A Compendium of Statistics
from Various Sources
as of October 2000
Only 2 percent of motor vehicle-related deaths are bicyclists. Among
a majority of those killed, the most serious injuries are to the head, so
it's important for bicyclists to wear helmets. Sixteen states have helmet
laws applying to young bicyclists; none of these laws applies to all
riders. Local ordinances in a few states do require some or all bicyclists
to wear helmets. Helmets are important for riders of all ages, especially
because older bicyclists represent more than two-thirds of bicycle deaths.
Responsibility for serious collisions between bicycles and motor
vehicles corresponds to rider age. (Responsibility refers to crash
initiation, not necessarily legal culpability.) Young riders most often are
responsible for their crashes, and then probable responsibility decreases
with age. Older riders more often aren't responsible for their crashes.1
The following facts are based on analysis of
data from the U.S. Department of Transportation's Fatality Analysis
Reporting System:
- 746 bicyclists
were killed in crashes with motor vehicles in 1999. This is 1 percent
fewer than in 1998 and down 26 percent since 1975.
- Bicycle deaths
are most likely to occur in summer. Deaths are most likely to occur on
Fridays and Saturdays. The peak time is 3-9 pm.
Note: BHSI does not endorse the following
item!
Please see this
link for more info casting doubt on the 98% number.
- Ninety-eight
percent of bicyclists killed in 1999 reportedly weren't wearing
helmets.
AGE AND GENDER
Deaths of older bicyclists
are an increasing problem. Seventy-one percent of 1999 bicycle deaths were
riders 16 years and older. This compares with 32 percent of bicycle deaths
in 1975.
About 7 times as many bicycle deaths are
males compared with females. At every age older than 4, more male than
female bicyclists are killed. Deaths per million people are higher among
males than females at all ages older than 4.
Bicycle deaths per million people rise
rapidly among males beginning at about 5 years old and are highest among 14
and 15 year-olds. Death rates also are high among 13- and 16-year-old
males.
WHERE THEY DIED
Four states (California,
Florida, New York, and Texas) accounted for 43 percent of bicycle deaths in
1999.
More bicyclists were killed in urban areas
than in rural areas (64 percent compared with 36 percent) in 1999.
Thirty-five percent of bicycle deaths in
1999 occurred at intersections.
ROAD TYPES
Fifty-seven percent of
bicycle deaths in 1999 occurred on major roads, and 37 percent occurred on
local roads.
Fifty-nine percent of bicycle deaths among
children younger than 13 and 27 percent of adult bicycle deaths occur on
minor roads. Adult bicyclists are more likely than children to be killed on
major roads (67 percent compared with 38 percent).
· · Year Male Female Total · 1975 820 183 1,003 · 1976 751 163 914 · 1977 730 192 922 · 1978 714 178 892 · 1979 759 173 932 · 1980 782 183 965 · 1981 748 181 929 · 1982 720 144 864 · 1983 700 130 830 · 1984 684 153 837 · 1985 732 137 869 · 1986 789 140 929 · 1987 826 114 940 · 1988 773 128 901 · 1989 696 126 822 · 1990 732 121 853 · 1991 715 121 836 · 1992 627 90 717 · 1993 702 104 806 · 1994 687 109 796 · 1995 699 128 827 · 1996 654 107 761 · 1997 712 99 811 · 1998 659 99 758 · 1999 653 93 746 · · · Percent of bicycle deaths involving
· people 16 years and older · · 1975 32 · 1976 33 · 1977 33 · 1978 36 · 1979 40 · 1980 45 · 1981 47 · 1982 52 · 1983 47 · 1984 50 · 1985 50 · 1986 52 · 1987 53 · 1988 56 · 1989 55 · 1990 65 · 1991 63 · 1992 58 · 1993 62 · 1994 62 · 1995 65 · 1996 67 · 1997 69 · 1998 69 · 1999 71 · · · Distribution of bicycle deaths by month, 1999 · · Percent · January 6 · February 5 · March 7 · April 6 · May 9 · June 10 · July 12 · August 11 · Septembe 11 · October 10 · November 8 · December 5 · · · Distribution of bicycle deaths by day of week, 1999 · · Percent · Sunday 13 · Monday 15 · Tuesday 11 · Wednesday 12 · Thursday 12 · Friday 18 · Saturday 17 · · · Distribution of bicycle deaths by time of day, 1999 · · Percent · Midnight - 3 am 7 · 3 am - 6 am 3 · 6 am - 9 am 9 · 9 am - Noon 8 · Noon - 3 pm 11 · 3 pm - 6 pm 22 · 6 pm - 9 pm 26 · 9 pm - Midnight 13 · ·
REFERENCES
1 Williams, A.F. 1976. Factors in the initiation of bicycle-motor
vehicle collisions. American Journal of Diseases of Children 130:370-77.
Downloaded March, 2001. See the IIHS
site for the most recent data.
