# Sobering safety/accident article in current Bicycling mag



## Hollywood (Jan 16, 2003)

Jan/Feb 08 issue on sale now.

14 pages of interviews with car/bike collision survivors, and stories of those who did not survive. Includes a one-page profile of 14 riders killed over the past decade, ages ranging from 16 to 70.

after reading it I thought twice about what the hell I was doing on the busy city streets at all.

DUI drivers, a woman drifting into the bike lane at 50mph, suspended licenses, etc.... all unaware of anything in their path until it was too late. One drunk driver "suspected something was wrong when he noticed his windshield was broken." Terrifying.

we can pacify ourselves by saying "I participate in a dangerous sport, and I have to accept the risks", but its entirely different to read a family's account of the hardships; emotionally and financially of caring for a now-crippled family member due to a driver "not paying attention" or being well over the legal blood-alcohol limit.

It's tough to read but I recommend it. 

be careful out there. Heads up!


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## Topo Gigio (Jul 14, 2007)

After I read that article, I didn't ride in the street for a couple days...


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## Hollywood (Jan 16, 2003)

Topo Gigio said:


> After I read that article, I didn't ride in the street for a couple days...


seriously.

I just got back from taking the grocery-getter to the market, and rode with a whole different perspective.


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## threesportsinone (Mar 27, 2007)

Thanks for the heads up, I'll make sure not to read the article. I have been only been on my bike once since my accident (I will now listen to the doc when he says not to ride for a while) and I don't think I need to be more paranoid that every car on the road will hit me.


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## sf1901 (Nov 17, 2007)

I just recently read the article, it sure is an eye opener. I mostly commute at night around 8-9 pm and I noticed alot of cyclist having minimal or no lighting at all. It's crazy to see these cyclist risk their lives, but yet survive the night and yet ride another day without proper lighting! Then there are safe and well lit commuters who just happened to get hit by a driver, who are ignorant from their surrroundings and distracted from just the little things they have around them except from the safe cyclists who are going along their merry way.
I recently was asked by a pedestrian why I have all these lights? I told him that "you can be too safe."
I understand that there are alot of us fortunate enough not having to experience an accident and ride on our own way. I must say having myself lit up like christmas tree at night lessens my chances of getting hit by all of the above drivers. Afterall, we are sharing the road with them and most of time they'r not aware of us and the laws that applies to cyclists and drivers. Keep your head up everyone.


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## sf1901 (Nov 17, 2007)

Correction, "You can never be too safe."


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## MB1 (Jan 27, 2004)

*I'd like to see a Car Mag run something like that.*



Hollywood said:


> ..... Includes a one-page profile of 14 riders killed over the past decade, ages ranging from 16 to 70.......
> 
> be careful out there. Heads up!


At about one auto related death every 12 minutes it would take less than 3 hours to come up with those 14 profiles.

You don't see anyone cutting back on their driving even though it is clearly quite dangerous.

#1 Bicycling mag sucks.
#2 Yes it is dangerous out there.
#3 Sure, I have been hit by cars and expect that it will happen again.
#4 No, I ain't going to crawl into bed and pull the covers over my head.
#5 Here in DC the death rate by handgun (guns are illegal and no one is allowed to own a handgun) is about 5 times that of death by auto (autos are legal). So tell me, which should I really worry about?

#6 Yes, do be careful out there-but don't let it wreck your life. 
#7 None of us are getting out of here alive.


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## rellimreeb (Jul 29, 2007)

Scared the cr*p out of me. You just never know when your ticket will be punched.

This is one Bicycling mag that isn't sitting on the coffee table, took it to work so the family doesn't get worked up.


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## llama31 (Jan 13, 2006)

*Amen!*



MB1 said:


> At about one auto related death every 12 minutes it would take less than 3 hours to come up with those 14 profiles.
> 
> You don't see anyone cutting back on their driving even though it is clearly quite dangerous.
> 
> ...


Amen! I read it, it's scary, but MB1 is right. A lot of people die in auto accidents. Of course, far more people drive than bike, but I bet your risk of serious injury or death is higher each time you drive in a crowded area, than it is when you bike in a crowded area. It's at least similar. You are more exposed on a bike so it seems scarier, but the probability is low. Take precautions, be careful, and keep riding.

At the same time, advocating for cyclist friendly laws and facilities is always a good idea. The article made me want to get more involved.


