Biking a more dangerous commute?

[BobbyJones]

From CNN (and with a grain of salt)

https://www.cnn.com/2020/03/11/health/cycling-to-work-benefits-injuries-wellness/index.html

[unterhausen]

that's pretty hard to assess. We haven't had any bike commuter deaths here in town for quite some time. People commuting here in motor vehicles die fairly regularly. Granted, many of them are driving 2 hours a day or more. People definitely overestimate how dangerous it is to ride a bicycle and discount how dangerous it is to drive.

[Mark McM]

Commuting by bike is only more dangerous with respect to some types of health risks (crash injuries). However, in terms of other types of health risks, it is safer than other forms of transportation, as highlighted in this quote from the article:

When cyclists were compared with all other commuters, they showed a reduced risk of cardiovascular disease like heart attacks and stroke, lower risk of first cancer diagnosis and lower risk of death overall.

[RonW87]

When people notice that I cycle to work, they often ask "isn't that dangerous?". I reply "yes, almost as dangerous as not cycling to work".

[benb]

Cars (supposedly) concentrate exhaust fumes.

Even if you're riding your bike through traffic you apparently breath in less fumes than the drivers so your cumulative negative health effects are lessened.

There are a lot of other effects.

Also these crash statistics for bicyclists are always over simplified.

They don't do things like break out:
- Cyclists who crashed who were drunk
- Cyclists who crashed who were riding on the wrong side of the road
- Cyclists who crashed who committed a moving violation
- Cyclists who crashed who were riding at night without lights

When you start breaking down those behaviors you see that not everyone has the same risk.

We don't see this kind of breakdown with cycling crashes very often, and there are so few cyclists crashing it's hard.

You do see it with auto and moto drivers/riders more often. People say motorcycles are dangerous. But if you're in the group that has proper training, wears a helmet, and doesn't ride drunk all of a sudden the numbers look really different.