How dangerous is cycling?

[PBancroft]

They tell the facts.

They don't tell a story, that appears to be your job.

Err... they tell one view of the facts. They're giving an approximation for the number of miles, which is utter b0ll0cks as I seriously doubt most people killed on the road had cycled 18,000 miles previously.

The numbers are also slightly out of context. How did these cyclists die, and where - not to be too morbid, but more information is needed. Were they themselves acting dangerously, or were they the victim of dangerous driving? Was it at night, and was the cyclist clearly visible? Was it in the daytime and was the driver (assuming that the cyclist was killed by a driver) following the rules of the road?

The thing is, a cyclist wearing black at night, cycling across a busy road without giving way (I've seen it happen) and is killed, is just as much dead and part of those statistics as one who is visible but rear-ended by a car doing 60 on a clear open road when the driver isn't paying attention.

 

[yello]

I know this might be deeply unfashionable but I can see what col is saying.

 

[dondare]

Go look at the numbers again. Cycling is generally a 100% safe thing to do. Thats as clear as getting on the bus being generally a 100% safe thing to do.

Cyclists live longer than non-cyclists so it must be more than 100% safe.

err...

 

[wafflycat]

Life is dangerous. It has a 100% mortality rate. Better not live then...

No activity in life is risk-free. All activities carry a level of danger. The problem with cycling is that the perception of the level of danger cycling has, when viewed by non-cyclists in particular, is way over the top compared to the reality. Common sense is all very well, but common sense used to tell us that the earth is flat.

Also - remember this is a cycling forum. There's a higher level of cyclists here than in the general population. Add into this that this is a place where we can have a moan about the level of stupidity we face on the roads every day and know we're in a place where others understand and will sympathise. So the reporting of the bad stuff is 'concentrated' here, if you see what I mean.

In the great scheme of things, cycling is a remarkably safe thing to do. Yes, there are risks attached to it, but the risks are, in reality, quite low.

 

[ComedyPilot]

Life is dangerous. It has a 100% mortality rate. Better not live then...

No activity in life is risk-free. All activities carry a level of danger. The problem with cycling is that the perception of the level of danger cycling has, when viewed by non-cyclists in particular, is way over the top compared to the reality. Common sense is all very well, but common sense used to tell us that the earth is flat.

Also - remember this is a cycling forum. There's a higher level of cyclists here than in the general population. Add into this that this is a place where we can have a moan about the level of stupidity we face on the roads every day and know we're in a place where others understand and will sympathise. So the reporting of the bad stuff is 'concentrated' here, if you see what I mean.

In the great scheme of things, cycling is a remarkably safe thing to do. Yes, there are risks attached to it, but the risks are, in reality, quite low.

+1

Life is one big risk. You can deal with it in a number of ways. Get out there, be active, do sports/activities etc, get trained and minimise the risk. Get out there with no training or experience and the risk increases, something happens and you become a statistic. Or listen to the 'nanny-state' media hype that is designed to keep you in a perpetual state of fear and do nothing. The choice is yours. Accept the percieved risk for your chosen path and get on with it. I don't know if that makes any sense to anyone else?

 

[Riding in Circles]

Life is dangerous. It has a 100% mortality rate.
In the great scheme of things, cycling is a remarkably safe thing to do. Yes, there are risks attached to it, but the risks are, in reality, quite low.

Exactly what I was thinking, everything is dangerous including cycling, the question should not be "is it dangerous?" rather than "how dangerous is it?", there are various indicators to how dangerous it is within these boards, with some saying they have never had so much as a scratch, some with one fall in 18 years some say an accident every 4 years, some seem to have some incident every other week.

In that, perhaps the indicator to relative danger is not the activity but the participant.

 

[col]

They tell the facts.

They don't tell a story, that appears to be your job.

Explain? noddy

 

[beanzontoast]

I have to smile. This subject has been debated before. It will be debated again, no doubt. I guess some people just like debating - I'm not one of them.

There is no empirical answer possible to a question where the resolution depends on individual perceptions of risk. Given that everyone's perception of risk and experience of cycling is unique - in particular coloured by the fact that some will have experienced accidents, others not - there will never be a conclusive answer. Thus the debate goes around in circles and runs the risk of descending into pointless argument.

Bottom line - the question cannot be 'answered' conclusively. Each person just has to make their own mind up about how dangerous or otherwise cycling is.

 

[Jaded]

Explain? noddy

All im saying is its not totaly safe,and those stats dont tell the whole story.

There.

FUD.

Who said the stats DID say it was totally safe?

Just because it isn't totally safe doesn't mean that it is dangerous! Cycling isn't at all dangerous and you can make it even less dangerous by taking a few simple behaviour and maintenance steps.

There. big ears.

 

[col]

There.

FUD.

Who said the stats DID say it was totally safe?

Just because it isn't totally safe doesn't mean that it is dangerous! Cycling isn't at all dangerous and you can make it even less dangerous by taking a few simple behaviour and maintenance steps.

There. big ears.

So why is it my job to tell stories?Or are you going to qoute again noddy

 

[Bollo]

In the great scheme of things, cycling is a remarkably safe thing to do. Yes, there are risks attached to it, but the risks are, in reality, quite low.

Yeah waff!

The risks and our perceptions of risk are often two totally different things. Take this one from the independent -

Each year, 250,000 people are injured, and 70 people die in DIY-related accidents. Ladders are the biggest killers, accounting for 50 of those deaths.

How many of us announce at work that we've been 'laddering' at the weekend, to be met with gasps and wide-eyed stares.

I'd watched Michael Moore's Bowling for Columbine again recently (much better than F 9/11) and one of the points he makes is that an exaggerated perception of risk leads to a fear can end up crippling a nation.

I've had low-level grief from a few people about riding into the centre of town with my six year old on our tandem. Sure, I've weighed up those risks and I ride ultra-conservatively, but the benefits are obvious. My little girl is fit as a fiddle, knows that she isn't going to be ferried around everywhere in a car and has better road-sense than the average teenager (ok not a good comparison!), all of which reduces the risks of obesity and a road accident in later life.

 

[Jaded]

So why is it my job to tell stories?Or are you going to qoute again noddy

You are telling a story. You've done it several times on this thread. You can qualify the stats, but you can't argue with them or make out that they are wrong - as you have done.

 

[Jaded]

around 650,000 people die each year. 130 of them are cyclists.

It is far safer to be a cyclist than be a person.

 

[col]

You are telling a story. You've done it several times on this thread. You can qualify the stats, but you can't argue with them or make out that they are wrong - as you have done.

Iv never said they are wrong,show me where i have,they just dont tell the whole story noddy

 

[Jaded]

I didn't say you said they were wrong, I said that you made out they were wrong.

There's a difference. Keep up.