How dangerous are bikes?
Discussion
If you don't ride like a knob and are observant, don't ride faster than the road is clear, have a Plan B just in case that car there pulls out then Id say not very dangerous.
IF you get into an accident, then you'll do yourself a lot more damage, but there's a lot you can do to avoid having that accident in the first place.
IF you get into an accident, then you'll do yourself a lot more damage, but there's a lot you can do to avoid having that accident in the first place.
in 2011
79,100 people died in England from deaths caused by smoking
8,748 people died from alcohol-related deaths
6 people died from Ecstasy-type drugs
id say its safer than smoking and drinking but not as safe as taking eckies.
But I mean come on to f
k, who dies of eckies, I took 5 vallies one day, fell asleep at the football, drunk for 16 hours, I was that tired I went to the strippers for a seat, then took 4 eckies to perk me up and downed a pint of wine and all I had was a 2 day hangover.
79,100 people died in England from deaths caused by smoking
8,748 people died from alcohol-related deaths
6 people died from Ecstasy-type drugs
id say its safer than smoking and drinking but not as safe as taking eckies.
But I mean come on to f
k, who dies of eckies, I took 5 vallies one day, fell asleep at the football, drunk for 16 hours, I was that tired I went to the strippers for a seat, then took 4 eckies to perk me up and downed a pint of wine and all I had was a 2 day hangover. There are population-wide average risks which is a public health issue and there is your individual risk which can vary a lot from population wide averages.
Stats show you are 20-30 times more likely to get killed (based on distance travelled) on a bike compared to in a car.
More bikers than car drivers take risks, so maybe the average rider (ie excluding the small number of risk takers who are quite likely to get killed) is 10-15 times more likely to be killed on a bike. This 50% reduction in average risk I have just made up.
You can take further training with RoSPA/IAM or the like and further reduce your risk below average levels. However then you must wonder, with advanced training and safer riding, are you also a safer than average car driver. In that case your chance of having a bike or a car crash are both reduced, but who can say how much more individual risk there is for you on a bike compared to your individual risk in a car.
I always like to look at Vietnam as that is one of the only countries in the world where the predominant mode of transport is motorbike. Infact everybody has a motorbike. The road crash fatality rate in Vietnam is about 20 deaths per 100,000 population per year. The number for the United States, where most people drive cars, is 15 deaths per 100,000 per year. So riding a bike in Vietnam is only a bit more dangerous than operating any kind of motor vehicle in the United States.
A basic riding philosophy is that bikes can accelerate fast, slow down fast and overtake easy. Thus there is no need to take risks because another opportunity to make progress will come along soon.
Stats show you are 20-30 times more likely to get killed (based on distance travelled) on a bike compared to in a car.
More bikers than car drivers take risks, so maybe the average rider (ie excluding the small number of risk takers who are quite likely to get killed) is 10-15 times more likely to be killed on a bike. This 50% reduction in average risk I have just made up.
You can take further training with RoSPA/IAM or the like and further reduce your risk below average levels. However then you must wonder, with advanced training and safer riding, are you also a safer than average car driver. In that case your chance of having a bike or a car crash are both reduced, but who can say how much more individual risk there is for you on a bike compared to your individual risk in a car.
I always like to look at Vietnam as that is one of the only countries in the world where the predominant mode of transport is motorbike. Infact everybody has a motorbike. The road crash fatality rate in Vietnam is about 20 deaths per 100,000 population per year. The number for the United States, where most people drive cars, is 15 deaths per 100,000 per year. So riding a bike in Vietnam is only a bit more dangerous than operating any kind of motor vehicle in the United States.
A basic riding philosophy is that bikes can accelerate fast, slow down fast and overtake easy. Thus there is no need to take risks because another opportunity to make progress will come along soon.
Edited by creampuff on Thursday 23 October 16:37
If you intend to ride around with disregard for your own safety and others, with out some much as a single observation for road/area conditions then you could end up pretty fked.