Statistics from the Institute for Traffic
Safety Analysis
Riley Geary has compiled and presented comparative
fatality stats for the three countries. The format is stark, but easy to
master in a few minutes, and the results are illuminating. In injury
reduction we are well behind Australia (mandatory helmets) and the UK
(fewer helmets than here). Is it possible that we are not doing something
right?
Here is the ITSA
analysis of FARS fatality data.
And here is the
ITSA analysis reexamining the FARS helmet data.
Statistics from the Consumer Product Safety
Commission
Here are "head
injury" statistics from CPSC, based on their data from hospital
emergency rooms. Unfortunately, the head injury numbers for kids under 15
are not statistically significant, and even worse, all head injuries in the
table are lumped together. You may be looking at a cut chin that required
three stitches, or maybe at a severe concussion. But it is sure that you
can not tell from these numbers what percentage should have been mitigated
by a helmet. If the rider had one.
Note: BHSI does not endorse
the optimistic findings of this study! In addition, the total number of
riders killed cited in point two has not been accurate for a decade, and
current deaths each year are closer to 800.
Statistics
from the Consumer Product Safety Commission
- Bicycle helmet
usage has increased from 18 percent in 1991 to 50 percent in 1998
- Bike-related
crashes kill 900 people every year and send about 567,000 to hospital
emergency rooms with injuries
- Wearing a bike
helmet can reduce the risk of head injury by 85 percent.
- Today there are
an estimated 80.6 million riders, 43 percent of whom never wear
helmets and 7 percent of whom wear helmets less than half the time
- Of bikers who now
report wearing a helmet, 98 percent said they wore a helmet for safety
reasons, 70 percent said they wore a helmet because a parent or spouse
insisted on it and 44 percent said they did so because a law required
it.
- 69 percent of
children under 16 wear a helmet on a regular basis while riding a
bike, according to parents.
- 38 percent of
adult bike riders regularly wear their helmets.
Here is the Press
Release on the study. There are other estimates further down this page
that we consider more realistic for the nation as a whole. For example, the
University of North Carolina as conducted reliable
observational studies showing a statewide helmet usage rate of 17 per
cent.
More Statistics from the Consumer Product
Safety Commission's
Consumer Product Safety Review - Spring, 2000
Baby Boomer Sports Injuries
- Sports-related
injuries among those ages 35 to 54 (Baby boomers) increased 33 per
cent from 1991 to 1998.
- The population in
that age bracket increased from 65 to 79 million, explaining some of
the increase.
- In 1998,
bicycling accounted for the largest number treated in hospital emergency
rooms. Bike injuries were over 65,000, while basketball injuries in
second place were under 50,000.
- In 1998, a total
of 290 boomers died in bicycle crashes, with 255 involving a car (88
per cent).
- In 1998, no other
sport killed as many boomers. Swimming was a distant second with 67
deaths, skiing third with 7 deaths.
- In 1998, baby
boomers on bicycles died from head injuries at nearly twice the rate
of children on bikes. CPSC believes that the difference in death rates
is due to more helmet use by children.
- CPSC believes
that 69 per cent of children wear bike helmets and only 43 per cent of
boomers.
- It is important
for baby boomers to stay active and participate in sports.
- The article is
signed by George Rutherford, CPSC Directorate for Epidemiology
Injuries to Bicyclists
From A Monograph by the Johns Hopkins Injury Prevention Center
Sponsored by the Snell Memorial Foundation
 Each
year in the United States;
- more than 900
bicyclists are killed - - - [Falling since this was done: in 1997 it
was 808]
- 20,000 are
admitted to hospitals
- 580,000 receive
emergency room treatment
For
the population as a whole, there are approximately:
- 1.8 billion
bicycle trips
- 300 injuries per
million trips
- 1 death in every
2 million trips (0.5 per million)
Helmets
are needed because head injuries in bicyclists are noted in:
- 65,000 emergency
room cases and 7,700 hospital admissions annually
- about 40 per
cent of bicyclists admitted to hospitals
- an estimated 70
to 80 per cent of fatally injured bicyclists
Bicyclists
hospitalized with head injuries are 20 times as likely to die as those
without.
Bicyclist
injury rates per million trips are highest at age 5 to 15.
Bicyclist
death rates per million trips are highest above age 50.
Bicyclist
death rates per 100,000 population are highest at age 10-14.
Fifty-six
per cent of fatally injured bicyclists are age 20 or older.
Death
rates for male bicyclists age 20-54 have substantially increased in recent
years.
Compared
with females, males;
- make 2.5 times as
many bicycle trips
- are 2.4 times as
likely to be killed, per trip
- have a death rate
per 100,000 population that is 6 times as high
The
death rate per million trips is 8 times as high from 10 PM to 1 AM as from
9 AM to 1 PM.
Motor
vehicles are involved in 90-92 per cent of bicyclist deaths and 12 per cent
of injuries.
One
third of bicyclist fatalities occur on roads with speed limits of 55 mph or
higher.
Two-thirds
of fatally injured bicyclists are tested for alcohol; 32 per cent of those
tested have been drinking.
Bicyclist
death rates per trip or per person mile of travel greatly exceed the rates
for car occupants.