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## team_sheepshead (Jan 17, 2003)

+1 I've been a journalist for 20 years (have not seen this article yet), and this smells like fearmongering on Bicycling's part. It's hard to type that because I know one of the guys at Bicycling and have even written for the magazine. But Bicycling's out to sell magazines, not perform a public service. 

I'd bet that Bicycling does cite stats showing how relatively safe cycling is, but in case it doesn't, please read this: http://www.kenkifer.com/bikepages/health/risks.htm Stats are a bit outdated, but I would imagine they still hold true.

Odds of dying in a crash, motor vehicle versus:
Pick-up, SUV, van: 1 in 75
Bicycle: 1 in 71
Pedestrian: 1 in 15

So your odds of dying in an MVA while riding in a pick-up truck are about the same as your odds of dying in an MVA while on a bike. Your odds of getting killed by a vehicle while walking are much greater.



llama31 said:


> Amen! I read it, it's scary, but MB1 is right. A lot of people die in auto accidents. Of course, far more people drive than bike, but I bet your risk of serious injury or death is higher each time you drive in a crowded area, than it is when you bike in a crowded area. It's at least similar. You are more exposed on a bike so it seems scarier, but the probability is low. Take precautions, be careful, and keep riding.
> 
> At the same time, advocating for cyclist friendly laws and facilities is always a good idea. The article made me want to get more involved.


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## tarwheel2 (Jul 7, 2005)

I scanned through the article and haven't read it closely, but I wouldn't call it fear mongering. It's a good thing to remind cyclists about safety issues. I've been riding for more than 30 years and I've never been hit by a car. That may be somewhat due to luck, but I also think that safe practices play an important role in preventing accidents. Here's what I do:
-- Always wear a helmet, duh.
-- Always wear brightly colored jerseys and/or vest, particularly in low-light conditions.
-- Use a bar-end mirror.
-- Use headlight and several bright tail-lights when riding in low-light conditions.
-- Ride defensively. Always assume that drivers can't see you or don't care.
-- Never run red or yellow traffic lights. Obey the rules of the road.

I am amazed at how cyclists I see wearing dark jerseys that blend into the road. I'm also amazed at how many cyclists don't use mirrors or tail-lights in low-light conditions. Unfortunately, it seems that many cyclists are more concerned about looking cool or not being a "fred" than their own safety.


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## MB1 (Jan 27, 2004)

*That link is somewhat ironic in regards to this subject......*



team_sheepshead.....I'd bet that Bicycling does cite stats showing how relatively safe cycling is said:


> http://www.kenkifer.com/bikepages/health/risks.htm[/url] Stats are a bit outdated, but I would imagine they still hold true.......


...seeing as how Ken Kifer was riding his bike and got hit and killed by a car/driver who wasn't paying attention.


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## mohair_chair (Oct 3, 2002)

Topo Gigio said:


> After I read that article, I didn't ride in the street for a couple days...


The same thing happens to people walking.


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## buck-50 (Sep 20, 2005)

Somebody at work asked me how I can justify the risk of riding my bike to work, especially now that I have a baby at home. I figure, it's like this- I take this short term risk to mitigate several long-term risks.

Riding keeps my weight down, which directly influences my quality of life now, and improves my quality of life in the future.

Riding keeps my blood pressure down, Which protects me against some serious risks in the future, including heart disease and the kind of micro-strokes that ripped my grandfather's mind to shreds. 

Sure, I risk getting hit. But, I've had more close calls walking the dog at night than I have on my bike. And I'm not gonna get rid of my dog just because walking him occasionally puts me in the path of some kid with a crappy car...


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## JohnnyTooBad (Apr 5, 2004)

I have no intention of reading the article, because I do see that stuff as fear mongering to sell advertisements/magazines. And as long as I'm able, I'll keep bike commuting.

But here's the thing about bike accidents. It's scarier when you're the rider, because you're at the mercy of others. It's that lack of control that makes it scary.


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## Hollywood (Jan 16, 2003)

I know, I know.... I'm not gonna stop riding either. My post was more of a PSA for those who might want to read it. I don't mind Bicycling mag.....they decided to send me a free subscription.  I don't think the piece was fear-mongering, it was a very in-depth look at the lives the wrecks have affected, and also includes tips on ways to get involved and effect change in your city in regards to bike lanes, safety, etc.

Yesterday I was driving behind the type of person who I would NOT want to be on the same road with on bicycle. Single woman, always checking her face in the rear-view, drifting, distracted, etc. I felt like honking just to get her to pay attention to the road.



