Results


Results
	ITSA/Riley Geary	De Clarke's Bike Pages

The purpose of the survey is to identify more precisely the characteristics of adult cyclists: their use of bicycles, the kinds of roads they use, the benefits they realize by cycling, and the type of hazards they overcome.

These results are updated once per hour. As of Fri Aug 03 05:16:22 PDT 2007 . . .

7596 respondents have participated in this survey. After each possible answer below we will show how many people chose that answer.

Basic Information

This section establishes basic demographic information.

What is your age?
. . . < 16	52
. . . 16-24	724
. . . 25-34	1686
. . . 35-44	2076
. . . 45-54	2009
. . . 55-64	844
. . . 65+	167
What is your gender?
. . . Female	1411
. . . Male	6135
Where do you live?
. . . USA	5924
. . . Canada	524
. . . South/Central America, Caribbean	30
. . . Oceania/Pacific Islands	6
. . . Australia or New Zealand	423
. . . East Asia	48
. . . India or Central Asia	10
. . . Eastern Europe	19
. . . Mediterranean/N Africa/Middle East	11
. . . South/Central Africa	8
. . . Euroland (EU)	147
. . . United Kingdom	377
. . . Iceland/Greenland	3
. . . other	34
If you'd like to tell us more precisely where you live, you can enter the name of your country/state/city here:
freeform answer, not tabulated
Would you describe your location as:
. . . Urban	3136
. . . Suburban	3415
. . . Rural/Back-country	993
How many years have you been riding?
. . . less than a year	686
. . . 1 - 3 years	978
. . . 3 - 5 years	728
. . . 5 - 10 years	936
. . . 10 - 20 years	1444
. . . 20 - 40 years	2140
. . . more than 40 years	649
If you belong to a club or organization and you have been given a special Survey Code for your group, please type it in here. Please type it carefully -- or better yet paste it in -- as there is no error checking on this field.
freeform answer, not tabulated

Types of Bicycles

This section asks about the kinds of bike(s) you ride; for brevity we've simplified the choices to primary bike, secondary bike, occasional bike, or a type of bike you never ride.

How much do you ride a TOURING bike?
. . . primary	1518
. . . secondary	578
. . . occasional	554
. . . used to	832
. . . never	3664
How much do you ride a MOUNTAIN bike?
. . . primary	1725
. . . secondary	1322
. . . occasional	1248
. . . used to	904
. . . never	2032
How much do you ride a HYBRID bike?
. . . primary	1416
. . . secondary	456
. . . occasional	506
. . . used to	508
. . . never	4223
How much do you ride a TRACK or FIXED bike?
. . . primary	161
. . . secondary	182
. . . occasional	426
. . . used to	204
. . . never	5996
How much do you ride a BMX bike?
. . . primary	19
. . . secondary	40
. . . occasional	119
. . . used to	609
. . . never	6145
How much do you ride a ROAD RACING bike?
. . . primary	2074
. . . secondary	748
. . . occasional	475
. . . used to	634
. . . never	3235
How much do you ride a TRADITIONAL ONE-SPEED bike (including classic or repro fat-tire sidewalk cruisers)?
. . . primary	93
. . . secondary	133
. . . occasional	472
. . . used to	1254
. . . never	5020
How much do you ride a TRADITIONAL THREE/FIVE-SPEED bike (Schwinn or equivalent, sometimes called a Shopper, Utility, or Transport bike)?
. . . primary	171
. . . secondary	143
. . . occasional	354
. . . used to	1289
. . . never	5060
How much do you ride a TANDEM bike?
. . . primary	79
. . . secondary	235
. . . occasional	608
. . . used to	219
. . . never	5895
How much do you ride a RECUMBENT bike?
. . . primary	388
. . . secondary	117
. . . occasional	235
. . . used to	87
. . . never	6209
How much do you ride a FOLDING bike?
. . . primary	110
. . . secondary	135
. . . occasional	217
. . . used to	116
. . . never	6436
How much do you ride a HANDCYCLE?
. . . primary	1
. . . secondary	3
. . . occasional	10
. . . used to	10
. . . never	6934
How much do you ride a RECUMBENT TRIKE?
. . . primary	105
. . . secondary	42
. . . occasional	73
. . . used to	31
. . . never	6722
How much do you ride an UPRIGHT TRIKE? (the grownup kind, that is)
. . . primary	31
. . . secondary	12
. . . occasional	44
. . . used to	47
. . . never	6546
How much do you ride a purpose-built cargo bike (any number of wheels)?
. . . primary	32
. . . secondary	25
. . . occasional	104
. . . used to	50
. . . never	6752
How much do you use a bike trailer for hauling cargo?
. . . primary	218
. . . secondary	168
. . . occasional	792
. . . used to	170
. . . never	5683
How much do you use a bike trailer for hauling kids?
. . . primary	157
. . . secondary	99
. . . occasional	406
. . . used to	425
. . . never	5955

Reasons for Cycling

This section asks about your reasons for riding.

How important is the simple enjoyment or pleasure of cycling?
. . . Major reason	6096
. . . Secondary reason	1174
. . . Minor reason	121
. . . Not important to me	10
How important is the economy or cost savings of cycling?
. . . Major reason	1617
. . . Secondary reason	2149
. . . Minor reason	2245
. . . Not important to me	1379
How important is sport or competition?
. . . Major reason	493
. . . Secondary reason	1049
. . . Minor reason	2041
. . . Not important to me	3793
How important is convenience?
. . . Major reason	1795
. . . Secondary reason	2423
. . . Minor reason	2146
. . . Not important to me	995
How important is the ethical/environmental benefit of cycling?
. . . Major reason	2810
. . . Secondary reason	2303
. . . Minor reason	1619
. . . Not important to me	637
How important is the exercise/health benefit of cycling?
. . . Major reason	5835
. . . Secondary reason	1369
. . . Minor reason	165
. . . Not important to me	19
How important is social activity (bike club, organized rides, family, relationship etc)?
. . . Major reason	1174
. . . Secondary reason	2304
. . . Minor reason	2458
. . . Not important to me	1438
How important is adventure or personal challenge?
. . . Major reason	3559
. . . Secondary reason	2414
. . . Minor reason	1060
. . . Not important to me	362
How important is freedom or independence?
. . . Major reason	3904
. . . Secondary reason	1955
. . . Minor reason	1144
. . . Not important to me	389

Cycling for Various Purposes

This section establishes the type of cycling you do. There are five questions in this section which require a percentage answer; please try to make your total answer not exceed 100 percent (of DISTANCE cycled).

