Cycling has become a more and more popular means of transportation in the United States. In fact, workers of all ages started to use bikes more. The rates show an average increase from 0.4% to 0.6% over the last 20 years.
However, just like any other activity, cycling carries a variety of risks that require careful consideration. Bicyclists get seriously, if not fatally, injured at a concerning rate all over the country. In 2022, over 1K riders were killed, and 46K were severely wounded in the US. As the number of preventable bicyclist deaths is on the rise, every cyclist in America has to be aware of the recent trends to improve their road safety stats.
Key Bicycle Accident Statistics
- 1% of all trips in the United States of America account for cycling.
- 1.9% of injured victims in traffic accidents are cyclists.
- 2.6% of all traffic fatalities nationwide are bicyclists.
- An 11% increase in bicyclist injuries was recorded between 2021 and 2022.
- A 13% increase in pedalcyclist fatalities was recorded in 2022.
- 37% of fatal bicycle crashes involved alcohol.
- 83% of all deadly bicycle accidents took place in urban areas.
- Men are 6 times more likely to get injured in a bicycle incident than women.
- Medical costs for bicycle-related injuries made around $3B in 2022.
- Work loss costs for bicycling incidents made around $18K on average in 2022.
Bicycle Death Trend Over Past Years
Over the past ten years, cyclist fatalities spiked by 15%, and there are a few factors that contribute to greater numbers of bicyclists killed in the USA. For once, more and more adults use bicycles as their favorite means of transportation. On top of that, the congestion rates in larger cities continue to spike, and busy roads without proper cycling infrastructure pose a serious threat to vulnerable road users, such as bicyclists.
| Year | Total fatalities | Cyclist fatalities | Percentage % |
| 2013 | 32,893 | 749 | 2.3% |
| 2014 | 32,744 | 729 | 2.2% |
| 2015 | 35,484 | 829 | 2.3% |
| 2016 | 37,806 | 853 | 2.3% |
| 2017 | 37,473 | 806 | 2.2% |
| 2018 | 36,835 | 871 | 2.4% |
| 2019 | 36,355 | 859 | 2.4% |
| 2020 | 39,007 | 948 | 2.4% |
| 2021 | 43,230 | 976 | 2.3% |
| 2022 | 42,514 | 1005 | 2.6% |
Bicycle Death Statistics by State
According to the recent bicycle-friendly state ranking, Washington, Massachusetts, and Oregon make the top 3 locations a bicyclist could dream of. However, not every state in the United States is that safe for bike riders. Nebraska, Missouri, and Mississippi are the three most dangerous states based on the local approach to infrastructure, funding, laws, and overall support of the cycling community.
Interestingly enough, bicyclist-friendly actions taken by the state don’t always guarantee a low fatality rate among cyclists. Both California and Florida belong to the top 10 safe places for cycling, yet they are the two states that feature the highest fatality rates among cyclists – 177 and 222, respectively. At the same time, North Dakota and Montana are on the list of the most unfriendly states, yet there were only 1 and 2 bicyclist casualties recorded in these states.
Bicycle Death Statistics by City
The recent NHTSA report proves that some cities located in the safest states of America remain quite unsafe for bicyclists. In fact, the central cities of the safest regions feature a growing number of fatalities despite the measures taken to prevent them.
- In Washington, DC, Sacramento, CA, and Sacramento, CA, bicyclist fatalities make up over 9% of all deadly crashes.
- In San Francisco, CA, no cyclist was killed in an accident in 2022.
- In Columbus, OH, Memphis, TN, and Albuquerque, NM, there were less than 1% of registered cyclists’ deaths in 2022.
- Cyclist fatalities across major cities in the USA make up around 17% of all pedalcyclists’ deaths across the country.
Bicycle Death Statistic by Month
Seasonal changes have a significant impact on cyclist fatality rates as well. The highest number of bicyclists killed is during the warm month. Here are the numbers:
- 20% of cyclists died in winter.
- 22% of riders were killed in spring.
- 30% of bicyclists were fatally injured in the summer.
- 27% of bike riders died during the fall months.
| Month | Fatalities | Percentage |
| January | 64 | 6 |
| February | 75 | 7 |
| March | 80 | 7 |
| April | 75 | 7 |
| May | 90 | 8 |
| June | 92 | 8 |
| July | 116 | 11 |
| August | 116 | 11 |
| September | 110 | 10 |
| October | 106 | 10 |
| November | 81 | 7 |
| December | 79 | 7 |
Bicycle Death Statistic by Time
- 51% of deadly accidents involving bicyclists happened during the darker hours of the day.
- 45% of cyclist fatalities happen in broad daylight.
- 5% of riders’ deaths occur at dusk and dawn.
According to the latest survey from the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety, bicyclist deaths were distributed the following way:
- 21% of bicycle crashes happen between 6 p.m. and 9 p.m.
- 17% of deadly cyclist collisions occur between 3 p.m. and 6 p.m. and 9 p.m. and midnight.
- 11% of cyclists were fatally injured between 6 a.m. – 9 a.m.
- 9% of fatal bicycle accidents happened between 9 a.m. and 3 p.m.
- 8% of bicyclists died between midnight and 6 a.m. in 2022.
Bicycle Death Statistic by Location Type
Back in the day, in 1975, there was little difference as to whether the accident happened in urban or rural areas; the stats were primarily equal — around 50%. However, nowadays, the data tells a different story:
- 17% of bicyclists got deadly injuries in rural areas.
