Bicycle Accident

Cyclists are some of the most vulnerable road users, and are relatively unlikely to cause a road casualty. Cycling generally includes the riding of unicycles, tricycles, quadracycles, and similar human-powered transport (HPVs).

There are two main types of crashes: the most common (falls), and the most serious (the ones with cars or other vehicles).

Statistics show that these are some of the most frequently cited causes of bicycle accidents in the United States:

• Driver Inattention: Drivers are becoming increasingly more distracted behind the wheel. According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), 30 percent of all bicycle accident injuries occur when a bicyclist is struck by a car.
• Failure to Yield: Unfortunately, many drivers and bicyclists are not fully aware of their responsibilities on the road. When a driver fails to yield to a bicyclist, accidents are more likely to occur.
• Rider Inattention: Bicyclists have little protecting them from serious injuries. In order to minimize the risk of harm, riders must exercise extreme caution when sharing the road with larger vehicles. Riders are more likely to be injured in an accident if they are distracted. An increasing number of riders are utilizing hands-free cell phone devices and/or wearing headphones. This behavior can cause a bicyclist to become distracted, veer into oncoming traffic, or fail to maintain the bicycle lane.
• Dangerous Road Conditions: Cities have an obligation to ensure that all roadways – including dedicated bike lanes – are maintained and in good condition. However, according to the NHTSA, 13 percent of all injury-causing bicycle accidents are caused by roads that are not in good repair.
• Riding at Night: More than half of all bicycle accidents happen when it is dark outside. Cyclists who do not wear reflective gear while riding are more difficult to see at night. Drivers may not be able to see riders in time and have the ability to stop the vehicle before a crash.

Statistics:

• In 2012, 338 cyclists were killed in California
• In 2012, California had the highest number of cyclists killed in any state that year
• Cyclists make up 2% of deaths caused by motor vehicles nationally, but in California, they account for 4% of motor vehicle deaths
• According to the CDC, there were nearly 467,000 bicycle-related injuries in the US and 1,000 deaths in 2015.
• In 2016, 18,477 cyclists in the UK were injured in road accidents, with 102 cyclists were killed, around 3,400 were seriously injured and around 15,000 other casualties. These numbers reflect those who were reported to the police. The figures also exclude cycling accidents that occur away from the road. Although the number of deaths is accurate, there could be two or three times as many seriously injured cyclists and double the number of slightly injured.
• In 2016, there were 840 bicyclists killed in traffic crashes in the United States.
• In the USA statistics show that while the overall number of bicycle accidents in the country is declining, the number of fatal bike accidents is on the rise. In 2015, there were 45,000 reported bicycle accidents in the United States, down from 50,000 reported accidents in the prior year. However, the number of fatal accidents increased by more than 12 percent during this same time.
  • Reasons that the number of fatal bike accidents has risen include:
    • New bicyclists are less familiar with safe biking practices
    • Drivers are not using caution when sharing the road with bicyclists, and
    • Cities are planning, but have not implemented changes to infrastructure to support bicyclist safety.
• Statistics show the most dangerous cities for bicyclists, due to a staggering increase in the number of bicyclists on the roads, are the following:
  • 1. Albuquerque, NM; 2. Tucson, AZ; 3. Las Vegas, NV; 4. Phoenix, AZ; 5. San Jose, CA; 6. Columbus, OH; 7 San Francisco, CA; 8. Memphis, TN; 9. Philadelphia, PA; 10. Los Angeles, CA.
• Smaller cities tend to reflect a decline in both the number and severity of bicycle accidents. Statistics show that the safest cities for bicyclists include:
  • 1. Oklahoma City, OK; 2. Boston, MA; 3. Dallas, TX; 4. Indianapolis, IN; 5. Fort Worth, TX; 6. Seattle, WA; 7. Detroit, MI; 8. Fresno, CA; 9. San Diego, CA; 10. Portland, OR.
• In 2017 there were 5,977 pedestrians and 783 bicyclists killed in crashes with motor vehicles in the United States. Together these vulnerable road users account for a growing share of total US traffic fatalities: in 2003, pedestrians and bicyclists represented 12.6 percent of total traffic fatalities, and in 2017 they accounted for 18.2 percent of fatalities.
• More cycle accidents occur during the spring and summer months (May to September) than the autumn and winter months (October to April). However, the casualty rate in terms of miles travelled is higher over the autumn and winter period.
• Regardless of the season, bicyclist deaths occur most often between 6 p.m. and 9 p.m., regardless of the season (20% weekdays and 26% weekends).
• Bicyclist deaths occur most often in urban areas (71%) compared to rural areas (29%).
• Bicyclist deaths were 5.6 times higher for males than females in 2016.
• Alcohol was involved in 35 percent of all fatal bicyclist crashes in 2016.
• A total of 777 bicyclists were killed in crashes with motor vehicles in 2017. In a majority of bicyclist deaths, the most serious injuries are to the head, highlighting the importance of wearing a bicycle helmet.