How much of your riding is primarily for pleasure or recreation?
. . . none	134
. . . < 5 %	569
. . . 5-15%	1239
. . . 15-30%	1170
. . . 30-50%	1460
. . . 50-70%	944
. . . 70-90%	674
. . . > 90%	1137
How much of your riding is primarily for utility (practical reasons such as commuting, shopping, errands)?
. . . none	969
. . . < 5 %	1073
. . . 5-15%	956
. . . 15-30%	670
. . . 30-50%	980
. . . 50-70%	945
. . . 70-90%	1020
. . . > 90%	696
How much of your riding is primarily for sport?
. . . none	3575
. . . < 5 %	1301
. . . 5-15%	771
. . . 15-30%	476
. . . 30-50%	321
. . . 50-70%	209
. . . 70-90%	178
. . . > 90%	326
How much of your riding is primarily part of your paid work (as bike courier, bike-based business, etc)?
. . . none	6802
. . . < 5 %	197
. . . 5-15%	61
. . . 15-30%	31
. . . 30-50%	21
. . . 50-70%	19
. . . 70-90%	29
. . . > 90%	15
How much of your riding is primarily for fitness/exercise?
. . . none	769
. . . < 5 %	568
. . . 5-15%	867
. . . 15-30%	860
. . . 30-50%	1123
. . . 50-70%	748
. . . 70-90%	766
. . . > 90%	1602

What Type of Riding Do You Do?

This section asks what type of riding you do.

How often do you go on long touring trips? (here 'always' means every year)
. . . always	793
. . . almost always	492
. . . often	423
. . . sometimes	982
. . . rarely	923
. . . almost never	879
. . . never	2814
How often do you go on group tours? (here 'always' means that every tour you go on is a group tour)
. . . always	269
. . . almost always	264
. . . often	334
. . . sometimes	793
. . . rarely	760
. . . almost never	913
. . . never	3961
How often do you go on long day rides? (here 'always' means just about every weekend, or once a week)
. . . always	1151
. . . almost always	1038
. . . often	1585
. . . sometimes	1656
. . . rarely	743
. . . almost never	456
. . . never	677
How often do you go mountain biking? (here 'always' means just about every weekend, or once a week)
. . . always	431
. . . almost always	303
. . . often	549
. . . sometimes	1121
. . . rarely	953
. . . almost never	1040
. . . never	2894
How often do you commute by bike? ('always' here means every working day)
. . . always	1744
. . . almost always	1333
. . . often	978
. . . sometimes	739
. . . rarely	443
. . . almost never	495
. . . never	1553
How often do you run errands using your bike? ('always' here means that you use a bike for all your errands)
. . . always	625
. . . almost always	1049
. . . often	1479
. . . sometimes	1709
. . . rarely	872
. . . almost never	688
. . . never	864
How often do you go on club rides? ('always' here means every time your club has a ride)
. . . always	153
. . . almost always	325
. . . often	687
. . . sometimes	877
. . . rarely	707
. . . almost never	751
. . . never	3773
How often do you ride in competition? ('always' means whenever there is an event for which you qualify)
. . . always	64
. . . almost always	121
. . . often	173
. . . sometimes	410
. . . rarely	492
. . . almost never	636
. . . never	5384
How often do you take fitness/training rides? ('always' here means that just about all your rides are training rides)
. . . always	726
. . . almost always	1080
. . . often	1545
. . . sometimes	1402
. . . rarely	626
. . . almost never	581
. . . never	1345

How Much Do You Ride?

This section establishes how much cycling you do.

How many miles (km) do you think you have ridden on a bicycle since you were 16 years old?
. . . under 6,000 miles	1966
. . . 6,000-25,000 miles	2785
. . . 25,000-100,000 miles	2029
. . . over 100,000 miles.	430
. . . N/A (under 16)	46
How many miles (km) do you think you have ridden on a bicycle in the last 12 months?
. . . less than 600 miles	1474
. . . 600-1,200 miles	1778
. . . 1,200-2,500 miles	1887
. . . 2,500-5,000 miles	1500
. . . 5,000-10,000 miles	565
. . . more than 10,000 miles	73
What would you consider to be your overall average speed when travelling by bicycle? By average speed we mean average speed over an entire trip, including pauses at stop signs, etc., on flat ground, no headwind, no special loading.
. . . < 8 mph	283
. . . 10 mph	930
. . . 12 mph	2283
. . . 15 mph	2464
. . . 18 mph	1102
. . . 21 mph	196
. . . 25 mph+	24

Other Modes of Transport

This section is intended to discover how cycling relates to other modes of transport in your life.

