Preventing Two-Wheeled Tragedies:
The Mistakes We All Make

In the warmer summer months, more people are out bicycling-for exercise, recreation, or to run errands, commute to work, or conserve energy. From 2000 to 2012, the number of Americans traveling to work by bicycle increased from 488,000 to about 786,000 (U.S. Census Bureau, May 2014). While a bicycle can offer many health, financial, and environmental benefits, it can also bring the dangers associated with any vehicle.

Cyclists and drivers make mistakes that contribute to crashes, but when a crash happens involving a cyclist and a car, SUV, pickup truck, or bus, it is the cyclist who is likely to be injured or killed.

Bicyclists accounted for 2 percent of all traffic fatalities and 2 percent of all crash related injuries in 2012. Most bicyclist fatalities occured between 4 p.m. and midnight (48%) and in urban areas (69%). Almost 9 in 10 (88%) of those killed while riding bicycles were male. One in four bicyclists (24%) who died in crashes had blood alcohol concentrations (BACs) of .08 grams per deciliter (g/dL) or higher, the illegal alcohol level in all States.

Many crashes could be avoided if all bicyclists and motorists followed the rules of the road.

For more information, visit: www.NHTSA.gov/Bicycles