the statistics and then make your decisions.

I hope to see all of you out on the road in the future, as there are a lot of great places to see out there! And I for one would much rather see them on a bike than any other way.

“When the spirits are low, when the day appears dark, when work becomes monotonous, when hope hardly seems worth having, just mount a bicycle and go out for a spin down the road, without thought on anything but the ride you are taking.” - Sir Arthur Conan Doyle

[Dan Driscoll]

Thank you, so very much !!!!!

+ with all I have, 

DanD 

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[NickBull]

Thanks to all who responded to this thread (online and privately) with informative responses.

As to proponents of the Ignorance is Bliss approach to randonneuring, you're welcome to take your own approach.  Personally, I prefer the Knowledge is Power approach and it helped me to succeed through fifteen years of back to back R-12 rides, plus several 1200's.  But to each their own. 

However, unless a topic is against the rules of the forum, I would encourage you to use the Silence is Golden approach to commenting.  If you don't want to read a thread ... don't read it!  Don't tell others what they can read or write, it's not the American way!

Nick