Here’s a thoughtful and well-researched article on the safety of bicycling [1] by Alan Durning of Grist. Here’s his bottom line:
Biking is safer than it used to be. It’s safer than you might think. It does incur the risk of collision, but its other health benefits massively outweigh these risks. And it can be made much safer. What’s more, making streets truly safe for cyclists may be the best way to reverse Bicycle Neglect: it may be among communities’ best options for countering obesity, climate disruption, rising economic inequality, and oil addiction.
He also concludes, based on ample research, that
if you’re a cautious, law-abiding, risk-averse cyclist, biking is far safer than you’d think from the aggregate statistics, which are inflated by the proliferation of two-wheeling daredevils.
Durning thinks we can do a lot better to protect cyclists. He advocates better cycling facilities, such as bikeways, bike boulevards, traffic calming, blue lanes, and cycle signals (the use of bike lanes is disputed, however, as you can see in the comments). He also advocates for better educating drivers and cyclists. For instance, in Germany, fourth graders are required to demonstrate cycling proficiency.
At this site, we’ve often advocated cycling as a mode of transportation (see here, for example [2]). I’m linking to Durning’s article because it is a good resource. The comments continue the good discussion well.
As I read the statistics in Durning’s article, I had to agree with the need for cyclist education, as well need to educate motor vehicle drivers of the existence of bicycles. But back to those cyclists. I cringe at the way half of them ride. They violate virtually every traffic law. They weave all over. They don’t wear helmets. Many of them ride much fast than is safe in the traffic. I would think that U.S. bicycle/car collisions could be cut in half were the cyclists made to feel that the traffic laws pertain to them too. My concern is a source of optimism, too, because it might be possible to dramatically cut the bicycle collisions without any substantial costs.
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