Is riding a bicycle still safer than walking?

I came across an interesting paper today:

http://www.atsb.gov.au/publications/...omparisons.pdf

Unfortunately there's no recent data pertaining to cyclists, however
table 4 has the following three comparaisions from 1985/1986:

Fatalities per million kms:
Pedestrians - 16.12
Cyclists - 4.24

OK, so give that cyclists cover four times the distance of pedestrians
that's probably not surprising. I'm expecting accidents per million
hours to be about even.

Fatalities per million hours:
Pedestrians - 0.68
Cyclists - 0.42

Fatalities per million passenger trips:
Pedestrian - 0.17
Cyclists - 0.10

So back in the mid eighties cycling was safer than walking by quite a bit.
--
Cheers | ~~ __@
Euan | ~~ _-\,
Melbourne, Australia | ~ (*)/ (*)

Euan wrote:
I came across an interesting paper today:

http://www.atsb.gov.au/publications/...omparisons.pdf


Unfortunately there's no recent data pertaining to cyclists, however
table 4 has the following three comparaisions from 1985/1986:

Fatalities per million kms:
Pedestrians - 16.12
Cyclists - 4.24

OK, so give that cyclists cover four times the distance of pedestrians
that's probably not surprising. I'm expecting accidents per million
hours to be about even.

Fatalities per million hours:
Pedestrians - 0.68
Cyclists - 0.42

Fatalities per million passenger trips:
Pedestrian - 0.17
Cyclists - 0.10

So back in the mid eighties cycling was safer than walking by quite a bit.
Granted, but in that 20 year period the number of cars on the world's
roads has doubled (500 million to one billion). The fatality figures are
probably not significantly different for Australia, where development of
the road system has (sort of) kept up with this, but would be in the
Third World where the infrastructure is worse.
It would be interesting to get some more up to date figures. On my last
available estimates (2003) the Motor Car was directly responsible for
1.2 million deaths per annum worldwide (600,000 of these were in China).
Thus, as a Weapon of Mass Destruction, the Car has some way to go to
catch up with the Hand-Gun (three million deaths). Source: Time
Magazine, 2004
Cheers,
Ray

ray wrote:

Granted, but in that 20 year period the number of cars on the world's
roads has doubled (500 million to one billion). The fatality figures are
probably not significantly different for Australia, where development of
the road system has (sort of) kept up with this, but would be in the
Third World where the infrastructure is worse.

How do our fatalities compare to the USA?

I'm just aware that the USA has about 3,600 killed per month. contrast
with the figure mentioned on ABC Road to Peking where he was horrified
that 3,500 were killed per month on Russian roads.

ray wrote:
Euan wrote:

I came across an interesting paper today:

http://www.atsb.gov.au/publications/...omparisons.pdf


Unfortunately there's no recent data pertaining to cyclists, however
table 4 has the following three comparaisions from 1985/1986:

Fatalities per million kms:
Pedestrians - 16.12
Cyclists - 4.24

OK, so give that cyclists cover four times the distance of pedestrians
that's probably not surprising. I'm expecting accidents per million
hours to be about even.

Fatalities per million hours:
Pedestrians - 0.68
Cyclists - 0.42

Fatalities per million passenger trips:
Pedestrian - 0.17
Cyclists - 0.10

So back in the mid eighties cycling was safer than walking by quite a
bit.

Granted, but in that 20 year period the number of cars on the world's
roads has doubled (500 million to one billion).

Hence the question in the subject. I've not been able to track down any
more recent data.
--
Cheers | ~~ __@
Euan | ~~ _-\,
Melbourne, Australia | ~ (*)/ (*)

On Fri, 02 Jun 2006 00:48:30 GMT, Euan wrote:

So back in the mid eighties cycling was safer than walking by quite a bit.

Yes but the figures are rather meaningless because cycling and pedestrian
fatalities are often completely different sorts of accidents.