Does cycling replace or reduce your use of a car? About how many miles (km) a month do you think your driving is reduced by using a bike -- that is, how much more driving would you do if you didn't ride?
. . . none/NA	1997
. . . 25 miles or less	1386
. . . 50 miles	971
. . . 100 miles	1018
. . . 200 miles	1161
. . . 500 miles	386
. . . more than 500 miles	298
Does cycling replace or reduce your use of local public transit? About how many more miles (km) a month would you travel by bus, train, etc. if you did not ride?
. . . none/NA	4813
. . . 25 miles or less	820
. . . 50 miles	502
. . . 100 miles	470
. . . 200 miles	395
. . . 500 miles	125
. . . more than 500 miles	77
Does cycling replace or reduce walking? About how many more miles (km) a month would you walk, if you did not ride?
. . . none/NA	2917
. . . 25 miles or less	3225
. . . 50 miles	713
. . . 100 miles	257
. . . 200 miles	70
. . . 500 miles	9
. . . more than 500 miles	21
Do you use a car to enable or enhance your cycling life? If you drive your bike(s) to riding venues, events, races, etc., about how many miles (km) per month do you drive for this purpose?
. . . none/NA	2946
. . . 25 miles or less	2080
. . . 50 miles	1044
. . . 100 miles	667
. . . 200 miles	355
. . . 500 miles	60
. . . more than 500 miles	51
Do you extend your cycling range by taking your bike with you on public transit (trains, light rail, buses, etc)? If so, about how many miles (km) per month do you think you travel on public transit with your bike?
. . . none/NA	5669
. . . 25 miles or less	873
. . . 50 miles	323
. . . 100 miles	172
. . . 200 miles	92
. . . 500 miles	28
. . . more than 500 miles	48
Do you currently own a car, truck, van, or other motor vehicle?
. . . no	1313
. . . yes	5898
If you did not have your bike, would you / your family own an additional car?
. . . no	5930
. . . yes	1257
How many bikes do you own?
. . . one	1594
. . . two	2257
. . . three	1509
. . . four	725
. . . more than four	1116
How many bike trailers do you own?
. . . none	5723
. . . one	1246
. . . two	180
. . . more than two	47
What is the heaviest load you customarily carry or pull using your bike(s)?
. . . less than 10 lbs	2827
. . . 10-20 lbs	1663
. . . 20-30 lbs	1021
. . . 30-50 lbs	931
. . . 50-100 lbs	498
. . . over 100 lbs	116

Where and How Do You Ride? Part 1

This section establishes generally where you ride -- what kind of environment you live and ride in. There are three questions here which require a percentage answer.

How much of your riding is in urban areas?
. . . none	706
. . . < 5 %	1058
. . . 5-15%	1141
. . . 15-30%	872
. . . 30-50%	959
. . . 50-70%	775
. . . 70-90%	812
. . . > 90%	809
How much of your riding is in suburban areas?
. . . none	559
. . . < 5 %	885
. . . 5-15%	1189
. . . 15-30%	1243
. . . 30-50%	1427
. . . 50-70%	839
. . . 70-90%	603
. . . > 90%	371
How much of your riding is in rural areas?
. . . none	884
. . . < 5 %	1148
. . . 5-15%	1229
. . . 15-30%	1012
. . . 30-50%	1032
. . . 50-70%	745
. . . 70-90%	693
. . . > 90%	421

Where and How Do You Ride? Part II

This section establishes more specifically where you ride. Note: these questions refer to riding you did in the last 12 months.

How much of your riding was done off road, that is, on bike trails, sidepaths, sidewalks, etc?
. . . none	734
. . . < 5 %	1597
. . . 5-15%	1622
. . . 15-30%	1054
. . . 30-50%	825
. . . 50-70%	627
. . . 70-90%	432
. . . > 90%	256
On what kind of surfaces was most of your offroad riding done?
. . . did not ride any real distance offroad	1164
. . . rugged dirt trails	1492
. . . parking lots, fields, or other open spaces	191
. . . gravelled bikeways	780
. . . paved bikeways	3001
. . . sidewalks	459
How much of your riding was done at the edge of a roadway, that is, on a shoulder or in a bike lane?
. . . none	359
. . . < 5 %	848
. . . 5-15%	1019
. . . 15-30%	947
. . . 30-50%	1099
. . . 50-70%	949
. . . 70-90%	1023
. . . > 90%	880
What kind of shoulders did you ride on?
. . . I didn't ride any real distance on the road's edge	716
. . . well-paved and maintained bike lanes	1134
. . . bike lanes with bad pavement, gravel, debris	717
. . . wide, smooth, clean paved shoulders	798
. . . wide shoulders, rough or with debris/gravel	769
. . . narrow smooth clean paved shoulders	1350
. . . narrow shoulders, rough or with debris	1552
How much of your riding was done in the vehicle lane of a minor road?
. . . none	173
. . . < 5 %	577
. . . 5-15%	1179
. . . 15-30%	1405
. . . 30-50%	1653
. . . 50-70%	1092
. . . 70-90%	734
. . . > 90%	313
How much of your riding was in the main vehicle lane of a major road?
. . . none	791
. . . < 5 %	1889
. . . 5-15%	1649
. . . 15-30%	1089
. . . 30-50%	946
. . . 50-70%	437
. . . 70-90%	218
. . . > 90%	109

Your Opinions

This section is intended to discover your opinions and attitudes about cycling vs other transport options.

