Bicycling accident numbers
According to data compiled by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, 726 bicyclists were killed in 2014 as a result of vehicle accidents. This figure accounts for a little over 2 percent of the number of individuals injured or killed that year due to traffic accidents. Californians who are fond of bicycling may be surprised to learn that about $4 billion is spent on cyclist injuries and fatalities each year.
Based on research conducted on hospital records, it is estimated that maybe only 10 percent of bicycle crashes that result in injuries are noted by the police. The available bicycle accident data shows that the number of estimated bicyclist injuries increased from 48,000 in 2013 to 50,000 in 2014.
Bicycling safety can be affected by the time of day an individual engages in the activity, the location of the route, the degree of riding experience, the use of alcohol and more. However, it cannot be stated definitively whether bicycling is safer than other methods of travel as the number of miles traveled each year and how long riders are exposed to road traffic are unknown.
The average age of bicyclists killed in bicycle/motor vehicle crashes has risen steadily from 24 years old in 1988 to 45 years old in 2014. Men make up nearly 90 percent of all such fatalities. Urban areas are generally the riskiest bicycling areas as they are the setting for 71 percent of bicycling deaths.
A bicycle accident can result in injuries and death. If a bicyclist is injured or killed as a result of a vehicle crash, a Sacramento, CA bicycle accident lawyer may be able to help file a suit for damages.