Bicycle and Pedestrian Safety

Bicycle Safety

• Wear your helmet, always.
• Use both front and rear lights from dusk to dawn.
• Ride defensively.
• Yield to pedestrians.
• Use a rear-view mirror.
• Wear reflective clothing.
• Put reflective tape on your frame and rims.
• Follow safe cycling practices:
  • Bicycle Laws in North Carolina
  • Rules of the Road
  • North Carolina Coalition for Bicycle Driving
  • How Not To Get Hit By Cars
  • Expert Safe Bike Riding Tips
  • Ten Tips for Safe Riding
  • Bike Safety for Kids
  • Safe Bike Behavior
  • How safe is riding a bike?

Bicycle Accident Data

From 1997 to 2005 bicyclists in Durham County suffered 254 injuries, including 23 disabilities and 4 fatalities.

From 1997 to 2005 bicyclists in Durham County wearing helmets suffered 10 injuries, including one disability and zero fatalities. For accidents invovling bicyclists not wearing helmets, the corresponding numbers are about twenty-times higher.

From 1997 to 2005 bicyclists in North Carolina wearing helmets suffered 342 injuries, including 43 disabilites and 7 fatalities. For accidents invovling bicyclists not wearing helmets, the corresponding numbers are about 20 times higher for total injuries, 17 times higher for disabling injuries, and 30 times higher for fatalities.

From 1997 to 2005 bicyclists in North Carolina were more than twice as likely to be at fault in reported accidents. Slightly more than half of all accidents were attributed to the fault of the bicyclist, irrespective of the resulting injury. Less than one quarter of all accidents were attributed to the fault of the motorist. Fault was assigned to both the bicyclist and the motorist in about one eighth of all accidents.

In more than eighty percent of accidents in which the bicyclist was at fault, the bicyclist was not wearing a helmet. In two-thirds of the accidents in which the motorist was at fault, the bicyclist was not wearing a helmet. Motorists are more than four times as likely to be at fault in accidents with a bicyclist wearing a helmet than in an accident with a bicyclist without a helmet.

Bottom line: wear your helmet and ride defensively.

Pedestrian Safety

• Cross streets at marked cross-walks, and with the crossing signal.
• Look both ways before crossing streets.
• Walk on sidewalks, wherever they are available.
• When walking on the street, walk facing oncoming traffic.
• Follow safe pedestrian practices:
  • Pedestrian Laws in North Carolina
  • FHWA Pedestrian Safety
  • NHTSA Pedestrian Safety
  • Pedestrian Safety for Kids

Pedestrian Accident Data

Source:

North Carolina Department of Transportation:
Interactive Bicycle and Pedestrian Crash Data Web-Site

Other Sources:

Insurance Institute for Highway Safety

Bicycle Fatality Data

Pedestrian Fatality Data

Thanks to Jeremy Raw and the Durham-Chapel Hill-Carrboro Metropolitan Planning Organization for their assistance with this site.
Site designed by: Phillip Barron