MB1 said:


> At about one auto related death every 12 minutes it would take less than 3 hours to come up with those 14 profiles.
> 
> You don't see anyone cutting back on their driving even though it is clearly quite dangerous.
> 
> ...


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## asterisk (Oct 21, 2003)

What HW forgot to mention was the later half of the article was about a woman/group who started an advocacy group in their area which if the right person was reading may start some ideas rolling around.


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## Doggity (Mar 10, 2006)

Well, good ol' New Mexico is usually hovering around #1 for all the dysfunctional markers, like DWI. If I thought too much about it, I'd just never ride at all, 'cause there's no getting away from 'em. There are certain stretches I no longer ride because of this, and I do try to be heads up. But it is....sobering. I just hope that if I _do_ get hit by some idjit driving while drunk, that he does the job right. I'd _far_ rather have my ticket punched for good, then be somebody's favorite vegetable....


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## MikeBiker (Mar 9, 2003)

MB1 said:


> #7 None of us are getting out of here alive.


Hah!

I'm leaving anyday day; once the mothership arrives.


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## Henry Chinaski (Feb 3, 2004)

MB1 said:


> At about one auto related death every 12 minutes it would take less than 3 hours to come up with those 14 profiles.
> 
> You don't see anyone cutting back on their driving even though it is clearly quite dangerous.
> 
> ...


Word.


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## Creakyknees (Sep 21, 2003)

I thought it was a good article, but sort of missed the opportunity to hammer wht should be the key themes:
1 - when cyclists work together, we can make positive change
2- there's a serious disconnect where motorists are killing people and getting no punishment. Laws need to be changed, my vote would be more Euro-style. If MADD can do it, why can't we?

Creak

watching my back
life insurance paid up
shopping for disability coverage


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## Fixed (May 12, 2005)

*walking etc*



team_sheepsheadOdds of dying in a crash said:


> I use an HID on the handlebar, a blinking LED on the front of my helmet, a blinking red LED on the rear of my helmet, two large blinking red LEDs on the rear of my bike, reflective bands around my ankles, reflective tape all over my bike, and always bright nerdy flourescent clothing. Then, I ride like they are trying to kill me. ("It's not paranoia if they really are out to get you.")
> 
> But, I keep going.
> 
> ...


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## threesportsinone (Mar 27, 2007)

> Odds of dying in a crash, motor vehicle versus:
> Pick-up, SUV, van: 1 in 75
> Bicycle: 1 in 71
> Pedestrian: 1 in 15


I'd just like to add to this: A pedestrian hit at 20 miles per hour has a five percent chance of death. A pedestrian hit at 40 miles per hour has an 85 percent chance of dying.


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## Reynolds531 (Nov 8, 2002)

*lies, damned lies and statistics*



team_sheepshead
Odds of dying in a crash said:


> Completely absurd statistics. If I drive to work in an SUV with airbags and wear a seat belt, I would almost certainly live through a wreck with another motor vehicle going 40 mph. If I'm on the same roads on my bike and get hit by motor vehicle going 40 mph I would almost certainly die.


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## Kerry Irons (Feb 25, 2002)

*Anecdotes vs. data*



Hollywood said:


> 14 pages of interviews with car/bike collision survivors, and stories of those who did not survive. Includes a one-page profile of 14 riders killed over the past decade, ages ranging from 16 to 70.


There's about 700 cycling deaths per year in the US. Once you take out the kids who shot out into the street, the "late at night, dark clothes, no lights, riding against traffic" folks, the "When did you get your third DUI" crowd, etc. there are damn few deaths among "real" cyclists. 

You can look at the data in a number of ways, but here's one view:

The fatality rate for every million hours spent cycling is 0.26, compared to 0.47 per million driving hours (on-road motorcycling comes in at a whopping 8.80 deaths per million motorcycling hours). For every million cyclists in the US, 16.5 die each year, whereas for every million motorists, 19.9 die each year.

Another way of evaluating risk is to examine the odds of dying if you do crash. The odds of dying from a bicycle crash are one in 71. This compares to one in 75 for a light truck (pickup truck, SUV, van), one in 108 for a car, one in 43 for a truck, one in 26 for a motorcycle, and one in 15 for a pedestrian.

And those numbers INCLUDE all the sketchy riders noted ablve. Once you run all the numbers, the benefits to your health far outweigh the risks from accidents.