There was one study of pedestrian deaths in Sydney that found they happen
most on Friday and Saturday night, and Taylor Square and Kings Cross made
up quite a lot of them i.e. drunks were staggering out pubs located on busy
intersections against the lights and getting run over. Kids and the elderly
were more likely to killed crossing during the day.

It doesn't really tell me whether I am safer walking or cycling to the
train station in the morning.

The answer I would give though is walking is safer, and must be logically.

Walking on footpaths and only cross the road at convient points must be
safer than spending all your time on the road, in roundabout and
intersections (where most road accidents happen) having cars overtaking you
at high speed.

Im my experience I have walked to the station most weekdays for 25 years
and never had a single close call. Yet have had two close calls in the last
12 months only riding a couple of times a week.

I don't cycle because I think it is safer, or going to save the planet.
I cycle because it allows me to travel distances that I can't walk, get
some exercise and I hate driving but most of all because I simply like
cycling and the risk is worth it to me.

dewatf.

dewatf wrote:

I don't cycle because I think it is safer, or going to save the planet.
I cycle because it allows me to travel distances that I can't walk, get
some exercise and I hate driving but most of all because I simply like
cycling and the risk is worth it to me.

The point is that many cyclists over-exaggerate the risks of cycling.
Heck, going by the figures in that report cycling's safer than being a
passenger in a car (but not a driver.)
--
Cheers | ~~ __@
Euan | ~~ _-\,
Melbourne, Australia | ~ (*)/ (*)

Euan wrote:
I came across an interesting paper today:

http://www.atsb.gov.au/publications/...omparisons.pdf

Unfortunately there's no recent data pertaining to cyclists, however
table 4 has the following three comparaisions from 1985/1986:

Fatalities per million kms:
Pedestrians - 16.12
Cyclists - 4.24

*snip*

Are there any statistics breaking it down into sober vs drunk?

I wonder what proportion of the ped fatalities are from intoxicated
people staggering out into traffic, or falling asleep in the middle of
the road. While there are certainly drunk cyclists out there, I think
they're more likely to be on foot or car.

I'd be interested in seeing statistics for regular non-intoxicated
drivers who aren't driving at ludicrously unsafe speeds. i.e. how much
danger am I really taking on myself when I ride to work rather than
drive, given that I don't engage in any noteworthy high risk
behaviours.

Travis

Travis Wrote:
Euan wrote:
I came across an interesting paper today:

http://tinyurl.com/qvyxk

Unfortunately there's no recent data pertaining to cyclists, however
table 4 has the following three comparaisions from 1985/1986:

Fatalities per million kms:
Pedestrians - 16.12
Cyclists - 4.24

*snip*

Are there any statistics breaking it down into sober vs drunk?

I wonder what proportion of the ped fatalities are from intoxicated
people staggering out into traffic, or falling asleep in the middle of
the road. While there are certainly drunk cyclists out there, I think
they're more likely to be on foot or car.

TravisIn addition to a breakdown in sober/less than sober, for the pedestrian
figures to be meaningful age and fitness/health/mobility is necessary.
Not many bikes being ridden by preschoolers or in preference to the
zimmer frame.

ali


--
alison_b

alison_b wrote:

Not many bikes being ridden by preschoolers or in preference to the
zimmer frame.

Typical!, just because you use two wheels, you have this bias against
quadracycles. In case you haven't noticed you young whipper snapper you,
my zimmer frame has four wheels and dual hand brakes {:-)

and I don't have to wear a h*lm*t nananananananananana!

On 2006-06-03, Terryc (aka Bruce)
was almost, but not quite, entirely unlike tea:
alison_b wrote:

Not many bikes being ridden by preschoolers or in preference to the
zimmer frame.

Typical!, just because you use two wheels, you have this bias against
quadracycles. In case you haven't noticed you young whipper snapper you,
my zimmer frame has four wheels and dual hand brakes {:-)

and I don't have to wear a h*lm*t nananananananananana!

No, you're papa, not nana!

--
TimC
When cryptography is outlawed, bayl bhgynjf jvyy unir cevinpl.