WASHINGTON (BRAIN) — The latest figures from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration show an 8.1 percent decline in cyclist deaths due to motor vehicle-related incidents last year, compared with the prior year.
Experts in the bike community point out that the findings, while welcome, don't indicate a trend.
“The 8 percent reduction in U.S. bike fatalities from 2016 to 2017 corresponds to a 5 percent reduction in the fatality rate (per 10,000 bike commuters)," said Jennifer Boldry, the director of research for PeopleForBikes. Boldry determined the fatality rate using one of the few long-term measures of bicycle use available, the U.S. Census' American Community Survey. The ACS asks a sample of Americans how they got to work in the prior week.
Boldry said the latest NHTSA numbers have to be viewed in the context of long-term trends.
"This finding is certainly preferable to another increase, but it shouldn’t be interpreted as a trend. Over the last five years, there is an average annual increase in U.S. bike deaths of 2 percent. The key takeaway is that we have a lot of work to do to make it safer and make people feel safer when they ride bikes on U.S. roadways," she said.
More information: crashstats.nhtsa.dot.gov/Api/Public/ViewPublication/812603
