Cyclists' deaths & statistics

[Pale Rider]

Can you cite your sauces, please?

Cross and Blackboardwell.

 

[albion]

A quick google on stats shows Holland cycles an average of 2.5km per person.
The USA has 0.1km per day.
http://cyclinginfo.co.uk/blog/734/cycling/cycling-rates-by-country/
So its 3 times more dangerous here.
That 5 times for the US is possibly way too low.
http://dutchcommunity.com/2012/08/17/the-netherlands-safest-bicycle-country-in-the-world/

So we really did have a shockingly bad trumpet.

 

[DooDah]

Or possibly France has lots of people making short local hops by bicycle and the UK has a far smaller number travelling greater distances.

I think it is the opposite. It is a difficult one with France. In the cities cycling is very common, but French drivers are rubbish, which IMO means more deaths. However, France is mostly countryside, and people don't tend to use there bikes to just get around (the distances are too far), so they are used for recreation. Maybe, this means less traffic to deal with and hence the common (mis)perception of them being cycling friendly. I have friends here who are truck drivers and they prefer to drive in the UK. This astonished us, but they explained that UK drivers are much better and more considerate to other road users. Unfortunately, the French are extremely impatient and inconsiderate when they are behind a wheel. As for the cities, well I would rather cycle in London than in a French city.

 

[shouldbeinbed]

Fair enough, was just a suggestion from a long way away, I'll happily defer to local knowledge. Good job I didn't mention stripey jumpers and onions :-D

 

[deptfordmarmoset]

Fair enough, was just a suggestion from a long way away, I'll happily defer to local knowledge. Good job I didn't mention stripey jumpers and onions :-D

Ah, so that's what your avatar is! I knew it was a stripy jumper but I thought it was a football under his arm; it never occurred to me that it was an onion. I can see now that it's definitely a Gallic moustache.

 

[TonyEnjoyD]

And, Statistically, six out of seven dwarfs are not Happy!

 

[briantrumpet]

And, Statistically, six out of seven dwarfs are not Happy!

And I've got more than the average number of legs for a cyclist.

 

[HLaB]

And, Statistically, six out of seven dwarfs are not Happy!

Now there's damn lies and statistics but that actually might be accurate

 

[Amack]

Just in case anyone is fortunate enough to be somewhere near a coconut tree this year, don't worry the 150 deaths per year is nonsense. As for the statistic of roughly 2 cycling deaths per week in the UK, when you see it in typed in simple black and white its a very sobering fact.

 

[Linford]

A quick google on stats shows Holland cycles an average of 2.5km per person.
The USA has 0.1km per day.
http://cyclinginfo.co.uk/blog/734/cycling/cycling-rates-by-country/
So its 3 times more dangerous here.
That 5 times for the US is possibly way too low.
http://dutchcommunity.com/2012/08/17/the-netherlands-safest-bicycle-country-in-the-world/

So we really did have a shockingly bad trumpet.

Wiki states 7 deaths per billion km on the roads in the Netherlands, but 5.7 per billion in the uk

 

[briantrumpet]

Just in case anyone is fortunate enough to be somewhere near a coconut tree this year, don't worry the 150 deaths per year is nonsense.

Phew. I was quite worried. Though that figure came from the internet, so I reckoned it must be true.

Take your helmets off, people. Oh, hang on...

 

[Amack]

Phew. I was quite worried. Though that figure came from the internet, so I reckoned it must be true.

Take your helmets off, people. Oh, hang on...

don't mention helm..errr coconuts!

 

[briantrumpet]

As for the statistic of roughly 2 cycling deaths per week in the UK, when you see it in typed in simple black and white its a very sobering fact.

But perhaps not nearly as sobering as the other 34 people killed each week on the roads. What is odd, if you think about it, is that though each one of these deaths will be the result of a set of unique (random?) circumstances, the number of deaths on the roads overall is pretty predictable from year to year. Which perhaps demonstrates less randomness than one might think, I suppose. I dare say that there are statistics which could prove or disprove that, but I won't dare to tread there.

 

[al78]

But perhaps not nearly as sobering as the other 34 people killed each week on the roads.

Or the 20,000 excess deaths due to winter cold in the UK. That equates to over 200 people per day on average.

 

[srw]

I prefer not to think about it but you need to consider the 'exposure' of cyclists in Holland compared to the 'exposure' of cyclists in the UK, typically fatalities per mile/km travelled.

The OP is right. The statistics show that cycling in Britain is a very safe activity indeed. Off the top of my head there's one death for about 50 lifetimes of very high-mileage cycling, and one serious injury per lifetime. And "serious injury" doesn't mean what you think it means. Dig around in the helmet subforum for more on this.