Bicyclists are dying on U.S. roads at a rate double that of vehicle occupants, according to a new report from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). And while the overall mortality rate for bicycle trips has fallen since 1975 — especially among children — age-specific cyclist mortality rates for adult riders aged 35–74 years have increased in traffic accidents since 1975.
CDC’s review of bicycle deaths from 1975-2012 was pulled from a national traffic accident database and it showed growing popularity in the activity among adults. For instance, total household trips taken by bicycle has doubled over the last 35 years, and in 2009, bicycling accounted for approximately 1 percent of trips in the United States, the report said. Recent years have seen the largest increase in bicycling, including a 61 percent increase during 2000–2012 in the number of U.S. workers who traveled to work by bicycle. The spike is attributed mostly to more bicycle riding by men aged 25 to 64 years, whereas cycling rates have remained steady for women and have fallen among children.
While bicycle mortality rates have improved among children due to increased safety measures and decreased number of trips, mortality rates for adults aged 35–74 years increased significantly during the study period. The largest increase in that category was among adults aged 35–54 years, with the mortality rate increasing nearly threefold.
In its own “discussion” of the study, the CDC said the figures “suggest an opportunity for expanding traditional road safety interventions in the United States…. designed to protect cyclists.” That’s because, overall, the proportion of road deaths accounted for by cyclists, has increased and bicycling for commuting and other utilitarian purposes has been rising.
“This report underscores the importance of improving bicycle safety in the United States with the aim of preventing fatalities,” the study said.
Below are some of the more insightful findings by the CDC:
- The overall mortality rate for males was six times greater than the overall mortality rate for females.
- In 2012, males accounted for 87 percent of total bicycle deaths in the United States. This proportion increased over the 38-year study period, from 79 percent in 1977 to a peak of 90 percent in 2001.
- Several countries and some U.S. cities have higher bicycle use and lower mortality rates than the United States overall. Many have implemented multifaceted, integrated approaches to bicycling that address safety while also promoting cycling.
- During 1975-2012, overall annual rates for cyclist mortality decreased 44 percent, with the steepest decline among children aged 15 or younger. In contrast, cyclist mortality rates increased for adults aged 35–74 years, particularly men aged 35–54 years.
- Historically, mortality rates for children 15 and under were substantially higher than rates for other age groups. This pattern shifted over the 38-year study period, and by 2012, the rate among children 15 and under was one third that of all other age groups.