Do you consider the majority of motorists in your cycling area to be:
. . . Reckless (complete disregard for safety)	400
. . . Careless (intending to be safe, but not paying attention)	2240
. . . Neutral (neither careless nor careful)	2185
. . . Careful (paying attention, but not taking special measures)	2054
. . . Very careful (taking special precautions)	241
Based on your own personal experience alone, do you consider cycling to be:
. . . Much safer than driving a car	457
. . . Somewhat safer than driving a car	968
. . . About as safe as driving a car	2077
. . . Somewhat less safe than driving a car	2580
. . . Much less safe than driving a car	1025
Which of these statements best describes the way you ride?
. . . I follow the same traffic laws as motorists, and I use the vehicle lane at all times	1531
. . . I follow the same traffic laws as motorists but I prefer to ride on a paved shoulder or within a bike lane whenever possible	4689
. . . I ride in the opposite direction from the motor vehicles sometimes when on the shoulder or taking a short cut	91
. . . I generally prefer to ride in the opposite direction from the motor vehicles	23
. . . I ride on the sidewalk or on bike paths whenever possible (riding in traffic is too dangerous)	444
. . . I make up my own rules and do whatever seems most convenient at the time	330
Which of these statements best describes how you feel about riding after dark?
. . . you can never have too many lights! I use multiple lights front and rear	829
. . . I use at least one front light and one or more rear lights	3807
. . . I use a front light and rear reflector but no rear light	172
. . . I use one or more rear lights but no front light	256
. . . I just use the reflectors that came with the bike.	163
. . . I don't need lights or reflectors because street lights are bright enough	34
. . . I avoid traffic at night by riding on shoulders and sidewalks, so I don't need lights.	24
. . . I try to avoid night riding, and I use sidewalks and shoulders if out after dark to avoid traffic, so I don't need a light	181
. . . I try to avoid night riding, but I usually carry some kind of light for emergencies	757
. . . I never ride at night under any circumstances	832
. . . If they can't see you they can't aim for you! I don't use lights or reflectors at all.	58
How important is it to you to have some kind of rear view mirror (helmet-, glasses- or bar-mounted) on your bike?
. . . essential (don't like to ride without it)	1805
. . . very useful, not essential	1104
. . . somewhat useful, not that important	1440
. . . irrelevant to me	2762
How much do you use a bicycle helmet when you ride?
. . . always (100 %)	4704
. . . almost always (>90 %)	1075
. . . more than half the time (>50 %)	264
. . . occasionally (<50 %)	208
. . . rarely (<10 %)	282
. . . never (0 %)	583
Which of the following most closely resembles your own opinion about separate bike paths, bikeways, trails, sidepaths, etc?
. . . I use trails or sidepaths whenever I can, even if it is not the most direct route, because they are more pleasant and safer	2953
. . . sidepaths and bikeways are great as long as not shared with pedestrians, skaters, etc.	1065
. . . I would use one only if it was a short cut, or had under- or overpasses that avoided intersections with motor traffic	996
. . . I would usually use the road because it's faster	1106
. . . trails and bike paths never go where I want to go, so I ignore them	240
. . . I would never use one -- I think they are dangerous and the road is much safer	212
. . . I haven't really thought about it	504
How many times per month do you think you avoid collision with a motor vehicle by your own foresight, agility, etc? i.e. how often are you obliged to take evasive action or alter your course when a driver does something unexpected or illegal?
. . . never/none	343
. . . not quite never, but on average less than once	2299
. . . once	1027
. . . twice	1156
. . . three or four times	1230
. . . five or more times	1049
How many times per month do you think you force a motor vehicle operator to take evasive action to avoid collision with you, because you did something unexpected or illegal?
. . . never/none	3117
. . . not quite never, but on average less than once	3410
. . . once	323
. . . twice	167
. . . three or four times	73
. . . five or more times	18

Things We Overcome

This section asks you about nuisances or difficulties which you overcome or ignore in order to ride your bike. Please rate them by their severity or impact on you.

How much impact does hilly or difficult terrain have on your cycling life?
. . . Not applicable, not a problem for me	913
. . . Actually I enjoy the challenge	2732
. . . No big deal, I just ignore it	627
. . . Minor nuisance, easy to deal with	1713
. . . Major nuisance, but I manage to cope with it	747
. . . Limits my range or choice of routes/destinations	313
. . . Forces me to travel by other means	25
How much impact does motor traffic (congestion, fast cars, dangerous drivers) have on your cycling life?
. . . Not applicable, not a problem for me	348
. . . Actually I enjoy the challenge	344
. . . No big deal, I just ignore it	504
. . . Minor nuisance, easy to deal with	2239
. . . Major nuisance, but I manage to cope with it	2114
. . . Limits my range or choice of routes/destinations	1394
. . . Forces me to travel by other means	137
How much impact does bad weather (cold, wind, rain, snow, etc) have on your cycling life?
. . . Not applicable, not a problem for me	344
. . . Actually I enjoy the challenge	717
. . . No big deal, I just ignore it	588
. . . Minor nuisance, easy to deal with	2161
. . . Major nuisance, but I manage to cope with it	1265
. . . Limits my range or choice of routes/destinations	1021
. . . Forces me to travel by other means	970
How much impact does bad surface (potholes, rifts, drains, etc) have on your cycling life?
. . . Not applicable, not a problem for me	508
. . . Actually I enjoy the challenge	170
. . . No big deal, I just ignore it	841
. . . Minor nuisance, easy to deal with	3300
. . . Major nuisance, but I manage to cope with it	1703
. . . Limits my range or choice of routes/destinations	498
. . . Forces me to travel by other means	35
How much impact does puncture-hazard (broken glass, nails, etc) have on your cycling life?
. . . Not applicable, not a problem for me	758
. . . Actually I enjoy the challenge	29
. . . No big deal, I just ignore it	696
. . . Minor nuisance, easy to deal with	3512
. . . Major nuisance, but I manage to cope with it	1703
. . . Limits my range or choice of routes/destinations	310
. . . Forces me to travel by other means	48
How much impact does (a lack of) good bike parking facilities have on your cycling life?
. . . Not applicable, not a problem for me	2593
. . . Actually I enjoy the challenge	33
. . . No big deal, I just ignore it	656
. . . Minor nuisance, easy to deal with	2088
. . . Major nuisance, but I manage to cope with it	1049
. . . Limits my range or choice of routes/destinations	510
. . . Forces me to travel by other means	122
How much impact does the need to carry heavy or large cargos have on your cycling life?
. . . Not applicable, not a problem for me	3026
. . . Actually I enjoy the challenge	666
. . . No big deal, I just ignore it	530
. . . Minor nuisance, easy to deal with	1492
. . . Major nuisance, but I manage to cope with it	292
. . . Limits my range or choice of routes/destinations	310
. . . Forces me to travel by other means	725
How much impact does the risk of bike theft have on your cycling life?
. . . Not applicable, not a problem for me	1664
. . . Actually I enjoy the challenge	40
. . . No big deal, I just ignore it	441
. . . Minor nuisance, easy to deal with	2699
. . . Major nuisance, but I manage to cope with it	1446
. . . Limits my range or choice of routes/destinations	617
. . . Forces me to travel by other means	145
How much impact does a sense of personal risk (as from muggers, etc) have on your cycling life?
. . . Not applicable, not a problem for me	3843
. . . Actually I enjoy the challenge	167
. . . No big deal, I just ignore it	1275
. . . Minor nuisance, easy to deal with	1200
. . . Major nuisance, but I manage to cope with it	226
. . . Limits my range or choice of routes/destinations	300
. . . Forces me to travel by other means	43
How much impact does physical disability (major or minor) have on your cycling life?
. . . Not applicable, not a problem for me	5635
. . . Actually I enjoy the challenge	143
. . . No big deal, I just ignore it	314
. . . Minor nuisance, easy to deal with	600
. . . Major nuisance, but I manage to cope with it	206
. . . Limits my range or choice of routes/destinations	116
. . . Forces me to travel by other means	41

Benefits of Cycling

This section asks about the benefits you may or may not have reaped from your cycling life.

