[ashtonkem]

Sadly, that’s not how most people measure risk. Even if the risk of slowly dying due to obesity is technically higher than being run over by a car, people are going to weight the low frequency, high impact scary events more.

In many ways this is like the discussion about road trips vs. the risk of terrorist attacks when flying. Statistically you’re far more likely to die on the highway, but terrorism is very scary, which after 9/11 caused tons of people to revert to road trips.

[pasabagi]

That said, a lot of the damage done by cars is quality-of-life, not direct physical harm. It really sucks to have to leap off your bike, or even just feeling under pressure from somebody in a car who you have to share road with. Cycling on a dedicated path is relaxing and enjoyable. Cycling in the grit and spray of a bunch of cars, any of which may be driven by somebody on their phone or half-asleep, is no fun at all.

[daveFNbuck]

9/11 changed the risk of dying in a terrorist attack when flying, and no one knew what the change was at the time.