Notables who died in a bike accident

1. . Ranker - Famous People Who Died in Bike Accident (8 listed as of 4/30/19)
2. . Wikipedia - List of people who died in traffic collisions (Several of Bicycle deaths listed below)

• Audrey Lindvall (1982-2006) - American model; (Wikipedia - Audrey Lindvall) -- Lindvall was killed by a truck in Lee's Summit, Missouri, while out on a bicycle ride with a friend. Lindvall's bike accidentally hit the concrete curb next to a QuikTrip convenience store and she was thrown from her bike, landing under the wheels of a moving gas tanker truck.
• Fabio Casartelli (1970-1995) - Italian cyclist & Olympic gold medalist; (Wikipedia - Fabio Casartelli) -- On 18 July, during the fifteenth stage of the 1995 Tour de France, Casartelli and a few other riders crashed on the descent of the Col de Portet d'Aspet in the Pyrenees. Casartelli's head struck the concrete blocks along the roadway, causing severe head injuries and loss of consciousness. He died enroute to a local hospital.
• Andrey Kivilev (1973-2003) - Kazakhstan cyclist; (Wikipedia - Andrey Kivilev) -- Kivilev was a Kazakhstan cyclist who died during the Paris-Nice race when he collided with two other competitors and fell on Mar 11, 2003. The other competitors only sustained minor injuries, but Kivilev suffered from serious head injuries, falling into a coma immediately, as well as having two broken ribs. He died later that night in 2003 from his injuries. He was not wearing a helmet.
• Isaac Gálvez (1975-2006) - Spanish track & road racing cyclist; (Wikipedia - Isaac Gálvez) -- He was competing in the 2006 Six Days of Ghent in Belgium when he collided with Dimitri De Fauw and crashed into the railing. He died later from internal bleeding. 
• Jean-Pierre Monseré (1948-1971) - Belgian road cyclist; (Wikipedia - Jean-Pierre Monseré) -- On the road from Lille to Gierle he collided with a car driven on the course and died on the spot.
• Jure Robic (1965-2010) - Slovenian cyclist; Died when he crashed head on into a car while descending a narrow mountain road in 2010.
• Wouter Weylandt (1984-2011) - Belgian cyclist; (Wikipedia - Wouter Weylandt) -- He died in a crash during the third stage of the 2011 Giro d'Italia
• Amédée Ernest Chausson (1855-1899) - French composer; (Wikipedia - Ernest Chausson, Death) -- Riding his bicycle downhill, Chausson hit a brick wall and died instantly.
• Joy Covey (1963-2013) - American Business executive; Complications after struck by delivery van
• Stephen Covey (1932-2012) - American author,professional speaker, professor, consultant, management expert; Complications after falling off a bike.
• Kenneth Cralk (1914-1945) -Philosopher, psychologist; Struck by a car while cycling

Resources & Additional Reading

• The UK’s Independent FactChecking Charity - How many cyclists are killed each year? Published: 17 Aug 2018
• People Powered Movement - Bicycle Accidents in the United States
• Ped Bike info
• NHTSA - Bicycle Safety
• Bay Area Bicycle Law - Bike Accident statistics: A Reality Check for Cyclists
• Insurance Institute for Highway Safety, Highway Loss Data Institute - Pedestrians and bicyclists
• Royal Society for the Prevention of Accidents - Road Safety Factsheet. Nov. 2017

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