What effect has cycling had on your physical strength?
. . . much worse	3
. . . worse	14
. . . no effect	192
. . . better	2664
. . . much better	4019
. . . don't know	173
What effect has cycling had on your physical endurance?
. . . much worse	1
. . . worse	1
. . . no effect	65
. . . better	1856
. . . much better	5047
. . . don't know	97
What effect has cycling had on your general health?
. . . much worse	1
. . . worse	7
. . . no effect	144
. . . better	2655
. . . much better	4099
. . . don't know	152
What effect has cycling had on your general mood and disposition?
. . . much worse	1
. . . worse	17
. . . no effect	268
. . . better	2363
. . . much better	4273
. . . don't know	133
What effect has cycling had on your experience of your town, village, region, or community (i.e. do you like it better or worse because of cycling there)?
. . . much worse	38
. . . worse	303
. . . no effect	1517
. . . better	2379
. . . much better	2602
. . . don't know	216

Cycling Mishaps, Last Year

This section asks whether you have had any injury accidents in the last year -- whether on or off road.

In the last 12 months, how many times have you been injured while cycling because of a collision with a motor vehicle?
. . . never	6519
. . . once	418
. . . twice	69
. . . three or four times	20
. . . five or more times	8
In the last 12 months, how many times have you been injured while cycling because of a collision with another cyclist?
. . . never	6681
. . . once	312
. . . twice	28
. . . three or four times	8
. . . five or more times	7
In the last 12 months, how many times have you been injured while cycling because of a collision with a pedestrian/skater/jogger?
. . . never	6862
. . . once	135
. . . twice	12
. . . three or four times	8
. . . five or more times	1
In the last 12 months, how many times have you been injured while cycling because of a collision with a dog?
. . . never	6809
. . . once	189
. . . twice	22
. . . three or four times	5
. . . five or more times	1
In the last 12 months, how many times have you been injured while cycling because of a collision with a stationary object (bench, lamp post, parked car etc)?
. . . never	6409
. . . once	480
. . . twice	74
. . . three or four times	28
. . . five or more times	21
In the last 12 months, how many times have you been injured while cycling because of falling down without any collision?
. . . never	4570
. . . once	1714
. . . twice	462
. . . three or four times	211
. . . five or more times	71
In the last 12 months, if you were injured while riding a bike, what was the worst severity of injury you experienced?
. . . None/no accident	3206
. . . Minor bruises/scratches (trivial)	2067
. . . Road rash or other significant abrasions	890
. . . Puncture wound	150
. . . Severe sprain or torn ligament	309
. . . Mild concussion, nothing worse than a headache	96
. . . Simple fracture or broken bone	200
. . . Major concussion resulting in loss of consciousness, short-term memory loss, etc.	53
. . . Compound or skull fracture,and/or multiple broken bones and non-permanent injuries	26
. . . Suffered a permanent injury or disability	16

Your Worst Recent Accident

This section asks followup questions about the worst bike-related injury you had in the last year. If your worst injury accident cannot be described using these questions, please use the Feedback button to tell us about it.

