This cyclist rides on Main at Lamar Street in downtown Dallas, Texas.Most news articles about cycling seem to emphasize
the danger of cycling, so it was a tremendous breath of fresh air to see
this article in the Dallas Morning News (
registration required). Paula Lavigne writes about the 22 cycling fatalities in the Dallas metro area over the past four years, but then notes that the data shows that bike fatality and injuries are down from previous years nationwide and steady in Texas. The analysis of data by the
Morning News, for example, shows that "in both 1985 and 2002, there was one cycling fatality for every 50,000 cyclists nationwide." Less than 4% of injuries require hospitalization.
Lavigne writes about the recent interest in cycling contributing to the myth that cycling accidents are up. I know that, locally, "newbies" and non-participants to the activity seem to express a little more concern about the danger of cycling than experienced and educated cyclists do.
Read the article for more numbers and facts. Good resources about cycling safety include Bicycling Life's
Safety Skills page and Ken Kifer's
Bicyle Traffic Safety information.
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