Is road cycling dangerous?



There is not question it is dangerous. It is just a matter of using common sense and following some basic rules to limit the danger. Always have reflectors and lights if you are riding when it is dark out. Keep your eyes and ears open constantly and be aware of everything going on around you, whether it is cars, pedestrians, or other riders.
 
Pretty much. You could get run over by a careless driver, or you could get into an accident along the way. Indoor stationary cycling is much safer, but also a bit boring. You don't get to see any scenery while riding around the neighborhood, you don't get enough fresh air while just staying inside the house, and you also don't get any adrenaline rush when driving down a steep hill. There are risks, sure, but road cycling is also a lot more fun.
 
In my opinion yes, that's why I usually only do it with light traffic on the roads if no sidewalks are available. I trust myself, I just don't trust other drivers. Who knows what they are doing, texting, talking on phone, sipping coffee or lord knows what. There is too much of a chance to really risk it for me. On a different note, I do biking as an enjoyable leisure activity where I can kind of zone out and get in touch with my inner thoughts, that would be somewhat spoiled constantly paying attention to other things.
 
Yes. But every preemptive mesaure you take will place your life further from ending up as an accidental casualty. Nighttime road ride is a death wish without proper lighting in your helmet and bike back side. Also, in nightime douchebags car riders are more plentiful than daylight.

Now regarding variable risk like local fauna or harsh weather. Follow
your locality instructions to succesfully dealt with them.
 
I know a saying: "A vessel in a harbor is a safe vessel but its place is not in a harbor. It's on the water, sailing."
The majority of cyclists (based on my acquaintances) are energetic and enthusiastic people so I think the cycling nerve comes with this package.
 
You just need to learn the proper cycling skills. Well, doing anything without the required skill will result in danger situations. You need to take proper care of your cycle in order to prevent the accidents. All the parts should be regularly checked. If your cycle and your cycling skills are perfect, nothing can go wrong.
 
You're insane if you believe that statement to be true.

Yeah, no matter if you check all the boxes regarding safety measures and skills, you are not alone in traffic. Others can make mistakes and accidentally hit you. Even getting into a collision with another cyclist can result in severe injuries. Always keep an eye out and expect others to make mistakes so you can be the one correcting (dodging) them, it's just like driving a car..
 
Road cycling danger as experience a couple days ago by the forum member Maydog. Footage from his helmet camera's viewpoint:

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See his thread: "Just happy to be OK" in this same sub-forum.
 
Where to start...

More pictures and video at the link. God help us all.

5 cyclists killed when pickup truck slams into them in Michigan

http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/...michigan-bicyclists-crash-20160607-story.html

Tribune news servicesContact Reporter
Other road users had complained that a pickup truck was being driven erratically just minutes before the vehicle slammed into a group of bicyclists in western Michigan, killing five, authorities said.

Four other bicyclists suffered serious injuries in the crash early Tuesday evening in Cooper Township and were being treated at area hospitals, Kalamazoo County Prosecutor Jeffrey Getting said during a news conference Tuesday night.

The truck driver is in custody but has not been charged.

"Our thoughts and prayers are with the families of the victims," Getting said. "I can't even begin to imagine what they're going through."

The driver of the pickup, described as a 50-year-old western Michigan man, fled from the wrecked vehicle, but police caught him a short time later.


Video: 5 cyclists killed in Michigan
Authorities were seeking a pickup truck due to reports that it was driving erratically minutes before it struck a group of bicyclists on a street in western Michigan, killing five, a local prosecutor said.

Authorities were seeking a pickup truck due to reports that it was driving erratically minutes before it struck a group of bicyclists on a street in western Michigan, killing five, a local prosecutor said.

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Authorities began receiving calls about the blue pickup truck about 30 minutes before the crash, with people complaining "about the manner in which that vehicle was being driven," Getting said. He did not provide details of the erratic driving.

Several agencies were searching for the pickup when the first report of the crash came in just after 6:30 p.m., he said. No officers were actively pursuing the truck at the time it crashed.

The bicyclists had been riding as a group. Their names and ages were not immediately released because family members were still being notified. The group included men and women, but no children.

Markus Eberhard was leaving a nearby park after fishing and said he nearly was hit by the pickup. He was unable to warn the bicyclists.

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"I saw a bunch of bikes hit the front of his truck and a couple of them flew," Eberhard told WOOD-TV.

Paramedics and fire crews rushed to the scene, Getting said.

He declined to answer questions about the suspect and said the man's name would not be released until his office has determined which charges he will face.
 
After the moron that killed two local cyclists last year was found 'not guilty' and sent on his merry way without so much as a fine or points on his license...I have ZERO faith in our justice system. It was a jury trial of 12 drivers and no cyclists I'm guessing.

I would sincerely hope that one of the husbands, brothers or fathers of the deceased cyclist will do the right thing...


http://detroit.cbslocal.com/2016/06...clists-killed-in-crash-4-remain-hospitalized/

COOPER TOWNSHIP (WWJ/AP)
– The names of five adults killed and four hurt when a pickup truck slammed into a group of bicyclists in the Kalamazoo area have been released.

Authorities said Wednesday that 53-year-old Debra Ann Bradley of Augusta; 42-year-old Melissa Ann Fevig-Hughes of Augusta; 73-year-old Fred Anton Nelson of Kalamazoo; 73-year-old Lorenz John Paulik of Kalamazoo and 56-year-old Suzanne Joan Sippel of Augusta died at the scene of Tuesday evening’s crash in Cooper Township.

The injured bicyclists are Paul Gobble, Sheila Jeske, Jennifer Johnson and Paul Runnels. They are being treated at area hospitals, but were expected to survive. Authorities and three of them remained in serious condition and one was fair.

Kalamazoo County Prosecutor Jeff Getting has said police received calls three 911 calls, early Tuesday evening, about a pickup traveling erratically just prior to the group getting hit, just after 6:30 p.m., in Cooper Township — a few miles from Kalamazoo.

A 50-year-old western Michigan man who was arrested following the crash remains jailed pending formal expected to be filed on Thursday.

Getting said authorities were searching for the driver, but there was no active pursuit at the time of the accident.
 
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The energy required to do this and kill five humans and critically injure three others is probably more than the 35 MPH speed limit would generate.
 
Disgusting...Hitmen are going to start trading in their guns and just hitting people with cars instead. Theirs no way a sober or compete person would miss an entire pack of cyclist on the road. I've got the bionic treatment on my right arm from getting hit by a car as a pedestrian and haven't ever let fear dictate my riding. This is one that has definitely stroke a chord in terms of taking more precautions though. rest in peace
 
I see that this is an older post, but yes, road cycling can be dangerous, but so can riding anywhere else. It's all about the factors that are in your riding environment. I have been riding down a small, slightly paved road before and had someone's crazy dog chase me down the road until its owners finally realized what it was doing and yelled for it to come back to the house. Had the owners not been out there, I would have been attacked for sure. This dog was foaming at the mouth. There is also the danger of being out in an unpopulated area. If you fall and get injured and need help, but nobody comes out that way often enough, it could be a grave situation, ya know? Let's be real here. Living in general is dangerous for some.