However if you ride within your limits and stay observant, plus have an escape plan, no reason as to why it can't be safe and keep the bike rubber side down.
ked.However if you ride within your limits and stay observant, plus have an escape plan, no reason as to why it can't be safe and keep the bike rubber side down.
Bikes are not dangerous...the people operating them can be ...
The big pictures is that the UK has some of the safest roads in the world. I reckon if you take responsibility for your own safety, you can choose how and where you ride to minimise the perceived risks, and then motorcycling is safer than a lot of other hobbies
Statistically its way more likely that something else will get you in the end, so you may as well have fun riding a bike in the meanwhile
The big pictures is that the UK has some of the safest roads in the world. I reckon if you take responsibility for your own safety, you can choose how and where you ride to minimise the perceived risks, and then motorcycling is safer than a lot of other hobbies
Statistically its way more likely that something else will get you in the end, so you may as well have fun riding a bike in the meanwhile
Yamahadivvyrider said:
According to research riding a horse is more dangerous
yep...per mile ridden, horses are a lot more likely to kill/injure you ...but you dont hear of their riders being called "organ donors" and them being "death traps"funny, our perception of what is risky or not..this is quite a fun book on stats,risk etc
http://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B00CQLC30Q?btkr...
driving over 20K miles a year as a sales guy in a repmobile puts you at more risk of KSI than a few thousand pleasure miles on a bike....yet you dont see anyone's partner concerned about driving a lot...
MadProfessor said:
I'm sure this has been done to death (no pun intended). However, I'm thinking of returning to biking. How dangerous do you really think biking is today? The figures hide too much information (e.g. recklessness of rider).
Bikes are 100% safe if riden within your limits.Id say rider error or other traffic not paying attention is when accidents happen.
MadProfessor said:
........ How dangerous do you really think biking is today?
As dangerous as you care to make it. You are inherently more vulnerable on a bike but you have some advantages and, if you care to make use of them, you can enjoy your motorcycling without undue worry. Since you're been off a bike for a while I would strongly recommend you take some advanced training.
It hurt more standing on an up turned plug in the middle of the night than the 3 Times I crashed this year.
I'd say home appliances and strewn Lego kill more people than sharks, vending machines and bikes put together.
These are dwarfed by killer pen lids that are swallowed whlist chewing On a tilted chair. The bic ballpoint pen is commonly known as the widowmaker and kills more people than a 50 cal bullet.
Little known fact is the Nazis fired pen lids during the war up until the battle of bicgrade in 1944 where the Soviet ttroops invented the impervious pocket protector thus winning the war.
I'd say home appliances and strewn Lego kill more people than sharks, vending machines and bikes put together.
These are dwarfed by killer pen lids that are swallowed whlist chewing On a tilted chair. The bic ballpoint pen is commonly known as the widowmaker and kills more people than a 50 cal bullet.
Little known fact is the Nazis fired pen lids during the war up until the battle of bicgrade in 1944 where the Soviet ttroops invented the impervious pocket protector thus winning the war.
It hurt more standing on an up turned plug in the middle of the night than the 3 Times I crashed this year.
I'd say home appliances and strewn Lego kill more people than sharks, vending machines and bikes put together.
These are dwarfed by killer pen lids that are swallowed whlist chewing On a tilted chair. The bic ballpoint pen is commonly known as the widowmaker and kills more people than a 50 cal bullet.
Little known fact is the Nazis fired pen lids during the war up until the battle of bicgrade in 1944 where the Soviet ttroops invented the impervious pocket protector thus winning the war.
I'd say home appliances and strewn Lego kill more people than sharks, vending machines and bikes put together.
These are dwarfed by killer pen lids that are swallowed whlist chewing On a tilted chair. The bic ballpoint pen is commonly known as the widowmaker and kills more people than a 50 cal bullet.
Little known fact is the Nazis fired pen lids during the war up until the battle of bicgrade in 1944 where the Soviet ttroops invented the impervious pocket protector thus winning the war.
Edited by moanthebairns on Thursday 23 October 21:58
Gassing Station | Biker Banter | Top of Page | What's New | My Stuff