This week, I want to introduce you to 2 sources for bicycle safety statistics, National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHSTA) and UC Berkeley Safe Transportation Research and Education Center (Safe TREC). These 2 organizations compile and publish the most comprehensive bicycle safety statistics, summarized in the 2 attached PDF’s. Both organizations seem to use the same or similar data and both are a bit behind in the statistics that they make available (just published 2023 data). Both of the attached reports are interesting to browse, and both contain information that is sobering as well as surprising. Here are the bullet points that stood out to me. - Nationwide, there were 1166 bicycle deaths in 2023. - California had 145 deaths in 2023 - Nationwide, there were 41,716 bicycle injuries in 2023 - The male:female bicycle fatality rate was 7:1 and the injury rate was 5:1. - 18% of cyclists involved nationwide in fatal bicycle crashes exceeded the legal alcohol limit of .08 g/DL and 14% of drivers exceeded the legal limit. - California had the 2nd highest total fatalities (145). Florida was 1st with 245. - Florida had the highest per capita fatality rate of 1.03 per 100K population. New Hampshire had the lowest rate of .07/100K. The national average was .35/100K. - California had a .37/100K fatality rate. - 28% of fatalities occurred at intersections. - 20% of fatalities occurred between 6-9 PM - Over 80% of car vs. bicycle crashes involved the front of the vehicle striking the bicycle. - Light trucks were the most common vehicle involved in a bicycle crash. - Buses and light trucks had the highest % of right-sided impacts. Some take-home messages: 1. Don’t drink and cycle. 2. Be especially careful in intersections. Intersections account for 1-2% of the typical distance of a ride, but 28% of the fatalities occur in intersections. 3. Avoid riding in the dark, and always use a rear light. 4. Do not stop in the blind spot of a truck or bus at an intersection. This could result in a right hook injury or sideswipe. 5. Never make an assumption about other drivers’ intentions (e.g. no turn signal so that car is going straight). Verify everything. Stephen and Carla