BIKE: mass transit safety

[Michael Bluejay]

On Oct 13, 2004, at 11:37 AM, Patrick Goetz wrote:

> This is like the people who say bicycling is unsafe while conveniently 
> ignoring the 42,000
> people who are killed in motor vehicle accidents each year in the US 
> alone.


I don't "conveniently ignore" motor vehicle deaths, it's that making 
the comparison you suggest isn't the best comparison.

The reason so few cyclists die vs. motorists is that there are so few 
cyclists to begin with, period.  Fewer three-legged cats die every year 
than four-legged cats, but that's not because three-legged cats have 
some kind of special advantage, there just aren't very many of them to 
begin with.

Mile for mile, the only honest way to compare the two transit modes, 
cycling is more dangerous than driving.

How could it be otherwise?  A 20mph collision in a car would result in 
some bruises at best.  On a bike that could easily mean broken bones or 
even death, helmet or not.

If cycling is so safe, then why are we all gathered here cooking up 
roadway improvements to make cycling safer?

While I support cycling I'm not gonna whitewash the safety issue.  
Cycling is dangerous.  And that's WHY I work on cycling issues.

-MBJ-