Bike Companions Have a Better Safety Record Than Regular City Bike Rides
Despite the fact that bike rental riders are often helmeted and inexperienced, their safety record is higher than that of other cyclists. The researchers aren’t sure why, but their speculations could shed light on bike safety in general.
Here are the key safety statistics: There were no deaths in over 35 million cycling trips, according to Vox’s Brad Plumer, compared to 21 deaths per 100 million trips for cyclists overall. New analysis confirms the safety of cycling stocks, and their researchers have suggested several possible reasons for this difference. Here are some of them:
- Rental bicycles are heavier and awkward . This makes it harder to drive at high speeds, and wider motorcycle tires handle potholes better. It’s possible that in lighter bicycles, speed and convenience are sacrificed for safety.
- Bicycle promotions work in places where cars travel slowly , such as city blocks with traffic jams. This means that we have eliminated the types of accidents in which a car could collide with a bicycle on the side of a high-speed road. Drivers are also already paying attention to pedestrians in city blocks, so they are more likely to spot cyclists as well.
- A factor may or may not be a lack of helmets. This is a controversial issue: both drivers and cyclists can be more mindful of safety when helmets are not pictured, but helmets can turn fatal accidents into crashes. We do not recommend discarding a helmet as a safety measure, but when analyzed at the population level, it is unclear whether helmets help or harm safety.
For more information on these issues and some other thoughts from the researchers follow the link below.
New Research Finds Why Bicycle Sharing Is Much Safer Than Regular Cycling | Vox
Photo by nickfalbo .