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Twin CitIes Bicycling Safety
By Kellie Cecil-Medina
Mark Stasson & Kelly Hazel
Bicycling is great exercise and lots of
fun. However, accidents do occur. The
Twin Cities Bicycling Club (TCBC)
wanted to learn more about accidents
to help us get a better handle on
safety. For the past two years, we have
asked people who had been involved
in accidents to complete a survey
regarding their experience. Here’s
what you told us.
There were 118 accidents reported.
About half (48%) occurred on a TCBCsponsored
ride and people reported
on accidents as far back as 1996. More
accidents were reported by men (70%)
than by women (30%). Most
respondents indicated that they were
in the 40 to 60-year-old category (65%),
with 21% in the 20 to 40-year-old
category, and 14% in the 60 to 80-yearold
category. When accidents occurred,
most riders were using a road/touring
bicycle (75%), while 14% were on a
hybrid/cross bicycle. The remaining
riders were on a mountain, tandem, or
recumbent bicycle (11%). Most (83%)
reported using clip-in pedals.
The majority of accidents occurred on
A/B category rides and the range of
riding experience varied from 0 to 40
or more years, with more riders
reporting to be in the 0 to 5 year
category than any other.
Category of Ride
A 4%
A/B 55%
B 23%
B/C 7%
C 11%
Years of Riding Experience
0 to 5 32%
5 to 10 24%
10 to 15 9%
15 to 20 11%
20 to 39 18%
40 or more 6%
More riders were involved in situations
involving only a fall (51%), as compared
to a collision (19%) or a combined
collision and fall (30%). The most
common type of accident reported
was a collision with another bicycle.
The second leading reported collision
was with an automobile. Accidents
were also reported to have occurred
with pedestrians, stationary objects,
and even animals. As the table shows,
accidents on TCBC-sponsored rides
were more likely to involve multiple
bicyclists, whereas the non-TCBC
incidents more likely involved motor
vehicles and other situations (e.g.,
pedestrians, animals, and stationary
objects). When motor vehicles were
involved, cars (72%) were reported
more often than were trucks, SUVs, or
vans (28%).
TC BC Ride
Two Bicycles 32%
Motor Vehicle 10%
Other 0
Non-TCBC Ride
Two Bicycles 14%
Motor Vehicle 28%
Other 16%
Most accidents occurred during
daylight hours (94%), on days with
little to no cloud cover (83%), and with
pleasant temperatures between 60
and 95 degrees (81%). When
comparing the seasons that accidents
occurred, it was found that 28%
occurred during spring, 63% during
summer, 3% during fall, and 6% during
winter. It is likely that accidents often
occur on nice days in the summer and
spring because that is when we’re
most likely to be out riding.
As you can see in the tables below, the
most often reported reason for an
accident was road/trail hazard. City and
suburban streets were most likely to be
the location of accidents. An openended
question asking for a description
of the accident’s cause elicited a broad
array of explanations. Examples
included: motor vehicle driver
inattention, road conditions (bumps,
loose gravel, bad trail conditions), rider
fatigue, “yahoo” kids, and bad luck.
Primary Reason for Accident
Road/Trail Hazard 42%
Mechanical Failure 24%
Rider Error 34%
Location of Accidents
Off Road/Trail 29%
City/Suburban Street 56%
Rural Road 11%
Parking Lot 4%
Also of interest was when the
accidents occurred. For the cases in
which accident timing could be
determined, 36% of these cases
occurred in the last final 20% of the
planned ride, suggesting a possible
fatigue effect (particularly in accidents
involving multiple bicycles).
When Accident Occured
First 5 Miles
Two Bicycles 0
Motor Vehicle 9%
Other 3%
Middle of the Ride
Two Bicycles 24%
Motor Vehicle 21%
Other 9%
Last 20% of the Ride
Two Bicycles 18%
Motor Vehicle 12%
Other 6%
Whether the incident was a collision,
fall, or both was not strongly related to
the likelihood or severity of injury. The
majority or respondents (90%) said
that they had been injured. In one
sense this is not surprising because
bicycle accidents can be serious due to
the speed and number of riders, but it
could also indicate that potential
respondents consider an accident as
involving injuries. If we find ourselves
on the ground when we didn’t plan it
that way, and we don’t get hurt, we
may not think we had an accident.
info@bikewisconsin.com
608.843.8412
A majority of respondents required
medical care for their injuries, though
only a small portion of accidents
required a call to 911. Even fewer
required emergency medical services
transport. Very few riders filed police
reports, mostly in cases involving
motor vehicles. Only 24% said that they
filed a TCBC accident insurance form.
YES
NO
Injury 90% 10%
Medical Care
Received
58% 42%
911 Called 24% 76%
Emergency
Transport Used
20% 80%
Police Report Filed 15% 85%
On a positive note, 97% of all
respondents reported wearing a
helmet at the time of the accident.
Let’s make it 100% next time!
In conclusion, a new ride season is
soon on its way. Let’s make it a safe
one by wearing our helmets, being
more aware of other riders, using hand
signals and calling out our intentions
and road hazards, and not
participating in rides that are above
our physical capabilities or experience.
Let’s have a happy, fun, and safe
bicycling year!
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14 MARCH TCBC NEWS www.bikeTCBC.org TWIN CITIES BICYCLING CLUB
TWIN CITIES BICYCLING CLUB www.bikeTCBC.org MARCH TCBC NEWS 15