Getting rear-ended doesn’t sound THAT bad as far as accidents go — you could get viciously t-boned instead, or an anvil could fall on you when you’re in your convertible. (Just sayin’.) But for cyclists, it’s the most deadly kind of crash.
According to a new yearlong study by the League of American Bicyclists, 40 percent of U.S. bicycle deaths are from a driver hitting you from behind, or as Treehugger gruesomely puts it, “where drivers just go right over a cyclist.” Ugh. Here’s a breakdown of the types of fatal collisions:
League of American Bicyclists
Another major finding:
High-speed urban and suburban arterial streets with no provisions for bicyclists are an over-represented location — representing 56 percent of all bicyclist fatalities.
Geographically speaking, Florida’s the worst place to be a cyclist, with 17 percent of the nation’s cycling fatalities, and almost 22 cyclist deaths for every 10,000 bike commuters — well above the national average of 8.6:
League of American BicyclistsClick to embiggen.
And yes, Alec Baldwin, of the 238 fatal crashes the group studied, almost 100 were the result of cyclists going the wrong way, riding on the sidewalk, or failing to yield. But overall, drivers are the worst threat to cyclists.
Every year, some 45,000 bicyclists are hurt and 5,000 cyclists die while on the road, the League says. (Read the full report here.) But the League hopes you won’t just be bummed; you’ll sign this petition telling the U.S. Department of Transportation to make roads safer.
