Whether traveling on rural roads or inner-city streets, you’re likely to see a lot more bicyclists pedaling their way alongside four-wheeled traffic. Bikes have become hip again, it seems, especially with Generations X and Y.
Unfortunately, new research reveals that with the increase in bicycle usage, there’s a concurrent increase in crashes, the annual cycle death rate rising from 621 to 722 between 2010 to 2012, reports the Governors Highway Safety Association, or GHSA.
That’s an alarming 16% jump even as overall highway deaths – including automobiles, motorcycles, pedestrians and bicycles – has been declining.
Notes a statement from the GHSA, “Bicycle fatalities are increasingly an urban phenomenon, accounting for 69 percent of all bicycle fatalities in 2012, compared with 50 percent in 1975. These changes correlate with an increase in bicycling commuters — a 62 percent jump since 2000, according to 2013 Census Bureau data.”
There have been a number of shifts over the past few decades.
• The rise in fatalities among adults, rather than the children who used to be the ones most likely to start pedaling.
• Bicycle fatalities are down sharply from the 1970s and ‘80s. The record death toll came in 1975, with 1,003 deaths, while the fatality rate averaged 889 during the 1980s,
• Adults older than 20 accounted for a full 84% of the fatalities in 2012, up from just 21% in 1975
• Bicyclists killed in motor vehicle crashes increased in 22 states between 2010 and 2012. Six states, in particular, accounted for 54% of the fatalities: California, Florida Illinois, New York, Michigan and Texas.
• Cities – including Chicago, San Francisco and New York – even make it possible to bike share, an encouraged alternative for commuters and tourists alike.
• 88% of the bicycle fatalities in 2012 were male.
• A number of states are participating in the Complete Streets program that aims for road designs that are safer for bikes, pedestrians and motor vehicles.
What may be the most disturbing aspect of the new study is the implication that many fatalities could have prevented had riders taken the same precautions as they’re asked to do when slipping behind a steering wheel. While they can’t buckle up, they can wear helmets – and ride sober.
“Many states are dedicating resources to ensuring the safety of all roadway users, including bicyclists, by investing in educating bicyclists and motorists, promoting helmet use, enforcing motor vehicle laws and implementing infrastructure changes,” said Jonathan Adkins, GHSA Executive Director.
Read the Original Story (The Detroit Bureau)
