National Survey of Bicyclists Attitudes and Behaviors

This was done by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA). The news is mixed, but also is indicative of all the room cycling has to grow. Some facts

Of survey respondents

46% had access to a bike
18% of those with access never rode
14% rode more than 20 times in the last month (heavy users)
27% rode at least once in the previous month
68% of bicycling trips were made by males
26% of trips by those under 21, who make up 12% of the bicycling population
1%  of trips begin at work
43% of trips are for transportation (as opposed to leisure or exercise)*
39% of trips are 1 mile or shorter
48% of trips are on paved roads, not on shoulders
86% of transportational trips are made even when other transportation is available
13% felt threatened for their personal safety on their most recent trip
             - most common threat is motorists (88%) and top action is driving too close (40%)
63% of those who ride in the dark made efforts to make themselves more visible
62% support laws that require adults to wear helmets (really??) That number drops to 49% among cyclists
50% report never wearing a helmet, with 'not having one' listed as the top reason
75% use bicycle lanes some of the time, those who don's use them list inconvenience as the main reason
69% ride with traffic
4%   of bicyclists have been injured in the past two years (11% of heavy users)
22% of injuries are the result of being hit by a car
48% are satisfied with their community's biking facilities
             Those numbers went up with access to bike lanes and paths
38% desire more bike lanes, 30% more bike paths and 14% more bike trails

*It's actually more than this as some are listed under under other or not shown

There is a lot more data in there for those who like to be able to throw around stats.

Photo by Luton

Comments

[Bilsko]

Also probably worth mentioning that the survey sample was 9,616 people -- pretty good for this type of thing -- and that its from the summer of 2002...so a bit dated. Curious to see if they've done any follow up work since.

[Jimmy]

My favorite part:

62% support laws that require adults to wear helmets

immediately followed by:

50% report never wearing a helmet

[Tom]

The discrepancy can be explained by non-helmet wearing kids who have a sense of fairness.

[Washcycle]

I'm not a big fan of helmet laws for kids either. Again, I think kids should wear helmets. But even if we don't trust kids to make the right decision, don't we trust their parents?

This is the government telling parents how to raise their kids. Sometimes I'm OK with that - like laws requiring parents to educate their kids (by sending them to school or home schooling). But would I be OK with the government requiring that kids brush their teeth after every meal or wear sunscreen? No.

And seat belt laws, which I'm fine with, are different because an unseatbelted passenger becomes a projectile that can hit a driver making the accident worse.