League of American Bicyclists compiled crash statistics give me insight into what riding safety means. I find the following information encouraging. It gives me more confidence that it is not just chance that determines riding safety; it is a rider’s ability to negotiate a difficult situation or follow the rules of the road. Most people refer to a crash as an accident, but there is a reason for every crash and the more you know the better prepared we are. As we can see from these statistics, being safe on a bike is, in the majority of cases, entirely within the control of the cyclist. Like not riding against traffic or keeping your bike in good working condition and following the rules of the road. Or in unexpected conditions, with some learnable bike handling skills crashes are avoidable.  

Overall Crash Statistics
 

Biking statistics haven’t changed a lot over the years. The most dreaded thing is being struck from behind by a car but the chance of that happening is much less than having a heart attack.

• Other category includes all other unidentified/unexplained crashes.   8%
• Bike / dog is self-evident.   8%
• Bike / Bike are all those instances of a rider overlapping wheels, being too close on the road, making a move without looking at where the rider next to you is, avoiding road hazards without calling out to others, hard braking without calling out to others.   17%
• Vehicle / Bike category are a car turning in front of you either left or right, bike overtaking a car on the right, riding against traffic, riding out of the driveway without looking,,not stopping at stop signs, riding on the sidewalk.  See detail below.   17%
• Fall / Road Hazards are pot holes, rocks and debris in the road, railroad tracks, high winds, wet pavement, mechanical failures, flat tires, drainage and bridge gratings etc. 50%

Vehicle / Bike Statistics (overall 17%)
On the Left Vehicle responsible / On the Right Cyclist Responsible

The CBC