At the time of this accident, what type of area were you riding in?
. . . rural	1165
. . . suburban	1218
. . . urban	1253
At the time of this accident, where were you riding?
. . . offroad (singletrack, trail)	794
. . . separated sidepath, towpath, mixed-use path	463
. . . sidewalk	265
. . . designated bike lane	222
. . . shoulder or verge	523
. . . vehicle lane	1359
At what time and in what light did this accident take place?
. . . twilight (just after sunset or just pre-dawn)	134
. . . dim overcast or haze, mist, other semi-twilight conditions	103
. . . low, slanting sun (late afternoon, early morning)	206
. . . in the morning	779
. . . in the middle of the day	999
. . . in the afternoon	1147
. . . after dark	207
. . . after midnight	57
At the time of this accident, if you were travelling on a road, what type of road was it?
. . . not applicable	499
. . . an ordinary road or street	1922
. . . a highway or expressway	111
. . . an interstate highway or freeway	6
At the time of this accident, if you were travelling on a road, how many lanes did it have (total, counting both directions and any centre turn lanes)?
. . . 1 lane	241
. . . 2 lanes	1330
. . . 3 lanes	134
. . . 4 lanes	311
. . . 5 lanes	66
. . . 6 or more lanes	41
If you were on a road at the time, what was the speed limit for motor traffic?
. . . 10 mph and under	139
. . . 15 or 20 mph	202
. . . 25 or 30 mph	966
. . . 35 or 40 mph	506
. . . 45 or 50 mph	195
. . . 55 mph+	104
If you were on a road at the time, do you think motor traffic was exceeding the speed limit? If so, by how much?
. . . slower than limit	316
. . . no speeding (obey limit)	1185
. . . 5 mph over	296
. . . 10 mph over	213
. . . 15 mph over	43
. . . 20 mph over	13
If you were on a road at the time, how would you describe the traffic density?
. . . Very Light: not enough other vehicles to worry about	1066
. . . Light: far more gaps than vehicles, easy to change lanes or pass	467
. . . Moderate: about as many gaps as vehicles, have to wait a few seconds to change lanes or pass	362
. . . Heavy: more vehicles than gaps, have to wait some time to change lanes or pass	123
. . . Very Heavy: virtually constant stream of traffic, nearly impossible to change lanes or pass safely in same lane	25
. . . Gridlock! cyclist can move faster than motor traffic, given sufficient lateral space	52
At the time of this accident, if you were travelling on a road, did it have a centre divider?
. . . no	1491
. . . yes	414
. . . not applicable	302
At the time of the accident, where were you with regard to intersections, driveways, etc?
. . . in or at an intersection with a road	840
. . . in or at an intersection with a driveway or alley	305
. . . in or at an intersection with a trail or bike path	143
. . . on or at a freeway or expressway entrance or exit ramp	7
. . . no junction or intersection	2191
At the time of this accident, were you riding with or against the direction of the motor traffic?
. . . n/a	1417
. . . with	2030
. . . against	70
About how frequently do/did you ride on this road, path, sidewalk (etc) where the accident occurred?
. . . never previously	640
. . . not within the previous year	184
. . . several times a year	546
. . . monthly	316
. . . weekly	877
. . . daily	986
What was the first thing that went wrong?
. . . immediate collision	720
. . . loss of traction (skid/slide)	1100
. . . loss of steering control	632
. . . other	1098
What was the primary physical cause of your injury (in most cases this happened near the end of the crash sequence)?
. . . I fell	2425
. . . I ran into something	514
. . . something hit or ran into me	380
. . . other	250
Did you collide with one of the following (pick only the most important one)?
. . . only the ground	2184
. . . a fixed object (pole, post, fence, rail, tree etc)	308
. . . a parked or stationary vehicle	45
. . . an opened vehicle door (dooring)	39
. . . a pedestrian, skater, jogger, skateboarder etc.	50
. . . an animal	81
. . . a moving or stationary other bicycle	141
. . . a moving motorcycle/moped/motor-scooter	8
. . . a moving automobile/station-wagon/taxi	209
. . . a moving SUV/light truck/van/small RV	77
. . . a moving bus, large truck, or large motorhome	12
. . . n/a	115
. . . other	310
If you answered Other, please describe:
freeform answer, not tabulated
Which of the following best descibes your trajectory at the time of the accident?
. . . I was travelling straight ahead	2492
. . . I was turning without conflict (Right, in the US and Canada)	421
. . . I was turning with conflict (Left, in the US and Canada)	219
. . . I was merging outwards (L in the US and Canada)	45
. . . I was merging inwards (R in the US and Canada)	32
. . . actually I was not moving (stopped)	341
If you collided with another vehicle (of any kind, including another bike) what were your relative directions of travel at the time? some of these options can apply to stationary vehicles.
. . . it was passing me on the correct side	104
. . . it was passing me on the wrong side	20
. . . I was passing it on the correct side	64
. . . I was passing it on the wrong side	13
. . . I was following it	106
. . . it was following me	36
. . . we were approaching each other head-on	69
. . . we were approaching each other at right angles	171
. . . we were travelling together side-by-side	68
. . . n/a: I did not collide with a vehicle	2482
If you collided with a moving vehicle (of any kind, including another bicycle), what was that vehicle's trajectory with regard to you?
. . . it was turning with conflict (across traffic, L in the US and Canada)	106
. . . it was turning without conflict (R in the US and Canada)	110
. . . it was moving straight ahead	283
. . . it was merging outwards (L in the US and Canada)	15
. . . it was merging inwards (R in the US and Canada)	29
. . . it was travelling illegally in wrong direction	20
. . . not applicable	2543
Did any of these factors contribute to your accident (check as many as you like)?
. . . wet/icy surface	574
. . . sandy/gravelly surface	789
. . . pothole, crack, trench	417
. . . grating, RR track, botts dots	101
. . . curb, median strip	201
. . . large debris or trash on road	126
. . . dazzled by sun	40
. . . darkness, fog, obscurity	164
. . . none of these	1695
Did any of these mechanical factors contribute to the accident (choose as many as you like)?
. . . my brakes failed	43
. . . my tyre blew out	46
. . . an object got into my spokes	30
. . . my chain fell off	72
. . . luggage or cargo fell off	17
. . . part fell off the bike	30
. . . other	333
. . . no, nothing of this sort	2970
Did one or more of these factors contribute to your part of the accident?
. . . had to swerve to avoid collision with other bicycle	134
. . . had to swerve to avoid collision with motor vehicle	192
. . . had to swerve to avoid pedestrian/playing children	87
. . . had to swerve to avoid animal	61
. . . animal actively attacked me	70
. . . unexpected impact (or sting) by insect or bird	15
. . . something was thrown at me	9
. . . n/a	2926
Did you do anything that helped to cause this accident (pick as many as you like)?
. . . tried an unsuccessful stunt	282
. . . ran a stop sign or red light	15
. . . was moving too fast	721
. . . was not paying attention	778
. . . was intoxicated	52
. . . ignored right of way	10
. . . deliberately ran the bike off the road or laid it down to avoid a worse collision	113
. . . traffic tantrum (road rage)	5
. . . lack of night time visibility (no lights or reflectors, etc)	30
. . . lack of headlight (ran into something I didn't see in the dark)	38
. . . improper turn (especially cross-traffic turn from curb lane)	28
. . . unsafe passing or lane splitting	44
. . . carrying too large/unstable a load	34
. . . no, I did not	1739
Was any other person involved?
. . . no	2777
. . . yes	768
Was any other person injured?
. . . no	2640
. . . yes	113
. . . not applicable	794
If there was another person involved, did they do something that helped to cause this accident (pick as many as you like)?
. . . ran a stop sign or red light	53
. . . was moving too fast	88
. . . was not paying attention	414
. . . was intoxicated	14
. . . ignored right of way	216
. . . deliberately harassed or menaced me	54
. . . traffic tantrum (road rage)	15
. . . no lights after dark	9
. . . travelling on wrong side of roadway	40
. . . unsafe passing	91
. . . improper turn or merge (into or across your path)	233
. . . no, they did not	1425
Was this accident ever reported to the police?
. . . No, I wasn't on a public road	1302
. . . No (even though I was on a public road)	1788
. . . Yes, but later (no police at the scene)	98
. . . Yes, police were at the scene	178
. . . I don't know if anyone reported it	123
If police were involved at some point, which of the following best describes their attitude?
. . . nice cop(s), seemed friendly to cyclists and concerned about me	128
. . . seemed neutral, professional, neither friendly nor un	93
. . . seemed somewhat unfriendly towards cyclists or did not take me seriously enough	40
. . . I feel they treated me unfairly or were hostile to cyclists	23
. . . n/a, no cops were involved	2851
Did you seek professional medical care for injuries you received in this accident?
. . . no	2816
. . . yes	760

Cycling Mishaps, Lifetime

This section asks whether you have had any injury accidents at any time in your cycling life.