Injuries to Children
From A Fact Sheet by the National Safe Kids Campaign
Please check their Web
page for their latest Fact Sheet on Bicycle Injury.
Deaths and Injuries
- In 1995, more
than 250 children ages 14 and under died in bicycle-related crashes.
Motor vehicles were involved in 230 of these deaths.
- In 1996, more
than 350,000 children ages 14 and under were treated in hospital
emergency rooms for bicycle-related injuries.
- It is
estimated that collisions with motor vehicles account for 90 percent
of all bicycle-related deaths and 10 percent of all nonfatal
bicycle-related injuries. Collision with a motor vehicle increases
the risk of death, severity of injury, and the probability of
sustaining a head injury.
- More than 40
percent of all head injury-related deaths and approximately
three-fourths of head injuries occur among children ages 14 and
under. Younger children suffer a higher proportion of head injuries
than older children.
When and Where Bicycle Deaths and Injuries
Occur
- Children are
more likely to die from bicycle crashes at non-intersection locations
(66 percent), during the months of May to August (55 percent), and
between 3 p.m. and 6 p.m. (39 percent).
- Nearly 60
percent of all childhood bicycle-related deaths occur on minor roads.
The typical bicycle/motor vehicle crash occurs within one mile of the
bicyclist's home.
- Children ages
14 and under are more likely to be injured riding in non-daylight
hours (e.g., at dawn, dusk or night). The risk of sustaining an
injury during non-daylight conditions is nearly four times greater
than during the daytime.
- Among children
ages 14 and under, more than 80 percent of bicycle-related fatalities
are associated with the bicyclist's behavior. The most common crashes
include riding into a street without stopping; turning left or
swerving into traffic that is coming from behind; running a stop
sign; and riding against the flow of traffic.
Who is at Risk
- Riding without
a bicycle helmet increases the risk of sustaining a head injury in
the event of a crash. Nonhelmeted riders are 14 times more likely to
be involved in a fatal crash than bicyclists wearing a helmet.
- Collision with
a motor vehicle and crashes occurring at speeds greater than 15 miles
per hour increase the risk of severe bicycle-related injury and
death.
- Children ages
14 and under are five times more likely to be injured in a
bicycle-related crash than older riders.
- Males account
for approximately 85 percent of bicycle-related deaths and 70 percent
of nonfatal injuries and have higher bicycle-related death and injury
rates than females. Children ages 10 to 14, especially males, have
the highest death rate from bicycle-related head injury of all ages.
- Children under
age 10 are at greater risk for serious injury and are more likely to
suffer head injuries than older riders. Approximately half of all
bicycle-related injuries among children under age 10 occur to the
head/face, compared to one-fifth among older children.
- Bicyclists
admitted to hospitals with head injuries are 20 times more likely to
die as those without head injuries.
Bicycle Helmet Effectiveness
- Bicycle
helmets have been shown to reduce the risk of head injury by as much
as 85 percent and the risk of brain injury by as much as 88 percent.
Bicycle helmets have also been shown to offer substantial protection
to the forehead and mid face.
- It is
estimated that 75 percent of bicycle-related fatalities among
children could be prevented with a bicycle helmet.
- Universal use
of bicycle helmets by children ages 4 to 15 could prevent between 135
and 155 deaths, between 39,000 and 45,000 head injuries, and between
18,000 and 55,000 scalp and face injuries annually.
- Child helmet
ownership and use increases with income and educational level, yet
decreases with age. Children are more likely to wear a bicycle helmet
if riding with others (peers or adults) who are also wearing one and
less likely to wear one if their companions are not.
Fatality Statistics for School Children
From the FARS Database, USDOT
School-Aged Children (5-18) Killed in Traffic Crashes
During the School Year September 1, 1997 to June 15, 1998 Data from the
Fatality Analysis Reporting System (FARS) U.S. Department of Transportation
School-aged Pedalcyclists killed between the hours of 6:00 AM to 8:59
AM and 2:00 PM to 4:59 PM
Alabama 0 Montana 0 Alaska 1 Nebraska 1 Arizona 3 Nevada 1 Arkansas 1 New Hampshire 0 California 5 New Jersey 0 Colorado 0 New Mexico 0 Connecticut 0 New York 1 Dist. of Col. 0 North Carolina 0 Florida 3 North Dakota 0 Georgia 2 Ohio 2 Hawaii 0 Oklahoma 0 Idaho 0 Oregon 1 Illinois 3 Pennsylvania 1 Indiana 0 Rhode Island 0 Iowa 0 South Carolina 2 Kansas 0 South Dakota 0 Kentucky 2 Tennessee 1 Louisiana 0 Texas 1 Maine 1 Utah 0 Maryland 2 Vermont 0 Massachusetts 0 Virginia 0 Michigan 5 Washington 3 Minnesota 0 West Virginia 1 Missouri 1 Wisconsin 0 Wyoming 0 Total: 44
A note from the University of California at
Berkeley Wellness Letter of Dec 97:
"It's estimated that 96 % of cyclists killed in
1996 were not wearing helmets."
