Bicycle Safety Tips and Resources to Avoid Serious Injury

Margaret Embry

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According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA),

In 2007, 698 pedalcyclists were killed and an additional 44,000 were injured in traffic crashes. Pedalcyclist deaths accounted for 2 percent of all traffic fatalities, and pedalcyclists made up 2 percent of all the people injured in traffic crashes during the year.

Pedalcyclist fatalities occurred more frequently in urban areas (72%), at non-intersection locations (64%), between the hours of 5 and 9 p.m. (26%), and during the months of June (11%) and September (11%).

In order to avoid serious injury or death while riding a bicycle, it is important to take a look at safety guidelines for cycling. The NHTSA provides educational information on how to bike safely, called the 10 Smart Routes to Bicycle Safety. The Pedestrian and Bicycle Information Center (PBIC), a national clearinghouse for information about health and safety, engineering, advocacy, education, enforcement, access, and mobility for pedestrians and bicyclists, is also a great resource for learning more about bicycle safety.

The PBIC also has a Bikeability Checklist on their website which allows a biker to evaluate their neighborhood's bikeability. In addition to the questions, the Checklist provides both immediate answers and long-term solutions to a neighborhood's potential problems.