- 85% of cyclists were killed in urban areas.
The fact that every 13th cyclist died within the city grounds does not mean that every part of it is equally dangerous. Some locations pose more threat to such vulnerable road users as bicyclists:
- 34% of bike riders died at intersections.
- 64% of deaths took place on major roads.
- 3% of fatal incidents occurred on highways and interstate roads.
- 340 cyclists died on minor roads.
Bicycle Death Statistic by Age and Sex
As it turns out, age and sex play a major part in bicyclist fatality rate. According to a recent survey from NHTSA, males are more frequent victims of deadly bicycle collisions than females.
- 86% of male cyclists were fatally injured in 2022.
- The 55-64 age group of males shows the highest mortality rate induced by bike accidents.
- Women aged 35-44 were the most injured female age group in 2022.
- Cyclists in their 60-64 years made the highest overall fatality rate in 2022 (0.61).
Bicycle Death Statistic by Helmet Use
There are no federal laws stating that every bicyclist must wear a protective helmet while riding their bike. In the majority of states across the USA, children under 14-17 years must wear helmets at all times, but most of the rule does not apply to adults, except in cases where local ordinances state otherwise.
- 15% of cyclists were wearing a protective helmet at the time of a deadly incident.
- 62% of fatally injured bike riders weren’t wearing protective helmets.
- 50% of severe head injuries that a cyclist may sustain happen due to the absence of a protective helmet.
- 21% of males are prone to wearing a helmet.
- 28% of female riders wear helmets.
Bicycle Death with Alcohol in Blood Statistics
Most of the states in America have an approved blood alcohol concentration threshold that every vehicle user has to abide by. It is illegal to drive with a BAC of .08 g/dL and over everywhere else except for Utah. In Utah, the threshold was decreased to .05 g/dL.
- 37% of fatal bike accidents involved an alcohol-impaired driver or cyclist.
- 20% of fatally injured bicyclists had overBAC of.08 g/dL detected in their system.
- 4% of deadly collisions involved an impaired driver and an impaired bicyclist.
- 21% of fatally injured cyclists had illegal doses of alcohol found in their blood.
Bicycle Death Statistics by Fatalities in Traffic Crashes
Pedalcyclists are one of the most vulnerable road user groups due to the lack of reliable protection as opposed to vehicle drivers. Over the past 10 years, the bicyclist death rate has grown by around 0.3%. In 2022, over 42K people died in traffic crashes, and cyclists killed in those accidents make up at least 2% of all the fatalities.
- 8% of bike riders die from hit-and-run collisions.
- 2% of bicyclists were killed by distracted drivers.
- Around 83% of cyclists died in front-end collisions.
- 6.2% of right-side crashes between bicyclists and other motorists resulted in a fatal outcome.
- 2.7% of left-side collisions were deadly to pedalcyclists.
- 1.4% of rear-end crashes had lethal outcomes.
Bicycle Death Statistics by Vehicle Type
Every motor vehicle poses a serious danger to an average bicyclist. The size, speed, and force of impact brought upon a cyclist often lead to fatal injuries. According to the recent data from NHTSA, buses are the least dangerous of all the vehicles on the streets in terms of bicyclists’ safety.
- 499 bicyclists were killed by drivers of light trucks.
- Passenger cars are the second most dangerous vehicle; 320 cyclists died from collisions with passenger automobiles in 2022.
- SUVs and pickups share the third place when it comes to deadly bicycle accidents.
- 5 bike riders died in 2022 from bus collisions.
Effective Ways to Decrease Bicyclist Fatality Rates in the USA
Pedalcyclists make a critical part of the vulnerable road users category and usually can’t stand a chance against a speeding vehicle. However, there are a few things that the Department of Transportation can do to improve the overall safety of this road user group.
Complete Streets Initiative
The Complete Streets project aimed at improving the overall street infrastructure across the country to make it equally safe and accessible for all road users, including cyclists.
Separated Bike Lanes
Driving side-by-side with larger vehicles always poses a significant threat, no matter how attentive and law-abiding a driver or a cyclist is. Separated bike lanes can decrease accident rates, saving and protecting hundreds of lives nationwide.
Intersection Protection
With more than 30% of bicyclist deaths taking place at intersections, making those parts of the street safer for this user category would be a wise decision. Implementation of bicycle boxes, signal faces, and protected intersections are a few upgrades that the authorities could take to protect the cycling community.
Speed Management
Cars driving at 40mph increase the chances of a bicyclist being fatally injured by 11 times. Once the speed goes up to 50 mph, the likelihood spikes to 16 times. That is why lowering speed limits is critical to reducing the death rate.
Conclusion
Recent bicycle accident trends may seem unpromising and overwhelming. It is natural to assume that there are too many dangers lurking on the streets of every city. However, the better a cyclist is aware of potential threats, the easier it will be to avoid those.
Besides, as the biking communities expand across the country, it will be easier to raise awareness about the most pressing matters and take necessary measures to promote bicyclist safety in the USA through well-thought-out infrastructure, traffic laws, and other meaningful initiatives!
Since his academic days at the UC Berkeley School of Law, Robert Goldwater has remained a committed advocate for victims of other people’s negligence. His tort law background, together with his unquenchable thirst for justice, helped young Robert found a now-successful law firm – Bicycle Accident Lawyers Group, gathering same-minded and promising attorneys from all over the country.
