BICYCLING HAZARDS ON THE RISE

MORE THAN 750 PERSONS LOSE THEIR LIVES AND AN ADDITIONAL 120,000 TO 150,000 OTHERS SUFFER DISABLING INJURIES IN BICYCLING ACCIDENTS IN THE UNITED STATES EACH YEAR. SINCE ITS INVENTION IN 1790, THE BICYCLE HAS BEEN USED FOR RECREATION AND TRANSPORTATION. BUT IT HAS BEEN IN THE LAST DECADE THAT THE POPULARITY OF BICYCLING HAS GROWN MOST SPECTACULARLY IN THIS COUNTRY. SINCE THE MID 1950'S, THE NUMBER OF BICYCLES HAS DOUBLED TO AN ESTIMATED 43 MILLION-ONE FOR EVERY 2.4 REGISTERED MOTOR VEHICLES, AND THE NUMBER OF BICYCLISTS HAS RISEN TO SOME 64 MILLION. INDICATIONS ARE THAT THIS RATE OF INCREASE WILL CONTINUE IN THE 1970'S. THE DEATH TOLL FROM PEDAL CYCLING ACCIDENTS HAS BEEN CLIMBING STEADILY SINCE 1960, GOING FROM 2.8 DEATHS PER MILLION POPULATION TO 3.8 IN 1967. EACH YEAR MORE THAN 85 PERCENT OF ALL ACCIDENTAL DEATHS OF PEDAL CYCLISTS ARE AMONG MALES AND OVER 70 PERCENT OF THE DEATHS ARE CONCENTRATED AT THE SCHOOL AGES IN BOTH SEXES. THE SIZE OF THE BICYCLE IN RELATION TO THE SIZE OF THE CHILD IS AN IMPORTANT FACTOR IN BICYCLE SAFETY: THE CHILD RIDING A BIKE THAT IS TOO LARGE FOR HIM IS MORE FREQUENTLY INVOLVED IN ACCIDENTS. THE SURVEY ALSO REVEALED THAT ALTHOUGH RELATIVELY FEW BICYCLE ACCIDENTS OCCUR AT NIGHT, THE SEVERITY OF ACCIDENTS INCREASES AT DARK. /SRIS/

• Supplemental Notes:
  • Vol 51, pp 7-9, 1 FIG, 2 TAB
• Corporate Authors:

  N/A

  ,   United States 
• Publication Date: 1970-5

Media Info

• Serial:
  • Statistical Bulletin
  • Publisher: Department for Transport, England

Subject/Index Terms

• TRT Terms: Adolescents; Bicycles; Crash rates; Crash severity; Fatalities; Hazards; Size
• Old TRIS Terms: Minors
• Subject Areas: Highways; Safety and Human Factors;

Filing Info

• Accession Number: 00221138
• Record Type: Publication
• Source Agency: Nat Safety Council Safety Res Info Serv
• Files: TRIS
• Created Date: Jan 18 2003 12:00AM