In your cycling life, how many times have you been hurt or injured while cycling because of a collision with a motor vehicle?
. . . never/none	4535
. . . not quite never, but on average less than once	247
. . . once	1309
. . . twice	474
. . . three or four times	309
. . . five or more times	98
In your cycling life, how many times have you been hurt or injured while cycling because of a collision with another cyclist?
. . . never	4796
. . . once or twice	1855
. . . three to five times	249
. . . six to eight times	38
. . . more than eight times	21
In your cycling life, how many times have you been hurt or injured while cycling because of a collision with a pedestrian/skater/jogger?
. . . never	6202
. . . once or twice	694
. . . three to five times	43
. . . six to eight times	6
. . . more than eight times	4
In your cycling life, how many times have you been injured while cycling because of a collision with a dog?
. . . never	6021
. . . once or twice	869
. . . three to five times	41
. . . six to eight times	3
. . . more than eight times	4
In your cycling life, how many times have you been hurt or injured while cycling because of a collision with a stationary object (bench, lamp post, parked car etc)?
. . . never	4022
. . . once or twice	2387
. . . three to five times	377
. . . six to eight times	72
. . . more than eight times	73
In your cycling life, how many times have you been hurt or injured while cycling because of falling down without any collision?
. . . never	1424
. . . once or twice	3286
. . . three to five times	1458
. . . six to eight times	379
. . . more than eight times	390
In your cycling life, if you were ever injured while riding a bike, what was the worst severity of injury you experienced?
. . . None/no accident	562
. . . Minor bruises/scratches (trivial)	1623
. . . Road rash or other significant abrasions	1999
. . . Puncture wound	373
. . . Severe sprain or torn ligament	690
. . . Mild concussion, nothing worse than a headache	384
. . . Simple fracture or broken bone	789
. . . Major concussion resulting in loss of consciousness, short-term memory loss, etc.	317
. . . Compound or skull fracture,and/or multiple broken bones and non-permanent injuries	141
. . . Suffered a permanent injury or disability	88

Your Worst Lifetime Accident

This section asks followup questions about the worst bike-related injury you had in your whole cycling lifetime. If your worst injury accident cannot be described using these questions, please use the Feedback button to tell us about it.