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## homebrew (Oct 28, 2004)

I have been riding for 35 plus years. Been hit by a car once (minor). Broke my colorbone on wet leaves (once). Thats it. If I had sayed on my couch I would be dead now from diabetes as happened to my sister, mother, brother. I'm planning on a cross country trip next year, I will be 53. My car get very little use these days. Life is good.


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## teoteoteo (Sep 8, 2002)

Hollywood said:


> Jan/Feb 08 issue on sale now.
> 
> 14 pages of interviews with car/bike collision survivors, and stories of those who did not survive. Includes a one-page profile of 14 riders killed over the past decade, ages ranging from 16 to 70.
> 
> ...


You'll like this one...excerpt from Austin Chronicle Story

On May 21 at 4:27am, a man phoned 911 and told the operator (as recounted in the police affidavit for his arrest) that he thought a body had been "thrown" at his car as he was driving home. The caller, 38-year-old Rudy Saenz, hadn't unsuspectingly wandered into a mafia-style slaying that early morning. In fact, Saenz had hit, and run over, a bicyclist from behind, and then had driven away from the scene. 

Saenz was described as sounding "very intoxicated," his speech slow and slurred. Later, he told police he was returning home from the bar Oilcan Harry's on West Fourth Street. The body he hit was that of 29-year-old Austin green-building contractor Casey "Wink" Miller, who was pedaling home in the right-hand lane of South First Street's 1100 block, less than two blocks from his home. According to Miller, the initial impact catapulted him into the air, and he came crashing down onto the car's windshield before landing on the street. There, he recalls, the car ran over his leg – shattering it in three places – before speeding off. He remembers hysterically wondering if his dangling foot would be amputated. 

Miller said he had been Downtown eating pizza and drinking beer, but waited more than an hour before heading home. He was later told by medics that his own blood alcohol level was above the legal limit for driving. (Although it does not appear that Miller's condition played any role in the accident, an intoxicated bicyclist can be arrested and jailed, and cited for misdemeanor public intoxication.) 

Six months and more than $45,000 in medical bills later, Miller is out of his wheelchair and walking with crutches, working more, but unsure whether he'll regain full use of his foot. Through one of Seton Hospital's financial assistance programs, $30,000 of his hospital bills have been paid. But the $25,000 liability settlement he received from Saenz's auto insurance has barely offset the unpaid bills that piled up while he was out of work, on top of $100-per-week medication expenses, leaving him currently $15,000 in debt. Saenz, who admitted to striking Miller in a June affidavit, has been charged with failure to stop and render aid. He is currently scheduled for a plea hearing on Dec. 14.


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## Arginine (Nov 14, 2007)

*Important article...*

And I think it would be good for Bicycling to have a regular feature about safety; things us cyclists can do when on the road to reduce our risk, laws, activism, etc. One thing I didn't see addressed in the article was the issue of automobile driver training. Autoweek mag has been running a series of articles recently about the need for better driver training in this country (hasn't specifically addressed reducing the risks to cyclists yet, that I've seen), but they are on the right track, for sure. Our driver training in this country is pathetic...


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## DrRoebuck (May 10, 2004)

The L.A. Times had a similar article back in August. Just one horror story after another of bike-riding in L.A. I wrote the Times ... and they published my letter.

_Editor:

I’m curious about your placement of Jeannine Stein’s article, “On the mean streets of L.A.,” in the Health section of the Times, rather than the front section or the California section. This ill-conceived placement is questionable for two reasons: it will fail to inform most of your readers (and, therefore, L.A. drivers) of crucial facts regarding bicycling on L.A. streets; and it paints such a terrifying portrait of cycling in L.A. that it could quite possibly dissuade potential cyclists from taking up the sport.

I ride a bike for both transportation and pleasure. I’ve been hit, heckled, threatened, followed, clipped, chased, tailgated and squeezed. I led LAPD officers to a driver who hit me and fled. Indicative of their ignorance of the vehicle code as it pertains to cycling, or perhaps representative of the general public’s antipathy towards cyclists, the police did nothing.

Fact is, whether it be drivers who don’t know that cyclists have equal rights to the road, or cyclists who don’t know where to properly position themselves, ignorance is probably the biggest obstacle on the route toward a safer city for cycling.

