Bicyclist Fatalities Continue to Rise, and Why

Many years ago, it was primarily children who rode bicycles, and most of those killed in bike crashes were kids. But in the past 30 years, bike riding has become more of an adult activity: biking for fitness, as a daily commute to and from work, and running errands close to home. Unfortunately, bicycle riders are extremely vulnerable on roads filled with heavier vehicles that are traveling much faster and, according to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), the number of bicyclists killed in traffic crashes has been steadily trending upwards since 2010.

The NHTSA reports that from 2010 to 2021, bicyclist fatalities ranged from 623 to a high of 966 with a yearly average of 800. In 2021 there were 966 cyclists killed in traffic crashes in the United States, an increase of 1.9 percent from 948 in 2020. In 2021 an estimated 41,615 cyclists were injured, a 7 percent increase from 38,886 injured in 2020. For the last 5 years (2017 to 2021), the yearly average has been 883 people on bicycles killed in police-reported traffic crashes. Bicyclists accounted for 2.2% of total traffic fatalities in 2021.

Reasons for Bicycle Fatalities

There are many reasons why there are so many bicycle fatalities. These include:

  • Lack of protection. Bicyclists are not safeguarded by occupant protection measures which are found in passenger vehicles and therefore face comparatively high exposure to serious injury and death should a crash occur.
  • Lack of designated lanes. If there are no separate bike lanes, trails, or paths, bicyclists must share the roadway with heavier vehicles.
  • Susceptibility to elements. Bicyclists are not protected and therefore are susceptible to outdoor elements such as adverse weather that creates slippery conditions, as well as other dangerous road surface conditions such as potholes.

According to a 2023 report by the NHTSA on Traffic Safety Facts, the following factors play a large role in accident occurrences for pedalcyclists, which include bicyclists and other cyclists of nonmotorized vehicles.

  • Age and sex: Males are much more likely to be killed than females in cycling accidents. In 2021, 86% of fatalities and 81% of the injured were male riders. The overall male injury rate was 21 (per 100,000 people), compared with 5 for females. Older people were more likely to be killed, with the largest numbers of fatalities in the 60-to-64 and 55-to-59 age groups. However, the highest injury rates for cyclists by age group were in the 15-to-20 age group, followed by those in the 21-to-24 age group. In 2021, children 14 and younger accounted for 4 percent of all cyclists killed and 12 percent of all injured. The average age of cyclists killed was 49.
  • Alcohol: Alcohol makes cycling more dangerous. Alcohol involvement, either for a motor vehicle driver involved in a fatal accident with a cyclist or for the cyclist, was reported in 36 percent of the traffic crashes that resulted in cyclist fatalities in 2021.
  • Roadway location: The majority (62%) of bicyclist fatalities took place at non-intersection locations, 29 percent occurred at intersections, and the remaining 9 percent occurred at other locations. These include shoulders and roadsides, bicycle lanes, sidewalks, shared-use paths, driveway accesses, and other sites.
  • Areas of Land Use: Bicyclist fatalities tend to occur in urban areas more than rural areas, with urban fatalities accounting for approximately 85% of bicyclist fatalities. The proportion of bicyclist fatalities occurring in urban areas increased from 69% in 2011 to 85% in 2021.
  • Vehicle Type: Collisions with light trucks (which includes SUVs, pickups, and vans) were responsible for the highest proportion of bicyclist fatalities (46%).
  • Time/Light condition: Accidents increase in the dark. Over half (56%) of bicyclist fatalities occur in dawn, dusk, or night-time conditions. The highest proportion (21%) of fatal crashes on weekdays and weekends occurs from 6 p.m. to 8:59 p.m.
  • Time of year: Warm weather brings out more cyclists and an increase in accidents. Thirty percent of cyclist fatalities occurred during the fall months (September to November); 27 percent occurred during the summer months (June to August); 23 percent occurred during the spring months (March to May); and 20 percent occurred during the winter months (December, January, February).

Get Help After a Cycling Accident

If you or a loved one has been injured or suffered a wrongful death in a bicycle accident that was caused by another party’s negligence or fault, you may be entitled to compensation for your losses through insurance or a personal injury lawsuit. While no amount of money can fully make up for the devastation caused by a serious crash, fair compensation can alleviate your financial problems, provide proper medical treatment and care, and allow you to focus on your recovery.

Kentucky personal injury law is complicated, and insurance companies and their lawyers will often try to deny claims, pay out less than they are worth, or even attempt to make it seem that the accident was your fault. Fortunately, you do not have to deal with this alone. The personal injury lawyers at the Johnson Law Firm are prepared to take the burden off you and handle all legal hurdles and negotiations involved. Attorney Billy Johnson is highly skilled and aggressive when going after the negligent parties and has been helping victims of vehicle accidents and other types of personal injuries since 1998.

We provide a free consultation to help determine the best approach to winning the settlement you deserve, so call us today at 606-437-4488, to get started.

CALL NOW 606-437-4488

Attorney Billy Johnson

William “Billy” Johnson grew up in the Dorton area of Pike County, Kentucky, and early on decided to stay in the beautiful Appalachian mountains. Like many others in Eastern Kentucky, Billy’s dad worked as a coal miner, a hard job but one that taught his son how to meet challenges head on and persevere. Attorney Billy Johnson has years of experience helping injured clients with claims such as car, truck, and motorcycle accidents, wrongful deaths, work injuries, and more. [ Attorney Bio ]

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