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accident statistics: car vs motorcycle vs bicycle per mile travelled?
I am wondering if riding a bicycle is safer than riding a motorcycle,
per mile traveled. Has anyone come across a reliable statistics on this? I was considering to sell my car and to buy a motorcycle to save on gas on longer trips. Then I came across a statistics saying that a motorcyclist is 15 (or smth like that) times more likely to get killed than a car driver, per mile traveled. So I figured the gas is not worth it. But then I figured, perhaps me riding my bicycle to work could be statistically even more dangerous (not that I care). |
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accident statistics: car vs motorcycle vs bicycle per mile travelled?
In article ,
" writes: I am wondering if riding a bicycle is safer than riding a motorcycle, per mile traveled. Has anyone come across a reliable statistics on this? If ya want stats, just do some considered & thought-out Google'ing for a start. World Health Organization has an whole bunch of interesting stats. I've found that when I do my own leg-work in terms of research, I come away with a /purer/ sense of accomplishment. That said, I'm not above asking direction from experts in the respective field. That said that said, I've found it's best to be able to show those experts that I've already attempted some leg-work on my own, but would still gratefully appreciate clarification and further information. I'm just trying to gently, politely and tactfully suggest that truly analytical & investigative people do not initially rely upon the kindness of strangers for answers. Please bear with me. Y'see, you're asking a loaded question, a question that when pursued leads to a quest. I just luvs a good quest. I also usually (although, honestly, not always) know when not to kibbitz. Yer on yer own. Enjoy it. Embrace it. Maybe for starters, Google on World Health Organization (WHO). Heck, just throw pertinent keywords at Google and see whatever it coughs-up. And please don't forget about hardcopy at your local library. cheers, Tom -- Nothing is safe from me. I'm really at: tkeats curlicue vcn dot bc dot ca |
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accident statistics: car vs motorcycle vs bicycle per miletravelled?
On Jun 6, 10:20 pm, "
wrote: I am wondering if riding a bicycle is safer than riding a motorcycle, per mile traveled. Has anyone come across a reliable statistics on this? I was considering to sell my car and to buy a motorcycle to save on gas on longer trips. Then I came across a statistics saying that a motorcyclist is 15 (or smth like that) times more likely to get killed than a car driver, per mile traveled. So I figured the gas is not worth it. But then I figured, perhaps me riding my bicycle to work could be statistically even more dangerous (not that I care). Unfortunately good statistics on bicycle usage are rather hard to find. Although getting a bit dated, the discussion at: http://www.kenkifer.com/bikepages/health/risks.htm is still a good summary. In general most studies seem to indicate that cycling is a bit more dangerous than car driving *per mile* and a bit less dangerous when figured *per hour*. Motorcycling is far more dangerous by either measure. [One confounding factor is that the people who take up motorcycling are more likely to be risk-takers and might have a higher rate of accidents than average in other vehicles as well.] |
#4
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accident statistics: car vs motorcycle vs bicycle per miletravelled?
On Jun 7, 1:20 am, "
wrote: I am wondering if riding a bicycle is safer than riding a motorcycle, per mile traveled. Has anyone come across a reliable statistics on this? I was considering to sell my car and to buy a motorcycle to save on gas on longer trips. Then I came across a statistics saying that a motorcyclist is 15 (or smth like that) times more likely to get killed than a car driver, per mile traveled. So I figured the gas is not worth it. But then I figured, perhaps me riding my bicycle to work could be statistically even more dangerous (not that I care). I've got some data on file. I can dig for more, I suppose, but I'm in the middle of a big, time-consuming welding project. The first thing I found was in a discussion paper from the Australian Transportation Safety Board, titled "Cross Modal Safety Comparisons." (Australia seems to generate more data than America, for whatever reason - but the societies aren't extremely different.) Here are the numbers for motorcyclists, bicyclists, car occupants, and pedestrians: Fatalities per billion km: MC = 25.38 / B = 4.24 / C= 1.05 / P = 16.12 Fatalities per million passenger hours: MC = 8.84 / B= 0.42 / C = 0.37 / P= 0.68 Some points to consider: A friend of mine who's a noted expert on transportation safety statistics has pointed out to me that motorcycle data is heavily influenced by beginning motorcyclists. IOW, if you survive your first two years, you're going to be much safer than the grand average for motorcyclists. Young men on crotch rockets are among those who elevate the statistics. Car and motorcycle data benefits from the fact that much car travel is on hyper-safe limited access roads. (I once computed that bicycling in America was no more dangerous per mile than riding in cars driven on country roads.) If your commute drive is on city streets, your car or motorcycle numbers are worse. Both of those points illustrate that average data may or may not precisely reflect your personal situation. But it's usually futile to try to find data that does. You simply have to exercise some judgment. Also, don't fall into the trap of thinking "Wow! Travel mode A is four times as dangerous as B! I'll never travel my mode A again!" It's entirely possible for one mode to be much more dangerous than another, but for both modes to be safe enough. (Analogy: Washing steak knives is more dangerous than washing plastic cups; but nobody throws away all their steak knives just because of that!) Finally: Look at those bicycling numbers again. Compare with the pedestrian numbers. And think how huge a million hours, and a billion km, are. Bicycling is NOT very dangerous. It does us no good to pretend it is. - Frank Krygowski |
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accident statistics: car vs motorcycle vs bicycle per miletravelled?
