Safety in numbers: more walkers and bicyclists, safer walking and bicycling

Objective: To examine the relationship between the numbers of people walking or bicycling and the frequency of collisions between motorists and walkers or bicyclists. The common wisdom holds that the number of collisions varies directly with the amount of walking and bicycling. However, three published analyses of collision rates at specific intersections found a non-linear relationship, such that collisions rates declined with increases in the numbers of people walking or bicycling. Data: This paper uses five additional data sets (three population level and two time series) to compare the amount of walking or bicycling and the injuries incurring in collisions with motor vehicles. Results: The likelihood that a given person walking or bicycling will be struck by a motorist varies inversely with the amount of walking or bicycling. This pattern is consistent across communities of varying size, from specific intersections to cities and countries, and across time periods. Discussion: This result is unexpected. Since it is unlikely that the people walking and bicycling become more cautious if their numbers are larger, it indicates that the behavior of motorists controls the likelihood of collisions with people walking and bicycling. It appears that motorists adjust their behavior in the presence of people walking and bicycling. There is an urgent need for further exploration of the human factors controlling motorist behavior in the presence of people walking and bicycling. Conclusion: A motorist is less likely to collide with a person walking and bicycling if more people walk or bicycle. Policies that increase the numbers of people walking and bicycling appear to be an effective route to improving the safety of people walking and bicycling.

[1]  D. Istance Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development , 1966, Nature.

[2]  E. G. Janssen,et al.  Experimental and Mathematical Simulation of Pedestrian-Vehicle and Cyclist-Vehicle Accidents , 1985 .

[3]  Hugh Laurence Ross,et al.  Smeed’s Law, Seat Belts, and the Emperor’s New Clothes , 1985 .

[4]  E Bruhning,et al.  INTERNATIONAL ROAD TRAFFIC AND ACCIDENT DATABASE , 1987 .

[5]  M McCarthy,et al.  The benefit of seat belt legislation in the United Kingdom. , 1989, Journal of epidemiology and community health.

[6]  J. Jeyaratnam Acute pesticide poisoning: a major global health problem. , 1990, World health statistics quarterly. Rapport trimestriel de statistiques sanitaires mondiales.

[7]  R Webber Cycling in Europe , 1992 .

[8]  K Todd,et al.  PEDESTRIAN REGULATIONS IN THE UNITED STATES: A CRITICAL REVIEW , 1992 .

[9]  J. Powles,et al.  Health of nations: lessons from Victoria, Australia. , 1993, British medical journal.

[10]  C. Finch,et al.  BICYCLE USE AND HELMET WEARING RATES IN MELBOURNE, 1987-1992: THE INFLUENCE OF THE HELMET WEARING LAW , 1993 .

[11]  T. Kidowaki,et al.  Childhood drownings and near‐drownings in Japan , 1993, Acta paediatrica Japonica : Overseas edition.

[12]  S. Thomas,et al.  Effectiveness of bicycle helmets in preventing head injury in children: case-control study , 1994, BMJ.

[13]  C. Palmer,et al.  Injury patterns in cyclists attending an accident and emergency department: a comparison of helmet wearers and non-wearers , 1994, BMJ.

[14]  A P Vulcan,et al.  Mandatory bicycle helmet use following a decade of helmet promotion in Victoria, Australia--an evaluation. , 1994, Accident; analysis and prevention.

[15]  M White,et al.  Evaluation of the compulsory helmet wearing legislation for bicyclists in South Australia , 1994 .

[16]  I. Roberts,et al.  Reducing accident death rates in children and young adults: the contribution of hospital care , 1996, BMJ.

[17]  D. L. Robinson,et al.  Head injuries and bicycle helmet laws. , 1996, Accident; analysis and prevention.

[18]  Lars Ekman,et al.  ON THE TREATMENT OF FLOW IN TRAFFIC SAFETY ANALYSIS: A NON-PARAMETRIC APPROACH APPLIED ON VULNERABLE ROAD USERS , 1996 .

[19]  Alan D. Lopez,et al.  Global mortality, disability, and the contribution of risk factors: Global Burden of Disease Study , 1997, The Lancet.

[20]  Alan D. Lopez,et al.  Mortality by cause for eight regions of the world: Global Burden of Disease Study , 1997, The Lancet.

[21]  D. Robinson A double standard? Disease v injury , 1998, Injury prevention : journal of the International Society for Child and Adolescent Injury Prevention.

[22]  K. Hawton,et al.  Deliberate self harm in Sri Lanka: an overlooked tragedy in the developing world , 1998, BMJ.

[23]  R Risser,et al.  WALCYNG: HOW TO ENHANCE WALKING AND CYCLING INSTEAD OF SHORT CAR TRIPS AND TO MAKE THESE MODES SAFER , 1998 .

[24]  D. Thompson,et al.  Pool fencing for preventing drowning in children. , 1998, The Cochrane database of systematic reviews.

[25]  John Pucher,et al.  Making Walking and Cycling Safer: Lessons from Europe , 2000 .

[26]  S. Seneviratne,et al.  Suicide in Sri Lanka: points to ponder. , 2015 .

[27]  U Pulkkinen,et al.  An expert judgment model applied to estimating the safety effect of a bicycle facility. , 2000, Accident; analysis and prevention.

[28]  Anthony Reinhardt-Rutland,et al.  Seat-belts and behavioural adaptation: the loss of looming as a negative reinforcer , 2001 .

[29]  Mervyn Susser,et al.  Glossary: causality in public health science , 2001 .

[30]  S. Baker,et al.  Secular trends of motor vehicle mortality in the United States, 1910-1994. , 2001, Accident; analysis and prevention.

[31]  A S Lightstone,et al.  Assessment of hospital and police ascertainment of automobile versus childhood pedestrian and bicyclist collisions. , 2001, Accident; analysis and prevention.

[32]  D. L. Robinson,et al.  Changes in head injury with the New Zealand bicycle helmet law. , 2001, Accident; analysis and prevention.

[33]  W. Bolz Psychological analysis of the Sri Lankan conflict culture with special reference to the high suicide rate. , 2002, Crisis.

[34]  Nick Buckley,et al.  Pesticide poisoning in the developing world—a minimum pesticides list , 2002, The Lancet.

[35]  D. Mohan Road safety in less-motorized environments: future concerns. , 2002, International journal of epidemiology.

[36]  Jeffrey W Runge,et al.  Crosswalk markings and motor vehicle collisions involving older pedestrians. , 2002, JAMA.

[37]  M. Reich,et al.  The neglected epidemic: road traffic injuries in developing countries , 2002, BMJ : British Medical Journal.

[38]  L. Leden Pedestrian risk decrease with pedestrian flow. A case study based on data from signalized intersections in Hamilton, Ontario. , 2002, Accident; analysis and prevention.

[39]  A. Cook,et al.  Trends in serious head injuries among English cyclists and pedestrians , 2003, Injury prevention : journal of the International Society for Child and Adolescent Injury Prevention.

[40]  L. Stallones,et al.  Comparison of urban and rural non-fatal injury: the results of a statewide survey , 2003, Injury prevention : journal of the International Society for Child and Adolescent Injury Prevention.