How old were you when this worst lifetime accident occurred?
. . . < 16	1555
. . . 16-24	1434
. . . 25-34	1163
. . . 35-44	974
. . . 45-54	757
. . . 55-64	255
. . . 65+	24
At the time of this accident, what type of area were you riding in?
. . . rural	1716
. . . suburban	2589
. . . urban	1843
At the time of this accident, where were you riding?
. . . offroad (singletrack, trail)	979
. . . separated sidepath, towpath, mixed-use path	489
. . . sidewalk	513
. . . designated bike lane	261
. . . shoulder or verge	865
. . . vehicle lane	3003
At what time and in what light did this accident take place?
. . . twilight (just after sunset or just pre-dawn)	226
. . . dim overcast or haze, mist, other semi-twilight conditions	128
. . . low, slanting sun (late afternoon, early morning)	291
. . . in the morning	1024
. . . in the middle of the day	2027
. . . in the afternoon	2059
. . . after dark	311
. . . after midnight	54
At the time of this accident, if you were travelling on a road, what type of road was it?
. . . not applicable	608
. . . an ordinary road or street	3801
. . . a highway or expressway	229
. . . an interstate highway or freeway	9
At the time of this accident, if you were travelling on a road, how many lanes did it have (total, counting both directions and any centre turn lanes)?
. . . 1 lane	420
. . . 2 lanes	2815
. . . 3 lanes	175
. . . 4 lanes	556
. . . 5 lanes	104
. . . 6 or more lanes	64
If you were on a road at the time, what was the speed limit for motor traffic?
. . . 10 mph and under	221
. . . 15 or 20 mph	535
. . . 25 or 30 mph	1917
. . . 35 or 40 mph	948
. . . 45 or 50 mph	321
. . . 55 mph+	196
If you were on a road at the time, do you think motor traffic was exceeding the speed limit? If so, by how much?
. . . slower than limit	609
. . . no speeding (obey limit)	2638
. . . 5 mph over	469
. . . 10 mph over	280
. . . 15 mph over	56
. . . 20 mph over	18
If you were on a road at the time, how would you describe the traffic density?
. . . Very Light: not enough other vehicles to worry about	2497
. . . Light: far more gaps than vehicles, easy to change lanes or pass	739
. . . Moderate: about as many gaps as vehicles, have to wait a few seconds to change lanes or pass	589
. . . Heavy: more vehicles than gaps, have to wait some time to change lanes or pass	202
. . . Very Heavy: virtually constant stream of traffic, nearly impossible to change lanes or pass safely in same lane	42
. . . Gridlock! cyclist can move faster than motor traffic, given sufficient lateral space	45
At the time of this accident, if you were travelling on a road, did it have a centre divider?
. . . no	3107
. . . yes	680
. . . not applicable	468
At the time of the accident, where were you with regard to intersections, driveways, etc?
. . . in or at an intersection with a road	1326
. . . in or at an intersection with a driveway or alley	560
. . . in or at an intersection with a trail or bike path	131
. . . on or at a freeway or expressway entrance or exit ramp	25
. . . no junction or intersection	3874
At the time of this accident, were you riding with or against the direction of the motor traffic?
. . . n/a	1967
. . . with	3798
. . . against	176
About how frequently do/did you ride on this road, path, sidewalk (etc) where the accident occurred?
. . . never previously	944
. . . not within the previous year	346
. . . several times a year	883
. . . monthly	459
. . . weekly	1409
. . . daily	1943
What was the first thing that went wrong?
. . . immediate collision	1903
. . . loss of traction (skid/slide)	1559
. . . loss of steering control	1224
. . . other	1281
What was the primary physical cause of your injury (in most cases this happened near the end of the crash sequence)?
. . . I fell	3624
. . . I ran into something	1217
. . . something hit or ran into me	862
. . . other	289
Did you collide with one of the following (pick only the most important one)?
. . . only the ground	3212
. . . a fixed object (pole, post, fence, rail, tree etc)	494
. . . a parked or stationary vehicle	235
. . . an opened vehicle door (dooring)	98
. . . a pedestrian, skater, jogger, skateboarder etc.	80
. . . an animal	135
. . . a moving or stationary other bicycle	308
. . . a moving motorcycle/moped/motor-scooter	10
. . . a moving automobile/station-wagon/taxi	689
. . . a moving SUV/light truck/van/small RV	147
. . . a moving bus, large truck, or large motorhome	37
. . . n/a	160
. . . other	396
If you answered Other, please describe:
freeform answer, not tabulated
Which of the following best descibes your trajectory at the time of the accident?
. . . I was travelling straight ahead	4731
. . . I was turning without conflict (Right, in the US and Canada)	614
. . . I was turning with conflict (Left, in the US and Canada)	364
. . . I was merging outwards (L in the US and Canada)	59
. . . I was merging inwards (R in the US and Canada)	35
. . . actually I was not moving (stopped)	165
If you collided with another vehicle (of any kind, including another bike) what were your relative directions of travel at the time? some of these options can apply to stationary vehicles.
. . . it was passing me on the correct side	233
. . . it was passing me on the wrong side	40
. . . I was passing it on the correct side	215
. . . I was passing it on the wrong side	22
. . . I was following it	201
. . . it was following me	98
. . . we were approaching each other head-on	203
. . . we were approaching each other at right angles	511
. . . we were travelling together side-by-side	130
. . . n/a: I did not collide with a vehicle	3890
If you collided with a moving vehicle (of any kind, including another bicycle), what was that vehicle's trajectory with regard to you?
. . . it was turning with conflict (across traffic, L in the US and Canada)	293
. . . it was turning without conflict (R in the US and Canada)	202
. . . it was moving straight ahead	709
. . . it was merging outwards (L in the US and Canada)	44
. . . it was merging inwards (R in the US and Canada)	75
. . . it was travelling illegally in wrong direction	42
. . . not applicable	4137
Did any of these factors contribute to your accident (check as many as you like)?
. . . wet/icy surface	624
. . . sandy/gravelly surface	1260
. . . pothole, crack, trench	675
. . . grating, RR track, botts dots	132
. . . curb, median strip	261
. . . large debris or trash on road	162
. . . dazzled by sun	73
. . . darkness, fog, obscurity	293
. . . none of these	3136
Did any of these mechanical factors contribute to the accident (choose as many as you like)?
. . . my brakes failed	116
. . . my tyre blew out	88
. . . an object got into my spokes	104
. . . my chain fell off	105
. . . luggage or cargo fell off	31
. . . part fell off the bike	89
. . . other	353
. . . no, nothing of this sort	5057
Did one or more of these factors contribute to your part of the accident?
. . . had to swerve to avoid collision with other bicycle	198
. . . had to swerve to avoid collision with motor vehicle	305
. . . had to swerve to avoid pedestrian/playing children	106
. . . had to swerve to avoid animal	72
. . . animal actively attacked me	99
. . . unexpected impact (or sting) by insect or bird	25
. . . something was thrown at me	30
. . . n/a	5025
Did you do anything that helped to cause this accident (pick as many as you like)?
. . . tried an unsuccessful stunt	567
. . . ran a stop sign or red light	38
. . . was moving too fast	1445
. . . was not paying attention	1410
. . . was intoxicated	77
. . . ignored right of way	55
. . . deliberately ran the bike off the road or laid it down to avoid a worse collision	139
. . . traffic tantrum (road rage)	7
. . . lack of night time visibility (no lights or reflectors, etc)	74
. . . lack of headlight (ran into something I didn't see in the dark)	77
. . . improper turn (especially cross-traffic turn from curb lane)	56
. . . unsafe passing or lane splitting	59
. . . carrying too large/unstable a load	98
. . . no, I did not	2697
Was any other person involved?
. . . no	4184
. . . yes	1761
Was any other person injured?
. . . no	4587
. . . yes	245
. . . not applicable	1081
If there was another person involved, did they do something that helped to cause this accident (pick as many as you like)?
. . . ran a stop sign or red light	137
. . . was moving too fast	253
. . . was not paying attention	882
. . . was intoxicated	41
. . . ignored right of way	381
. . . deliberately harassed or menaced me	89
. . . traffic tantrum (road rage)	24
. . . no lights after dark	18
. . . travelling on wrong side of roadway	61
. . . unsafe passing	170
. . . improper turn or merge (into or across your path)	453
. . . no, they did not	2650
Was this accident ever reported to the police?
. . . No, I wasn't on a public road	1729
. . . No (even though I was on a public road)	3027
. . . Yes, but later (no police at the scene)	257
. . . Yes, police were at the scene	611
. . . I don't know if anyone reported it	306
If police were involved at some point, which of the following best describes their attitude?
. . . nice cop(s), seemed friendly to cyclists and concerned about me	378
. . . seemed neutral, professional, neither friendly nor un	336
. . . seemed somewhat unfriendly towards cyclists or did not take me seriously enough	98
. . . I feel they treated me unfairly or were hostile to cyclists	46
. . . n/a, no cops were involved	4584
Did you seek professional medical care for injuries you received in this accident?
. . . no	3425
. . . yes	2573

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Authors: Michael McLennan (1998) De Clarke (1999-2001); written in Tcl/Tk with Sybase backend RDBMS.