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Some Bike, Pedestrian and Car related safety statistics

Erik LindskogCupertino Bicycle Pedestrian Commissioner

March 18 2015

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Source: International transport forum – Road Safety Annual Report 2013

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Source: International transport forum – Road Safety Annual Report 2013

US has higher fatalities due to

more vehicle miles as well as higher risk per mile travelled

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Source: International transport forum – Road Safety Annual Report 2013

USSome Northern European Countries

Road fatalities overall

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Source: Making Walking and Cycling Safer - Lessons from Europe - Pucher and Dijkstra - 2000

US pedestrian and bicycle fatality rates are significantly higher than fatalities in cars.

6Source: Cycling for Everyone - Lessons from Europe - Pucher and Buehler - 2007

International Bike Fatality Rate Comparison

US bike fatality rates are significantly worse than many northern European countries

7Source: Walking and Cycling in Western Europe and the United States - Buehler and Pucher 2012

2004-2009

International Bike-Ped Casualty Rate Comparison

US bicyclist injury rates - Very high

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Source: http://streets.mn/2014/07/01/bicycling-relative-safe/ by Walker Angell. Formally published data source(s) unknown.

International Bike-Car Fatality Rate Comparison

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Raw calc.:

Source: http://streets.mn/2014/07/01/bicycling-relative-safe/ by Walker Angell. Formally published data source(s) unknown.

International Bike-Car Fatality Rate Comparison

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Calculation adjusted to use vehicle fatality rates for non-motorway traffic:

Source data for adjustment: [1] 69% of bicycling fatalities are in urban areas and 59% are NOT at intersections.http://www-nrd.nhtsa.dot.gov/Pubs/811743.pdf[2] Rural 2-lane roads are likely the most dangerous of all types, exurban surface next, then suburban surface, then metro highway, then urban surface, with rural interstates (motorways) the safest.

Source: http://streets.mn/2014/07/01/bicycling-relative-safe/ by Walker Angell. Formally published data source(s) unknown.

International Bike-Ped Accident Rate Comparison III

11Source: Making Walking and Cycling Safer - Lessons from Europe - Pucher and Dijkstra - 2000

From 1975 to 1997 Germany and the Netherlands have decreased their bicyclist fatalities more than US

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Source: Making Walking and Cycling Safer - Lessons from Europe - Pucher and Dijkstra - 2000

From 1975 to 1997 Germany and the Netherlands have decreased their pedestrian fatalities more than US

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Safety in Numbers?

(Possible a little of both)

More bikes => Safer? Safer => More bikes?or

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Source:Cycling, Health and Safety , OECD, ITFPublication , Date :19 Dec 2013Pages :248ISBN :9789282105955 (PDF) , 9789282105948 (print), DOI :10.1787/9789282105955-en

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California City’s Bike Crash Fatality Risk vs. Intersection Density

Source: Why Bike-Friendly Cities are Safer for all Road Users - Wesley Marshall - 2010

More intersections

coincides with more biking and

safer biking

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Source:

28 mph

Higher vehicle speeds significantly increases fatality risks

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Are women electing to not bike because of safety concerns?

Bike fatalities per 100 million km *

*: Pucher and Buehler - 2007

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It is pretty clear that it is more dangerous to walk, bike and even drive in US as compared

to some northern European countries.

Why is this?