Safety Statistics

Submitted by kate on Fri, 12/05/2008 - 20:14.

  • In London there has been a 91% increase in bicycling on the capital's main roads since 2000, and a 33% reduction in bicyclist casualties in roughly the same period.  - Geffen, R., 2009, in "Cheap PR stunt demonises cyclists," 2009, European Cyclists' Federation

  • In Portland, OR, 2008 total traffic fatalities were the lowest in recorded history, with only 20 total fatalities, none of them cyclists. 2008 car, pedestrian, and cyclist fatalities were all at all-time lows.  - Ciy of Portland, 2009, 2008 Fatality Summary

  • Between 2007 and 2008, overall bicycle use in Portland, Oregon increased 28%.  - City of Portland Office of Transportation, 2008, Portland Bicycle Counts 2008



  • Cyclist fatalities decreased nearly 10% from 2006 to 2007.   - National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, 2008, Traffic Safety Facts: 2007 Data, DOT HS 801 986



  • In Paris, only 2% of bicyclists wear helmets compared to 32% in Boston.  However, 47% of nighttime Paris bicyclists had working head or tail lights compared to only 15% in Boston.   - Osberg, J., et al., 1998, Bicycle safety behavior in Paris and Boston, Accident Analysis & Prevention, 30, 679-87







  • The majority of bicycle-vehicle crashes are not a result of environmental factors, eg. darkness, fog, or rain.   - Schramm, A., et al., 2008, How much does disregard of road rules contribute to bicycle-vehicle collisions? in Proceedings of high rish road users- motivating behaviour change: what works and what doesn't work? National Conference of the Australian College of Road Safety and the Travelsafe Committee of the Queensland Parliament


For more research on youth cycling safety, check out the Safe Routes to School National Partnership's Research site