Doug Kanter wrote:
"Brian Nystrom" wrote in message
news:C4xUf.5686$8G2.504@trndny01...


Brian! On any given day, there are less people on bikes than in cars. If
there are less people doing something risky, do you suppose they'd be
less likely to be affected by the risks?

Of course, but if you're one of those already exposed, which group would
you rather belong to? As an avid cyclist and a driver, I can honestly say
I've had far more close brushes with disaster in my car than on my bike.


Brian - think for a moment. You're mixing two different ideas. You're
correct - the odds of BEING in an accident are higher in your car. The odds
of being HURT in an accident, assuming you're on shared roadways, or far
higher on your bike. This is analogous to the nonsensical airlines' theory.
"Less accidents per miles travelled in planes, compared to cars". Yes,
that's true. But when your plane crashes, your chances of survival are, for
all intents and purposes, zero.

Granted, but if you never get in an accident in the first place, you're
chances of dying are also zero. The stats I've seen on flying have
always been about the odds of DYING in a plane crash, so it's not like
anyone's trying to hide the fact that a plane crash means almost certain
death. I think it's fair to say that the public assumes that.

At least riding a bike has heath benefits that allow one to enjoy their
life more and live longer. That far outweighs any risk of injury or death.

Yes, there are health benefits. I ride on dedicated trails, where nobody's
driving anything that weighs more than my vehicle. My biggest risk is being
crushed by a very fat person on a bike, or a collision with a bee.

That's nice, but I daresay that most people don't have that option.
Additionally, the trails I've been on, which are typically multi-use,
are far more dangerous than the open roadways. They're full of walkers,
runners, families with kids on bikes and worst of all, inline skaters.
These people are every bit as oblivious as drivers and are far less
predictable. I'll take a large road with a wide shoulder or a sparsely
travelled back road over these trails any day.