"Whenever we write about bike/car "interactions" we get a lot of
complaints that cyclists bring much of this upon themselves by blowing
through red lights and stop signs, and generally cycling aggressively.
While convalescing after being hit by a truck, Dr. Chris Cavacuiti of
the University of Toronto had some time to study the statistics and
concluded otherwise. He is interviewed by Bet McIlroy in the U of T's
Experience Research:
Who causes accidents—cyclists or drivers?
While there is a public perception that cyclists are usually the cause
of accidents between cars and bikes, an analysis of Toronto police
collision reports shows otherwise: The most common type of crash in
this study involved a motorist entering an intersection and either
failing to stop properly or proceeding before it was safe to do so.
The second most common crash type involved a motorist overtaking
unsafely. The third involved a motorist opening a door onto an
oncoming cyclist.
The study concluded that cyclists are the cause of
less than 10 per cent of bike-car accidents in this study.
The available evidence suggests that collisions have far more to do
with aggressive driving than aggressive cycling..."
More:
http://www.treehugger.com/files/2009/08/cyclists-cause-10-percent-of-...