U.S. Bicycle Safety Statistics for 2009
In 2009, 630 people were killed in crashes between bicycles and automobiles in the United States, according to bicyclinginfo.org.
Although this may seem high, the number of bicyclists killed or injured seems to be following a downward trend. In 1993, 68,000 people were injured in bicycle/motor vehicle crashes, but in 2009, only 51,000 people were injured. However, only a fraction of bicycle crashes are recorded by the police.
According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), in 2008 the average age of a bicyclist killed in a crash with a motor vehicle was 41. Of those killed, 87 percent were male.
It’s hard to tell from these numbers whether or not bicycling is getting safer. There has been a drop of 17 percent in fatalities since 1998. However, there is no corresponding data on how many bicyclists ride on a regular basis, or how far they are riding. Therefore, the drop in fatalities could be the result of fewer people riding, people riding in different locations, or bicycling conditions getting safer.
It’s also hard to tell from the data whether bicycling is more or less dangerous than other modes of travel. The data tells us that bicyclists account for two percent of traffic fatalities, but only one percent of all trips in the U.S. However, there is no data on how many miles bicyclists travel each year, or how long it takes them to ride those miles. It will take better data on bicycling to determine how dangerous bicycling is compared with other forms of travel.
Have you been injured in a bicycling accident in Missouri? Contact the Missouri personal injury attorneys at Page Law, LLC by calling 1-314-488-2433 for a free consultation on your case. You may have a potential claim against the other driver or rider that was involved in the accident. Call us now for further details.