Here is a
study from Western Australia that shows that helmet use has reduced the
incidence and severity of head injuries there. It is based on hospital
data, and shows that the number of closed head injuries was cut in half
with increased helmet use over time, though other injuries did not change
significantly in number. The head injuries were less serious, and hospital
stays were shorter.
Statistics from the abstract of an article from
JAMA, the Journal of the American Medical Association:
Bicycle Associated Head Injuries and Deaths in the United States From
1984 Through 1988: How Many Are Preventable?
Jeffrey J. Sacks, MD, MPH; Patricia Holmgreen, MS;
Suzanne M. Smith, MD; Daniel M Sosin, MD
Objective. -To estimate the potential benefits from more widespread
bicycle safety helmet use.
Design.-Review of death certificates and emergency department injury
data for 1984 through 1988. Categorization of deaths and injuries as
related to bicycling and head injury. Using relative risks of 3.85 and 6.67
derived from a case-control study and varying helmet usage from 10 per cent
to 100 per cent, population attributable risk was calculated to estimate
preventable deaths and injuries.
Setting.-Entire United States.
Main Outcome Measures. -Numbers of US residents coded as dying from
bicycle related head injuries, numbers of persons presenting to emergency
departments for bicycle-related head injuries, and numbers of attributable
bicycle related deaths and head injuries.
Main Results. - From 1984 through 1988, bicycling accounted for 2985
head injury deaths (62 per cent of all bicycling deaths) and 905,752 head
injuries (32 per cent of persons with bicycling injuries treated at an
emergency department). Forty-one percent of head injury deaths and 76 per
cent of head injuries occurred among children less than 15 years of age.
Universal use of helmets by all bicyclists could have prevented as many as
2500 deaths and 757,000 head injuries, i.e., one death every day and one
head injury every 4 minutes.
Conclusions.-Effective community-based education programs and
legislated approaches for increasing bicycle safety helmet usage have been
developed and await only the resources and commitment to reduce these
unnecessary deaths and injuries.
(JAMA, 1991;266:3016-3018)
Statistics from the abstract of a widely-quoted
article which appeared in the
New England Journal of Medicine on May 25, 1989.
A Case-Control Study of the Effectiveness of Bicycle Safety Helmets
by Robert S. Thompson, MD,
Frederick P. Rivara, MD, M.P.H., and Diane C. Thompson, MS Abstract
Bicycling accidents cause many serious
injuries and, in the United States. about 1300 deaths per year, mainly from
head injuries. Safety helmets are widely recommended for cyclists. but
convincing evidence of their effectiveness is lacking. Over one year we
conducted a case-control study in which the case patients were 235 persons
with head injuries received while bicycling, who sought emergency care at
one of five hospitals. One control group consisted of 433 persons who
received emergency care at the same hospitals for bicycling injuries not
involving the head. A second control group consisted of 558 members of a
large heath maintenance organization who had had bicycling accidents during
the previous year.
Seven percent of the case patients were
wearing helmets at the time of their head injuries, as compared with 24
percent of the emergency room controls and 23 percent of the second control
group. Of the 99 cyclists with serious brain injury only 4 percent wore
helmets. In regression analyses to control for age, sex, income, education,
cycling experience, and the severity of the accident, we found that riders
with helmets had an 85 percent reduction in their risk of heed injury (odds
ratio, 0.15; 95 percent confidence interval, 0.07 to 0.29) and an 88
percent reduction in their risk of brain injury (odds ratio, 0.12; 95
percent confidence interval, 0.04 to 0.40).
We conclude that bicycle safety helmets are
highly effective in preventing head injury. Helmets are particularly
important for children, since they suffer the majority of serious head
injuries from bicycling accidents. (N Engl J. Med 1969;320:1361-7)
Statistics from a publication of the U. S. Consumer
Product Safety Commission.
Bicycle Use and Hazard Patterns in the United
States
Note: We recommend caution in using these
figures, since a number of people in the bicycle community questioned the
validity of the survey techniques used for this study. - BHSI
The exposure survey found that only 11.8
million (18 percent) of the entire population of about 67 million
bicyclists wear helmets all or most of the time. Another 6 percent, representing
about 4 million riders, reported that they wear helmets sometimes, but less
than half of the time.
The proportion of children under age 15 who
wear helmets all or most of the time was about 15 percent. HF reports (in
part IV) that the low usage rate for children may be partly related to peer
pressure. Some studies show that children are not inclined to wear helmets
if their social group disapproves of helmet use. However, helmet use in all
age groups appears to be increasing. Just over half of the current users
(53 percent) began wearing helmets in the last two years.
And here is Michael Ravnitzky's article on how to get better statistics from
CPSC.
