Article on bike safety in The Economist

[pll]

The Economist had a short article about bike safety in the US, relative to Europe. The lede is a shocking fact: "Dying while cycling is three to five times more likely in America than in Denmark, Germany or the Netherlands."

Here is the link:
http://www.economist.com/node/21528302

[bmccasland]

Interesting. As for the statistics, I wonder where we land in deaths per capita? The population of the U.S. is larger than any one of the countries we're compared to.

[Bike Writer]

Thanks for posting the article, very interesting stats about speed and the relationship between mph and likleyhood of death. Chilling actually to read that 85% of the time a person is struck at 40 mph or over leads to death.

[Velocivixen]

I live near and cycle in and around Portland. It may be a little more bike friendly, but there is a continued need for enforcement and traffic calming techniques.

[grey]

Well, I guess I am dead. Some of the roads I ride on are 55mph, you know people are driving more like 65. Thankfully I stick to roads that see fewer than 10 cars per hour.

[westtexas]

Definitely very interesting. Thanks for sharing. I agree that it's scary to know that at 40+ mph you're pretty much a goner. I too ride on roads with high speed limits - often 70+ (and in west Texas that means 8- mph+). Luckily when I commute in the morning the majority of it is through a nice little neighborhood and I only have to ride on a 45mph road for a little bit. But then again, I'm pretty fearless.