Cycling can be a safe sport, even on the busiest of streets, if everyone involved was better informed. Stein’s article, had you given it more prominent placement and, perhaps, had it been a little more constructive and a little less sensational, could have served all of us well.

[DrRoebuck], avid cyclist and disappointed news reader.
Brentwood, CA._


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## pimpbot (Jan 22, 2004)

*Wow...*

You actually might make me pay for an issue of Bicycling Magazine. I let my subscription run out after I received the 12th issue in a row of 'How to loose weight' in some form or another on the cover. 

I think about this when bike commuting. I sometimes think about how close I am sometimes to buying the farm, and how my kid might grow up without a father. That is mostly why I ride up a couple of extra hills and add a couple extra miles to my route just to lower the chances of unwanted contact with cars. 

I know, the chances are fairly slim of anything really bad happening, but I have been too close to a bumper or two in my time.


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## pimpbot (Jan 22, 2004)

*Very good point*



homebrew said:


> I have been riding for 35 plus years. Been hit by a car once (minor). Broke my colorbone on wet leaves (once). Thats it. If I had sayed on my couch I would be dead now from diabetes as happened to my sister, mother, brother. I'm planning on a cross country trip next year, I will be 53. My car get very little use these days. Life is good.


Let's not forget why we discuss this in the first place. 

Sitting on my ass getting fat watching teevee is it's own death sentence. Prolly a worse way to go that getting hit by a car.


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## filtersweep (Feb 4, 2004)

I read an interesting article about risk perception-- point was that white suburbanites are driven by fear of violent crime, so they move further and further from urban cores seeking "safe neighborhoods", exposing themselves to more risk of being killed or maimed in a car accident--- which is statistically far more probable than being a victim of violent crime.


Bike mag sucks. Always will.


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## undies (Oct 13, 2005)

I have not seen the article but frankly I am surprised they would print something like this. I used to be in the motorcycle magazine business and "crash stories" were a strict industry taboo. Advertisers didn't want us publishing articles that might scare people away from motorcycles. 

I wonder what kind of flak the editorial staff at _Bicycling_ is getting right now from the ad department for printing an article that inspires people to not ride. They're either dumb or gutsy.


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## Fredke (Dec 10, 2004)

team_sheepshead said:


> So your odds of dying in an MVA while riding in a pick-up truck are about the same as your odds of dying in an MVA while on a bike.


Odds of dying per mile, per hour, per trip, per crrash? 

This is like asking whether it's safer to drive or to fly. If you count fatalities per mile, flying is about 10 times safer. If you count fatalities per trip, driving is about 10 times safer. If you count fatalities per hour of travel, they're both exactly the same. 

What's safer often depends on how you measure safety.

MB1's comparison of total fatalities per year is not very useful because if there are 200 times more cars on the road than bikes, then even if a bike is 20 times more likely than a car to get into a fatal accident, there will be 10 times more auto fatalities than bike fatalities.

Also, a large number of those auto fatalities occur on limited-access highways from which bikes are prohibited, so statistics about fatality rates on city streets might well show cars to be far safer.

Similarly, gun fatalities are not easily comparable to traffic fatalities. Different populations face different exposure. Last month, two people were shot to death on the street along which I commute every day but I still worry much more about being hit by a car than being shot because I'm not in the drug business but I am spending a lot of time in close proximity to bad drivers.


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## Fredke (Dec 10, 2004)

MB1 said:


> #1 Bicycling mag sucks.


I suppose Velo News sucks because Bob Mionske is running a series of articles about bicycle fatalities and how police are generally blaming the victim. (Cyclist in marked bicycle lane, stopped for red light. Cement mixer in traffic turns right, crushing stationary cyclist to death. Police do not investigate or bring charges because the accident must have been the cyclist's fault for being in the truck's blind spot http://www.velonews.com/news/fea/13637.0.html).

Cycling is dangerous. So are many things. MB1 is right that it would be silly to let the dangers scare us away from riding, but we don't need to shut our eyes to the fact that bicycling is a lot more dangerous than driving. The most important thing is not to be scared off the bike but to be scared enough to learn to ride safely.

And if Car and Driver would do an article about auto fatalities, it would be a good thing. Might scare some sense into the amateur hot rodders I have to contend with on the roads.


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## BentChainring (Jun 23, 2005)

see signature.


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## Hollywood (Jan 16, 2003)

SLOEIT said:


> see signature.


this?



SLOEIT said:


> Would you recommend any self defense (pretty much pepper spray) on your commute?


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