Usage Data from Actual Observation of Cyclists in
Alaska
Our department initiated a
project during the summer of 2000 to document the observed use of bike
helmets in communities around Alaska. We needed to develop a statistical
baseline of helmet use. The data is preliminary, but it looks to be a 35%
use rate in larger places (Anchorage, Fairbanks, Juneau), about 17% in
smaller cities, and almost non-existant in rural areas. Source: David
Thomson, Health Program Manager, Community Health & EMS, Alaska
Division of Public Health
Economic Statistics
from the Pacific Institute for Research & Evaluation
(Extracted
from two emails)
More than 80% of the resource and productivity costs and the quality of
life losses associated with pedalcycling, ages 0-19, does not involve a
motor vehicle. At the same time, a pedalcycle incident involving a motor
vehicle is about 3.5 five times as costly as one that does not involve a
motor vehicle ($17,600 versus $4,900 in resource and productivity costs).
Pedalcycle-only incidents are less severe
but far more frequent. Overall, pedalcycle crashes are the 4th largest
contributor to childhood injury costs and quality of life losses. The above
estimates exclude some cases where a pedalcyclist struck a pedestrian.
For the US in 1996, 262 pedalcyclists ages
0-19 died in motor vehicle crashes compared to 23 in crashes without motor
vehicles. These numbers are a perfect illustration of the dangers of doing
epidemiology with just mortality data. As Charles suggested, they are
overwhelmed by a different pattern for nonfatal injuries. Ages 0-19, 5,500
motor vehicle cases were hospital-admitted and 37,000 were medically
treated elsewhere. In contrast, 12,400 cases without motor vehicles
involved were hospital-admitted and 735,000 were medically treated
elsewhere. Hospital-admitted cases are serious. The non-motor vehicle cases
are the largest share of these serious injuries.
ADULT NUMBERS
The importance of non-motor vehicle incidents is even more striking among
adults. Motor-vehicle involved deaths still predominate, but not as
strongly (430 versus 84). For hospital-admissions, the balance swings far
more heavily to non-motor-vehicle cases (25,400 versus 4,900). Although
many more deaths and hospital-admitted injuries occur among adults than
children, other medically treated injuries are far more often a child
problem. The estimated frequencies are 21,000 involving motor vehicles and
166,000 not.
Ted Miller
Pacific Institute for Research & Evaluation
Statistics from a publication of the Centers for
Disease Control.
Injury Mortality
National Summary of Injury Mortality Data
1986-1992
Data Source:
National Center for Health Statistics, Vital Statistics
Produced by
Office of Statistics, Programming, and Graphics
National Center for Injury Prevention and Control
4770 Buford Highway - K59
Atlanta, GA 30341
(Contact: Steve James 404-488-4656)
U.S. Department of Health and Human Services
Public Health Service
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC)
February 1995
Introduction
The National Summary of Injury Mortality
Data provides tabulations of the total numbers of deaths and the mortality
rates per 100,000 population for major and other selected external causes
of death from injury, by race, sex, and age groupings. There are two sets
of tables. The first set presents national data on injury mortality for
1986 through 1992 and will allow the user to assess short-term trends in
numbers of deaths and mortality rates. The second set of tables summarizes
national and state data for 1992 on the eight major causes of Injury
mortality. The state tables provide a means of comparing the relative
magnitude of deaths from these major causes within and across states.
The numbers of deaths by external cause of
injury (International Classification of Disease-9th Revision, E-Godes [1])
are from the annual mortality data tapes of the National Center for Health
Statistics (NCHS), Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. We used
population data from the U.S. Bureau of the Census to calculate death rates
for 1985 through 1990. Intercensal population estimates were used for 1985
through 1989 and decennial census population counts for 1990. For 1991 and
1992, we used Demo-Detail postcensal population estimates. (For information
about the postcensal population estimates, contact Richard Irwin, Director,
Demo-Detail, 2303 Apple Hill Road, Alexandria, VA 22308, Phone No.
703-780-9563.)
We computed age-adjusted rates by the direct
method and standardized to the total U.S. population as enumerated in 1940.
This method and the standard year of 1940 were used to be consistent with
data reported by NCHS and with data being tracked for the year 2000
objectives of the U.S. Public Health Service (2). Our age-adjusted death
rates may differ slightly from those of NCHS because we used 5-year age
categories, as presented in our tables, for calculations and NCHS used
10-year age groups (3).
For the convenience of the user, we have
provided mortality rates for each of the race-sex-age groupings In which
one or more deaths occurred. (Note: They did, but we did not! See phone
number below for more tables. - BHSI) However, because NCHS considers
rates based on 20 or fewer deaths to be statistically unreliable, such
rates should be regarded with caution. For further details on this and
other statistical issues, please refer to the Advance Report of Final
Mortality Statistics, 1992 (3). (To obtain a copy of this report, contact
NCHS at 301-436-8500).
