After three years of decline, bike fatalities go up again

The big story out today is that year-to-year bicycle fatalities are up 8.7% from 2010 to 2011

Deaths of bicyclists and occupants of large trucks rose sharply last year even as total traffic fatalities dropped to their lowest level since 1949, federal safety officials said Monday.

Overall traffic fatalities dropped 1.9 percent, to 32,367. The decline came as the number of miles driven by motorists dropped by 1.2 percent.

There were a total of 677 pedalcyclist fatalities in 2011, up from 623 in 2010. But 677 is still the 5th least deadly year out of the last 30. So, they're ignoring the larger trend.

This kind of fluctuation is pretty common. There was an even bigger spike in 2004, when bicycle fatalities went up more than 15%. In 2009 they dropped by 12%. There were still 109 fewer fatalities in 2011 than in 2005, the recent highpoint. Statistically, we were probably due for a correction. The data is a bit noisy, but the general trend is down, even as bicycling miles appear to be going up. 

The increase in bicycle deaths probably reflects more people riding bicycles to work and for pleasure, said Jonathan Adkins, deputy executive director of the Governors Highway Safety Association, which represents state highway safety agencies.

Washington, D.C., for example, reports a 175 percent increase in bicyclists during morning and evening rush hours since 2004. The city also tripled its bike lane network during the same period.

“Our culture is beginning to move away from driving and toward healthier and greener modes of transportations,” Adkins said. “We need to be able to accommodate all these forms of transportation safely.”

And furthermore, while deaths are up 8.7%, injuries are down 7%. So even this year's data is a mixed bag. If the upward trend in fatalities continues, then that is something that should generate concern, and 677 fatalities is still to many, but I'm not sure how much can be drawn from one year's data. 

Comments

[Michael H.]

Any bicycle death is one too many. Even so, the total numbers are relatively low on a national basis, which helps explain the annual fluctuations.

Perhaps the increasing shift toward multimodal transportation (including cycling, walking and transit) will help spur more investment in bike/pedestrian infrastructure. In turn, that could help lower bicycle injuries and fatalities.

I think the most important number is the 32,367 number. It highlights the continuing danger of fast automobiles and the way that many people drive (recklessly, distracted, too fast). People get upset when a cyclist causes an injury or death. That happens a handful of times a year, I think. But on an average day, car drivers contribute to and cause the death of almost 90 Americans. Every single day of the year. Now that's scary.

Besides the health problems from inactivity, pollution emitted by cars and vast areas taken over by highways, there's the ongoing death toll from an overreliance on cars. Cars are necessary for some purposes, but not for a large percentage of trips.

[SJE]

I don't need to go to WashPost to see comments about helmets, stop signs, bikes don't belong etc

[Greenbelt]

The detailed data for 2011 (by mode by state) don't seem to be up yet. Overall, fatalities were up 3% in VA, down 2% in MD, and up 13% in DC (but on a very small base number, from 24 deaths to 27).

Based on data through September, total VMT nationwide continues to drive down slightly, which is really interesting.