U.S. Bikers Less Safe Than European Counterparts

In the United States, cyclists are 12 times more likely than people in cars to die en route to their destinations. On a per-kilometer and per-trip basis, U.S. cyclists are twice as likely to die on the road as German cyclists, and more than three times as likely as Dutch cyclists. While cycling fatalities in all of these countries have fallen in the last 25 years, U.S. cycling deaths have declined largely because of a drop in cycling, while in the Netherlands and Germany investments in infrastructure that make cycling safer account for much of the decline.

Six policies appear to have worked to promote cycling in Germany and the Netherlands: improved cycling infrastructure, "traffic calming" in residential neighborhoods, urban design that is people- rather than car-oriented, restrictions on motor vehicle use, traffic education, and traffic regulations and enforcement that are pro-pedestrian and pro-cycling.

Vital Signs
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References
"Bicycle Production Recovers," in Vital Signs 2005, pp. 58-59

Links
U.S. Department of Transportation's Federal Highway Administration's Bicycle and Pedestrian Program, http://www.fhwa.dot.gov/environment/bikeped/
Pedestrian and Bicycle Information Center, http://www.pedbikeinfo.org/