On Jun 7, 12:20*am, "
wrote: I am wondering if riding a bicycle is safer than riding a motorcycle, per mile traveled. Has anyone come across a reliable statistics on this? I was considering to sell my car and to buy a motorcycle to save on gas on longer trips. Then I came across a statistics saying that a motorcyclist is 15 (or smth like that) times more likely to get killed than a car driver, per mile traveled. So I figured the gas is not worth it. But then I figured, perhaps me riding my bicycle to work could be statistically even more dangerous (not that I care). It depends. Check the down tube for a decal that says, "ACME Novelty Exploding Bicycle". If the bike has this decal, yes--you've gotten yourself into a pickle. |
#6
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accident statistics: car vs motorcycle vs bicycle per miletravelled?
On Jun 7, 1:20*am, "
wrote: I am wondering if riding a bicycle is safer than riding a motorcycle, per mile traveled. Has anyone come across a reliable statistics on this? I was considering to sell my car and to buy a motorcycle to save on gas on longer trips. Then I came across a statistics saying that a motorcyclist is 15 (or smth like that) times more likely to get killed than a car driver, per mile traveled. So I figured the gas is not worth it. But then I figured, perhaps me riding my bicycle to work could be statistically even more dangerous (not that I care). I wouldn't put a lot of faith in the stats that you find. I suggest that the risks associated with bike riding are directly related to where and when you ride. I would not consider riding on the road during rush hour where I live... in fact I ride on the roads here as little as possible. Most of my riding is done on trails, where the thought of personal injury never even enters my mind. I realize that not everyone is fortunate enough to have a good trail system nearby for their pleasure, but am thankful that I do. I have noticed that when I do ride on the roads some vehicles take great care to ensure that they do not move one inch to the left of the middle of their lane, whether there's room there or not. There's something about having a 1 1/2 ton machine drive by you 18" from your left elbow that gives me the heebeegeebees. Peter H |
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accident statistics: car vs motorcycle vs bicycle per miletravelled?
On Jun 8, 1:32 am, "Zen Cohen" wrote:
I imagine it's much more dangerous riding on busy streets. This is where I usually ride and despite bike lanes on most roads I travel, I've had many close calls that could easily have resulted in serious injury/death, the most recent where a speeding car didn't see me, suddenly braked and veered at the last second, clipping my rear wheel. I've gotten pretty fed up with it and just ride less now. It sounds like you just described a "right hook," and right hooks by motorists are just one of the common car-bike crash types that are made worse by bike lanes. When you're approaching a place where a motorist behind you is likely to turn right, it's better to be further out in the roadway. That way they're much less likely to right hook you. - Frank Krygowski |
#8
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accident statistics: car vs motorcycle vs bicycle per miletravelled?
On Jun 8, 8:11 am, Frank Krygowski wrote:
It sounds like you just described a "right hook," Read it again. |
#9
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accident statistics: car vs motorcycle vs bicycle per miletravelled?
On Jun 8, 2:21 pm, wrote:
On Jun 8, 8:11 am, Frank Krygowski wrote: It sounds like you just described a "right hook," Read it again. I read it again. It still sounds like a right hook to me. Zen Cohen might want to explain the situation a little more clearly. Which way did the car "veer" and why? I was envisioning a quick right turn in front of the cyclist. - Frank Krygowski |
#10
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accident statistics: car vs motorcycle vs bicycle per mile travelled?
On 2008-06-08, Frank Krygowski wrote:
On Jun 8, 2:21 pm, wrote: On Jun 8, 8:11 am, Frank Krygowski wrote: It sounds like you just described a "right hook," Read it again. I read it again. It still sounds like a right hook to me. Zen Cohen might want to explain the situation a little more clearly. Which way did the car "veer" and why? I was envisioning a quick right turn in front of the cyclist. I saw it as a straight-up rear-end collision, averted only at the last second. -- Kristian Zoerhoff |
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