Pedal Cyclist Deaths and Rates per 100.000
For Years
1988-1992
All Races / Both sexes
AGE 1988 1989 1990 1991 1992 YRS No. Rate No. Rate No. Rate No. Rate No. Rate 0-4 18 .10 17 .09 18 .10 14 .07 10 .05 5-9 157 .88 129 .72 104 .58 106 .58 99 .54 10-14 186 1.13 180 1.07 149 .87 161 .91 151 .83 15-19 136 .73 114 .63 124 .69 80 .47 68 .40 20-24 86 .44 68 .35 65 .34 79 .41 48 .25 25-29 69 .32 69 .32 100 .47 60 .29 50 .25 30-34 58 .27 68 .31 63 .29 71 .32 59 .26 35-39 52 .27 44 .23 67 .34 74 .36 58 .27 40-44 33 .20 38 .22 45 .26 39 .21 42 .22 45-49 29 .22 23 .17 37 .27 49 .35 41 .27 50-54 19 .17 19 .17 23 .20 33 .28 26 .22 55-59 19 .18 21 .20 19 .18 26 .25 32 .31 60-64 16 .15 17 .16 26 .24 25 .24 19 .18 65-69 19 .19 12 .12 27 .27 28 .28 23 .23 70-74 22 .28 17 .22 17 .21 22 .27 16 .19 75-79 16 .27 19 .32 16 .26 19 .30 13 .20 80-84 5 .14 12 .31 9 .23 11 .27 14 .34 85+ 7 .24 3 .10 7 .23 3 .10 8 .25 UNK AGE 2 0 1 3 0 TOTAL* 949 .39 870 .35 917 .37 903 .36 777 .30 AgeAdj** .42 .38 .39 .38 .32
Below is the same data broken down by sex.
Guess who has the problem!
All Races / Males
AGE 1988 1989 1990 1991 1992 YRS No. Rate No. Rate No. Rate No. Rate No. Rate 0-4 12 .13 12 .13 12 .13 11 .11 7 .07 5-9 128 1.41 105 1.14 81 .88 81 .87 83 .88 10-14 157 1.86 151 1.75 131 1.50 133 1.47 131 1.41 15-19 124 1.31 104 1.12 11 1.23 71 .81 61 .70 20-24 75 .75 61 .62 58 .60 64 .66 43 .44 25-29 60 .55 56 .52 85 .79 52 .50 48 .47 30-34 47 .44 60 .56 56 .52 65 .59 55 .50 35-39 46 .49 37 .38 58 .59 66 .65 49 .47 40-44 28 .35 30 .36 37 .43 31 .33 38 .41 45-49 24 .38 21 .32 30 .45 45 .65 35 .46 50-54 15 .28 18 .33 20 .36 33 .58 23 .39 55-59 13 .25 15 .30 18 .36 25 .50 30 .60 60-64 15 .30 16 .32 22 .44 23 .46 18 .37 65-69 18 .41 9 .20 24 .53 23 .51 20 .45 70-74 22 .66 16 .48 13 .38 21 .59 14 .38 75-79 13 .57 17 .72 13 .54 15 .60 12 .47 80-84 5 .39 11 .83 8 .59 10 .71 12 .82 85+ 7 .87 1 .12 6 .71 3 .34 8 .88 UNK AGE 2 0 1 3 0 T0TAL* 811 .68 740 .62 786 .65 775 .63 687 .55 AGEADJ** .72 .65 .68 .65 .57
Below is the same data broken down by sex.
Guess who has the problem!
All Races / Females
AGE 1988 1989 1990 1991 1992 YRS No. Rate No. Rate No. Rate No. Rate No. Rate 0-4 6 .07 5 .06 6 .07 3 .03 3 .03 5-9 29 .33 24 .27 23 .26 25 .28 16 .18 10-14 29 .36 29 .35 18 .22 28 .32 20 .23 15-19 12 .13 10 .11 11 .13 9 .11 7 .08 20-24 11 .11 7 .07 7 .07 15 .16 5 .05 25-29 9 .08 13 .12 15 .14 8 .08 2 .02 30-34 11 .10 8 .07 7 .06 6 .05 4 .04 35-39 6 .06 7 .07 9 .09 8 .08 9 .08 40-44 5 .06 8 .09 8 .09 8 .08 4 .04 45-49 5 .08 2 .03 7 .10 4 .06 6 .08 50-54 4 .07 1 .02 3 .05 0 .00 3 .05 55-59 6 .11 6 .11 1 .02 1 .02 2 .04 60-64 1 .02 1 .02 4 .07 2 .04 1 .02 65-69 1 .02 3 .05 3 .05 5 .09 3 .05 70-74 0 .00 1 .02 4 .09 1 .02 2 .04 75-79 3 .08 2 .05 3 .08 4 .11 1 .03 80-84 0 .00 1 .04 1 .04 1 .04 2 .07 85+ 0 .00 2 .09 1 .05 0 .00 0 .00 UNK AGE 0 0 0 0 0 TOTAL* 138 .11 130 .10 131 .10 128 .10 90 .07 AGEADJ** .13 .11 .11 .11 .08
*Total number and crude
rate include unknown age.
**Age-adjusted rate excludes unknown age.
Standard population is 1940 U.S. all races/both sexes.
Data Sources, National Center for Health
Statistics Mortality Data Tapes for number of deaths; U.S. Bureau of Census
population estimates; intercensal data are used for 1984-1989 and decennial
census data are used for 1990. Demo-Detail postcensal population estimates
are used for 1991-92.
