Bicycle Safety

Key points

  • Thousands of bicyclists are injured or killed in the United States every year.
  • Some groups are at higher risk for bicycle injuries and deaths.
  • Injuries and deaths among bicyclists are preventable.
A cyclist wearing jeans and sneakers riding a bicycle

Facts

  • Each year, nearly 1,000 bicyclists die on our nation’s roads in crashes involving a motor vehicle.1
  • There are also an estimated 120,000 emergency department visits of bicyclists treated for non-fatal crash-related injuries annually.1
  • Bicycle trips make up 1% of all trips in the United States.2 However, bicyclists account for 2-3% of people who die in a crash involving a motor vehicle on US roads.31

Note that bicycle refers to bicyclists and other cyclists including riders of two-wheel, nonmotorized vehicles, tricycles, and unicycles powered only by pedals. E-bicycle injuries are currently counted as motorcycle injuries: see motorcycle safety page.

Risk factors

  • Most bicyclist deaths occur in urban areas.3
  • About 59% of bicyclist deaths occur on sections of roads away from intersections (where higher speeds might occur) and 29% occur at intersections.3
  • More than one-third of crashes that result in a bicyclist's death involve alcohol for the motor vehicle driver and/or bicyclist.3

People at increased risk

Risks vary by age and sex

  • Adults ages 55-69 have the highest bicycle death rates.1
  • Adolescents age 10 to 14 have the highest rates of bicycle-related injuries treated in emergency departments (EDs).1
  • Male bicyclists have death rates 7 times higher and injury rates 4 times higher than females.1

Injuries and deaths among bicyclists are preventable

Effective interventions

Effective interventions to reduce injuries and fatalities to bicyclists include the following:

  • Several roadway engineering measures, like bike lanes, can improve safety for bicyclists. Information on these proven interventions is available from the and .
  • Bicycle helmets reduce the risk of head and brain injuries in the event of a crash.456 All bicyclists, regardless of age, can help protect themselves by wearing properly fitted bicycle helmets every time they ride.
  • Bicycle helmet laws are effective for increasing helmet use and reducing crash-related injuries and deaths among children and adults.7
  • Lower speed limits can increase reaction time for both drivers and cyclists resulting in fewer crashes and less severe cyclist injuries when crashes occur.7
  • Safe Routes to School programs make it safer for students to walk and bike to school.7

Additional resources

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Content Source:
National Center for Injury Prevention and Control
  1. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). . U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, National Center for Injury Prevention and Control; 2024.
  2. Federal Highway Administration. 2022 National Household Travel Survey. Washington, DC: US Department of Transportation; 2022. Available at: .
  3. National Highway Traffic Safety Administration. Washington, DC: US Department of Transportation; 2024. (Publication no. DOT HS 813 591).
  4. Hoye A. Bicycle helmets – to wear or not to wear? Accid Anal Prev 2018;117:85-97.
  5. Olivier J, Creighton P. . Int J Epidemiol 2017;46:278-292.
  6. Strotmeyer SJ, Behr C, Fabio A, Gaines BA. . Int J Epidemiol 2020;7(Suppl 1):24.
  7. National Highway Traffic Safety Administration. (Report No. DOT HS 813 490). Washington, DC: National Highway Traffic Safety Administration. 2023.