I've been looking for information on risk, overall, by passenger miles travelled, by trips, and by time-in-mode (which adjusts for typical trip length).
Only partially successful, though I find:
30,690 overall auto fatalities.
- 6,067 cycling & edestrial fatalities, combined.
- "More than 90% of pedestrian fatalities occurred when the victims were hit by automobiles and light trucks."
- "A related study on risk factors for on-road cycling commuters indicated that prior to car-bicycle accidents, 89% of cyclists were traveled in a safe and legal manner. In addition, vehicle drivers were at fault in 87% of the events."
The parent didn't mean to say whether cyclists or drivers were more or less at fault, but for every minute/mile spent on a cycle instead of a car, the likelihood of injury is probably higher.
The risk of cycling depends on many different factors and is not simply described as "way more risky than using a car".
Per distance, the average cyclist has more risk than the average driver. However, that's just the base rate, and is not destiny. Combine that with the fact that cyclists tend to travel much shorter distances than drivers. So much shorter that based on distance alone I've seen some cyclists argue, with statistics for average cyclists no less, that they actually face less risk on the road than many drivers. You don't see drivers with long commutes getting warned about the danger, but if people treated driving the same as cycling you would.
There are many things cyclists can do to reduce their risk per mile. As I recall, the majority of cyclist deaths involve riding after midnight or riding when drunk. If you don't do either then your risk is a lot lower. I've been riding for over a decade now and recognize the importance of where you live, infrastructure, defensive cycling, visibility gear (lights, vest, reflectors, etc.), and even a simple air horn.
Also recognize that cycling gets safer every year on average, even in the US. At some point I looked at the data and recognized that the cyclist mortality rate in the US is decreasing roughly linearly. If the linear trend continues then there will be roughly zero cyclist fatalities in 2050. Of course, it's more likely to taper off. But I never see the fact that cycling is becoming safer every year mentioned by its detractors.
With all of this being said, yes, I do believe that cycling is more risky than I'd like. The reason why appears to be that the majority of road users (mostly drivers) do not take safety seriously. In my experience the road users who take safety the most seriously tend to be either cyclists or motorcyclists. No surprise why.
I've been looking for information on risk, overall, by passenger miles travelled, by trips, and by time-in-mode (which adjusts for typical trip length).
Only partially successful, though I find:
30,690 overall auto fatalities.
- 6,067 cycling & edestrial fatalities, combined.
- "More than 90% of pedestrian fatalities occurred when the victims were hit by automobiles and light trucks."
- "A related study on risk factors for on-road cycling commuters indicated that prior to car-bicycle accidents, 89% of cyclists were traveled in a safe and legal manner. In addition, vehicle drivers were at fault in 87% of the events."
https://journalistsresource.org/studies/environment/transpor...
The risk externalities of motorised vs nonmotorised transport appear far greater.