Query the FARS Database
The FARS Database is the Fatality Analysis
Reporting System put up by NHTSA - DOT. You can construct your own query to generate
data on fatalities (not injuries, just fatalities) in your state, by year,
by time of day, by many other criteria. They have some Frequently Used
Queries as examples.
Statistics from the
Bicycle Helmet Safety Institute
Mandatory Helmet Laws
As of August 14, 2001 we know of 20 state laws
(including the District of Columbia) requiring minors to wear helmets while
bicycling, and another 83 local ordinances, some of which cover all ages.
Please check our page on
mandatory helmet laws for more current info.
Statistics from the
Health Policy Tracking Service, National Conference of State Legislatures
Mandatory Helmet Laws
This source has a detailed
chart of state helmet laws with legal citations, but when we last
checked in February 2000 they were lacking the Maryland and Pennsylvania
laws.
A translation of
statistics from a publication of the French Consumer Safety Commission
(Commission de la Securite des Consommateurs):
Helmets for Cyclists
·
Bicycle accidents occur two times out of three
to children under 15.
·
They occur mostly to boys (71% of the injured;
80% if you include 15 to 25 year olds)
·
Accidents are associated with sports or leisure
activities, close to home for the youngest group. Use of the bicycle for
transportation is also responsible for a large number of accidents, and of
those a large number of victims are over 65.
·
Falls represent 90 per cent of the causes of the
accidents.
·
The head is hit in 38 per cent of the accidents.
This figure rises to 55 per cent for infants of 1 to 5 years and 48 per
cent for those of 5 to 10 years.
·
Contusions are the most important lesions in
bicycle accidents (40 per cent of the cases). The rate of fractures is
equally large among children of 10 to 15 years of age and those over 65.
·
The rate of hospitalization is high (18 per cent
of the accidents). This figure rises to 30 per cent of the people from 45
to 64 years old and 40 per cent of those over 65.
Statistics from a Johns
Hopkins U. study published in the Journal
of the American Medical Association in February, 2001:
Bicyclists and Alcohol
·
One drink increases a bicyclist's probability of
serious injury or death by a factor of six.
·
Four or five drinks increases the probability by
a factor of 20.
·
One third of bicycle fatalities have elevated
blood alcohol levels.
(We have a page up on Bicycles and Alcohol.)
Statistics from Pure Speculation:
How Many Helmets are Sold Each Year?
(Updated November, 2000)
We have asked many manufacturers if they had
a good estimate of how many helmets are sold in the US market each year. If
they do have that info, they are not sharing it. The best guesses we have
found are in the 13 to 15 million range. The bulk of those would be mass
merchant sales, rather than the helmets sold in bike shops. We have heard
rumors that mass merchant sales were up as much as 20 per cent in 2000,
perhaps linked in part to the increase in scooter sales. We have noted a
small price increase in advertised mass merchant sales prices in our area,
but some still selling helmets as low as $4.99. (Here is a collage of recent Sunday newspaper ads from our area.)
Below are the only stats we have seen that a manufacturer has published, but
they date back to the mid-1990's and the manufacturer is no longer in business.
Old Statistics from the Headstrong Group:
How Many Helmets are Sold Each Year?
From Headstrong Group (no longer in business--this is old
stuff!)
Market Share of Some Major Manufacturers:
Manufacturer 1993 1994 Percent 1995 est.
Bell Sports 3,000 4,000 40% 4,500
Cycle Products 1,500 2,000 20 2,000
Headstrong 1,700 17 3,300
Troxel 1,500 1,000 10 1,000
Other 1,000 1,300 13 2,200
----- ----- ----- -----
Total 7,000 10,000 100 13,000
Note: The brochure where this chart appears did not make it clear
whether these estimates are for the U.S., North American or World helmet
markets. It also does not say whether or not it includes the non-bicycle part of
Headstrong's sales of baseball, equestrian, ski, snowboard and skating helmets.
Source is cited as "Various industry reports and internal estimates." Whatever
the accuracy of the figures, we are indebted to Headstrong Group as the only
manufacturer to publicly publish their estimates.
Statistics from the Bicycle Market Research Institute:
How Many Active American Cyclists are There?
(As reported in Bicycle Retailer and Industry News on April 15, 1995)
- There are 58.7 million Americans who are active cyclists.
- Thirty percent of them live in California, New York and Illinois.
- California accounts for 14.5 percent of the nation's riders and 18 percent
of all its mountain bike riders.
These numbers are much lower than others often cited, including those
from the Bicycle Federation and the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission. We
do not have the definition of "active cyclist" to confirm how the total was
reached. This data is contained in a study titled BIKETRAC Bicycling
Participation and Usage Study. For more information on purchasing this study you
can contact BMRI at (617) 277-5660.
Statistics from the National Sporting Goods Association:
How Many Active American Cyclists are There?
(As reported in Bicycle Retailer and Industry News on September 1, 1995)
- Some 49.8 million Americans rode their bicycles in 1994.
- That's an increase from 47.9 million in 1993
- But it falls well short of the peak figure for 1989, which was 56.9 million.
