How common are cycle deaths?

[Dan B]

Odd. I always think of motorways as being safer than country lanes. No blind bends, no narrow lanes, more room to overtake and in some places only 10MPH faster.

Yes, but you're a cyclist (and a motorcyclist, or am I confusing you with someone else?) and as such probably more in touch with actual reality than the average driver

 

[stowie]

Motorcycle 88.8
Walking 30.9
Bicycle 24.2
Car 1.9
Van 0.5
Bus or coach 0.1
Rail 0.3
Water 0.9<br style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; border-top-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-bottom-width: 0px; border-left-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-color: initial; outline-style: none; outline-width: initial; outline-color: initial; ">
Data for 2008 and fatalities per billion km travelled.<br style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; border-top-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-bottom-width: 0px; border-left-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-color: initial; outline-style: none; outline-width: initial; outline-color: initial; ">From : http://cyclinginfo.co.uk/blog/cycling/death-rates-by-mode-of-transport/#ixzz1TyoWFelZ


So cycling is a bit safer than walking per km, everything is much safer than motorcycles.


As mentioned in the blog this doesn't include the health benefits of using a cycle or walking over more sedentary methods of travel. It also obviously doesn't factor in the external cost of pollution on others health whilst using the car and so on.


There are other ways to cut the stats (fatalities per billion journeys for instance) that make the numbers look a little different, but the statistic using fatalities per unit distance is the most recognised. Air travel isn't included in the list, but I think it is an order of magnitude safer per billion km than cars.


What saddens me is not just the numbers killed on our roads, but how easily these could be prevented. In air accidents there are normally a sequence of events, often hugely unlikely, which cause major failures or pilot error. With road accidents it is often people deciding that they can talk on the phone / speed / text / email / drink / not concentrate / drive tired whilst controlling a dangerous machine. And then this is simply considered "an accident".

 

[Titan yer tummy]

With road accidents it is often people deciding that they can talk on the phone / speed / text / email / drink / not concentrate / drive tired whilst controlling a dangerous machine. And then this is simply considered "an accident".

I think the authorities are calling them collisions rather than accidents these days. A rather subtle play on words; but quite important none-the-less.

TyT

 

[Angelfishsolo]

Yes, but you're a cyclist (and a motorcyclist, or am I confusing you with someone else?) and as such probably more in touch with actual reality than the average driver

I am a driver not a motorcyclist although I would love to pass my CBT and buy a HD Chopper

 

[Angelfishsolo]

Yes, but you're a cyclist (and a motorcyclist, or am I confusing you with someone else?) and as such probably more in touch with actual reality than the average driver

First time someone has accused me of being in touch with reality

 

[Ellis456]

Thanks for the reply's, some interesting info there. As to why im asking well im just curious lol, you read a lot of news articles on the net and your brain goes into alert mode.

 

[Red Light]

Statistically very good until you become one of the fatalities when the risk factor suddenly jumps to 100%

Two in Ireland this week.

TyT

Sure, somebody has to win the lottery but its not a good idea to live your life on the basis you are going to win it. People will die in air crashes this year but its not a reason to not fly or take a parachute on board. People will die in train crashes this year, but that's not a reason to avoid trains. You will die in the next 70 years - nothing you can do about that. Seven people died on the roads today and will tomorrow and the day after.

As a regular cyclist my health is equivalent to someone ten years younger, my life expectancy is increased by two years on average. The risk of cycling shortens my life by a month on average. On that basis I'll cycle and if I become a cycling fatality that'll just be the way the dice rolled. But its at least 200 times more likely old age, the big C or the heart will get me first.

 

[MrHappyCyclist]

Sure, somebody has to win the lottery but its not a good idea to live your life on the basis you are going to win it.

Oh, bugger. I guess it's back to plan B then.

 

[Red Light]

So cycling is a bit safer than walking per km, everything is much safer than motorcycles.

Those figures are misleading. They are based on the road fatalities in which at least one vehicle is involved. So if you fall off your bike with no-one else involved they count you. If you trip over a kerb while walking, you are not. The only pedestrian fatalities are those that are hit by a motor vehicle or bicycle.

There are no fatalities figures for trips and falls on the road but if you look at the serious injuries there are about six times as many serious pedestrian injuries from trips and falls on the road as there are in collisions with a vehicle. Even allowing for about half of those trips and falls being in the elderly, it is still a large excess of pedestrian serious injuries over those from the source you used (Reported Road Casualties Great Britain 2009 Table 52)

 

[Red Light]

Oh, bugger. I guess it's back to plan B then.

That won't work either. Banks don't have any money these days and what they do have is virtual

 

[MrHappyCyclist]

That won't work either. Banks don't have any money these days and what they do have is virtual

Ah, now, a popular misconception is that the virtualness of money is a recent phenomenon. In fact, money has always been virtual: virtual goods and services in fact. Unfortunately, it is the delusion that it is real that causes many problems! (Here ends thought for the day.)

 

[Red Light]

In fact, money has always been virtual: virtual goods and services in fact. Unfortunately, it is the delusion that it is real that causes many problems! (Here ends thought for the day.)

"This planet has — or rather had — a problem, which was this: most of the people living on it were unhappy for pretty much all of the time. Many solutions were suggested for this problem, but most of these were largely concerned with the movement of small green pieces of paper, which was odd because on the whole it wasn't the small green pieces of paper that were unhappy." H2G2

 

[Brains]

Country lanes frighten the living daylights out of me. Give me the Elephant and Castle in rush hour any day!

It's all about perception.
My Mum lives in deepest darkest Cornwall, thousands of miles of 2 meter wide roads with 3 meter hedges on either side which gives one the impression that you are driving in a tunnel. She won't drive in London as there are too many vehicles, too many signs, to many lanes.
Likewise my wife will not ride her bike on London roads, but is perfectly happy to cycle across most of the UK and western Europe.

The percieved dangers of cycling are the same. It's what you are used to, one mans 'safe' is another mans 'dangerous'

 

[MrHappyCyclist]

"This planet has — or rather had — a problem, which was this: most of the people living on it were unhappy for pretty much all of the time. Many solutions were suggested for this problem, but most of these were largely concerned with the movement of small green pieces of paper, which was odd because on the whole it wasn't the small green pieces of paper that were unhappy." H2G2

Thanks. I'd forgotten that particular piece of wisdom after 25 years! What a brilliant writer DA was.

 

[Davidc]

There are probably more deaths from suicide caused by money than cyclist killed on the roads (I don't know, but would guess so).

No one perceives using money as dangerous though.

Be interesting to assign average speeds to the vehicles in the stats and get a figure for fatalities per million hours travelling. Might do it later if I have time.