Darren Flusche, League of American Bicyclists, 14-Feb-2011 The average annual number of bicycle/motor vehicle crashes in Minneapolis between 1993 and 1999 was 334. Since 2000, the number has dropped 20 percent to 269. Why? Are fewer people in Minneapolis riding these days? No. In fact, according to the US Census and American Community Survey data, the number of Minneapolitans regularly biking to work more than doubled between 1990 and 2008 (3,000 to 8,000). This increase is supported by the city’s counts, which show a 174 percent increase in bicyclists in downtown Minneapolis between 2003 and 2008.
[Click on graphs for larger images. Note: The flat grey line between 1993 and 1999 is because the Census did not have yearly counts until the ACS came around in 2005.] “People are so used to seeing bicyclists — love them or hate — and they don’t want to hit them,” Shaun Murphy, coordinator of the city’s non-motorized transportation program, told the Minneapolis-St. Paul Star Tribune. He also told the Tribune that the “hot spots” for bike-motorist accidents are not located around the University of Minnesota, where bicycling is common, because drivers there are so used to watching for bikes. Here is that heat map:
The data from Minneapolis are just the latest example of this counter-intuitive relationship between more bicycling and fewer crashes that has become known as the “safety in numbers” concept after the famous 2003 study from Peter Jacobsen. New York City has shown a similar trend (source: Transportation Alternatives): As has Portland:
Also see this follow up work on Safety in Numbers in Australia. This is the kind of news we love to report on. Thanks to UrbanVelo for drawing our attention to it. Please let me know (darren [at] bikeleague.org) if there are any Safety in Numbers examples that I missed. Source: League of American Bicyclists כתבות קשורות: Minneapolis Bicyclists and Pedestrian Count Report ישראל בשביל אופניים: התיקון לחוק הקסדה יעודד שימוש באופניים ויגביר את בטיחות הרוכבים
חוק הקסדות: כרוניקה של חקיקה פופוליסטית "חוק הקסדה" - סכנה לתחבורת האופניים בישראל - נייר עמדה של עמותת "ישראל בשביל אופניים" שהוגש בשנת 2007
British Opposition Leader Criticized for Riding Without Helmet. Should He Be? Ridership up, crashes down: “Safety in Numbers” in Minneapolis Do Bike Helmets Save Lives? Or Do They Hurt Cycling? מצגת של איגוד הרוכבים הבריטי על בטיחות: Safety in Numbers קסדות אופניים, הדילמה - מחקרים מציגים ירידה תלולה במספר רוכבי האופניים במדינות שחוקקו חוק קסדה The concern about cycle helmet compulsory. By John Franklin, Cycle Campaign Network, UK Helmet Doubts: Recent Evidence IMPROVING BICYCLE SAFETY without making helmet-use compulsory The Problem with Bicycle Helmets Why We Shouldn’t Bike with a Helmet |
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