- Cycling placed third behind exercise walking and swimming.
- As a percentage of state population, cycling is the number one sport in
Colorado, Iowa and Oregon. In California, cycling placed behind backpacking,
camping, hiking and table tennis.
This study defines a bicyclist as someone over the age of 6 who has
ridden at least six times during the year. The same participation was applied to
walkers and swimmers. Campers, hikers and table tennis players required only one
time.
The NSGA will sell you a copy of the full survey for $275. You can call them
at (708) 439-4000.
A Look At Some Of The Bicycle Industry's Vital Statistics
The U.S. bicycle industry is approximately a $3.5 billion per
year industry, counting the retail value of bicycles, related parts, and
accessories through all channels of distribution, according to the Bicycle
Market Research Institute. Bicycle sales for the U.S., including both the dealer
and mass merchant channels are as follows:
Year Million Bicycles Sold *
1994 12.5
1993 13.0
1992 11.6
1991 11.6
1990 10.8
1989 10.7
1988 9.9
1987 12.6
1986 12.3
1985 11.4
1984 10.1
1983 9.0
1982 6.8
1981 8.9
1980 9.0
1979 10.8
1978 9.4
...1973 15.2 (record high year)
*Source: Bicycle Manufacturers Association, includes bicycle wheel
sizes 20-in. and over
Bicycles and related products appeal primarily to a recreation market in the
United States, though there is an influential and growing number of people using
bicycles for transportation.
Bicycle usage is at an all-time high, with over 100 million U.S. bicycle
owners, a figure which has grown substantially each year since 1983, according
to the Bicycle Institute of America. Of that 100 million, 55 million were adults
(age 16 and up), while 45 million were children. 31 million adults rode
regularly, defined as at least once a week. There were about 4.9 million bicycle
commuters, 250,000 bicycle racers, 25 million mountain bike/hybrid riders, 1.7
million bicycle tourers, and 3.8 million participants in recreational bicycle
events.
Statistics from American Bicyclist:
Some Bike Shops Still Do Not Carry Helmets
(As reported in
American Bicyclist in August, 1995)
Ninety-three percent of bike
shops carry helmets. Two percent plan to add them in the coming year.
American Bicyclist asks if that can mean that one bike shop in 20 still
does not carry helmets.
Source: American Bicyclist research by Readex.
Madison Streets may be Safer
- 86 percent of bike accidents involved an automobile or truck. Only 11
percent involved a bike only and 3 percent a bike and pedestrian.
- The most common reason for an accident? Motorists failing to yield the right
of way to a bike caused 42 percent of accidents. Another 39 percent occurred
because cars were making a turn and didn't notice a bike.
- Car drivers were issued traffic citations in 18 percent of accidents. Bike
riders were issued tickets in just 2 percent,
- Bikes running stop signs or traffic signals resulted in just 1.7 percent of
injury accidents. (This is a favorite statistic of mine because motorists
continually complain about bikes running through stop signs. Drivers should
realize that it's easier for bikes to check traffic while they are rolling
through a stop sign than come to a complete stop. This rolling stop practice
actually helps keep traffic moving.)
- Weather may be a factor. The pavement was wet in 12 percent of bike crashes.
- Booze is sometimes a factor. Bicyclists were noted as drinking in 7 percent
of car-bike crashes. Only 3 percent of drivers had been drinking.
- Helmets may be reducing the number of deaths. There has been only one
bicycling fatality on Madison streets since 1989. That death came last year when
a 31-year-old man crashed at the comer of Gilman and Butler streets. He was not
wearing a helmet.
Injuries Associated with Example Items in 1989
(Chart copyright 1995
by FaAA, repeated here because it is hard to read on their Web page.)
Product Number of Injuries
Motor Vehicles 1,744,903
Stairs, Steps, Ramps and Landings 854,500
Bicycles and accessories 514,700
Beds 299,200
Household Chemicals and Cleaning Products 65,900
Doors (Not Glass) 46,200
Pens and Pencils 29,900
Money 28,700
First Aid Equipment 27,300
Toothpicks 5,500
Combs or Hairbrushes 3,700
Note: Emergency room treated injuries projected from Consumer Product
Safety Commission data...(rest is obscured on their page).
And more estimates from the same source:
Estimate of Fatal Risk by Activity
Activity # Fatalities per 1,000,000 exposure hours
-------- -----------------------------------------
Skydiving 128.71
General Aviation 15.58
On-road Motorcycling 8.80
Scuba Diving 1.98
Living (all causes of death) 1.53
Swimming 1.07
Snowmobiling .88
Passenger cars .47
Water skiing .28
Bicycling .26
Flying (scheduled domestic airlines) .15
Hunting .08
Cosmic Radiation from transcontinental flights .035
Home Living (active) .027
Traveling in a School Bus .022
Passenger Car Post-collision fire .017
Home Living, active & passive (sleeping) .014
Residential Fire .003
Data compiled by Failure Analysis Associates, Inc. (see Design News,
10-4-93)
Other Pages to Check
| 