It’s undoubtedly difficult to assess a local problem with international statistics. Yet, at the same time, there’s so much valuable research conducted around the world, to abandon all of it seems wasteful. Such is the problem with cycling safety. Car accident head injury stemming from motor vehicles colliding with cyclists is a fundamentally local issue, dependent on the municipal by-laws, cultural acceptance, and geographical factors of any city. Cycling safety stats in Rotterdam will be hugely different from the same categorical information here in Toronto. Nonetheless, when it comes to car accident head injury, no stat should be overlooked, as these injuries' devastating prognoses can be reduced through careful study.
Cyclist Collision Statistics
As mentioned above, cycling statistics are rooted in place, however they are also rooted in time. For instance, a study conducted in New York City between 1994 and 1997 reveals some frightening information about urban cycling. During that time, pedestrians and cyclists were more likely to suffer car accident head injury than drivers. In 74 percent of these motor vehicle collisions, the driver was largely or entirely culpable and in 16 percent the driver was partly culpable, leaving only 10 percent of car accident head injury the culpability of the cyclists themselves.
However, fast-forward to 2008 in Toronto, and the statistics aren’t quite as dire. Annually, Toronto records an average of fewer than three cycling fatalities per year. The total collision numbers aren’t as positive, though: Toronto saw 1,165 cycling collisions in 2008, for a rate of 45 collisions per 100,000 people. This is the highest rate in Canada. And it’s not as though this is about to change—between 2001 and 2006, the percentage of people cycling to work rose by 31 percent, and this trend still continues upward. So how do we increase safety and reduce car accident head injury for this influx of riders?
Safety Measures
In Denver, Colorado, surgeons collecting data between 1995 and 2006 found that as cycling increased in the city, the frequency and severity of car accident injuries rose in tandem. They concluded that if cycling increases without adequate regulation to go along with it, the risk of injury would be higher. However, not all studies focusing on cycling increases came to the same results. Another latitudinal study taking data across the US and Europe found that a the volume of cyclists actually has an inverse relationship to injury. Dubbed the “safety in numbers” theory, it posits that motorists have no choice but to adapt their driving behaviour to cyclists as more cyclists fill the roads. “Safety in numbers” doesn’t leave Toronto in the clear, though. The same study found that in the early stages of increased ridership, injury frequency and severity will in fact increase, since drivers aren't yet acclimatized to the new road conditions.
Regardless of whether you’re a cyclist, a pedestrian, or a driver, a car accident head injury is a serious affliction that can quickly destroy your quality of life if you don’t get help. Contact a Toronto personal injury lawyer after your injury for a free consultation.
Source:
http://www.sharetheroad.ca/files/Cycling_Safety_Overview___2012_12_05.pdf