Things more risky than bicycling

[Bill H.]

I was looking through the August issue of National Geographic and came
across some interesting statistics on the odds of dying through various
ways. The odds of dying in a bicycle accident are about 1 in 4,919.
For comparison, here are some other big (and not so big) killers.

Cancer: 1 in 7
Heart disease: 1 in 5
Motorcycle accident: 1 in 1,020
Drowning 1 in 1,008
Hornet, wasp, or bee sting: 1 in 56,789
Pedestrian accident: 1 in 626
Motor vehicle accident: 1 in 84
Fireworks discharge: 1 in 340,733

(Source: National Safety Council, 2003 Data)

 

[C]

In article <[email protected]>,
Bill H. <[email protected]> wrote:
>I was looking through the August issue of National Geographic and came
>across some interesting statistics on the odds of dying through various
>ways. The odds of dying in a bicycle accident are about 1 in 4,919.

What does this number mean? Is it per mile? Per hour? Per year? Per person?
Per accident?

 

[trino]

"C" <[email protected]> wrote in message news:[email protected]...
> In article <[email protected]>,
> Bill H. <[email protected]> wrote:
>>I was looking through the August issue of National Geographic and came
>>across some interesting statistics on the odds of dying through various
>>ways. The odds of dying in a bicycle accident are about 1 in 4,919.
>
> What does this number mean? Is it per mile? Per hour? Per year? Per
> person?
> Per accident?

I would guess per accident/

 

[Leo Lichtman]

"trino" wrote: I would guess per accident/
^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
I had the same question, but I am guessing it is per lifetime--IOW, per
person. That would mean that one person in seven has died or is going to
die of cancer. and one in five of heart disease. Those numbers seem fairly
reasonable. That would mean that .02% of the total population die in
bicycle accidents.

 

[[email protected]]

Leo Lichtman wrote:
> "trino" wrote: I would guess per accident/
> ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
> I had the same question, but I am guessing it is per lifetime--IOW, per
> person. That would mean that one person in seven has died or is going to
> die of cancer. and one in five of heart disease. Those numbers seem fairly
> reasonable. That would mean that .02% of the total population die in
> bicycle accidents.

And that tiny subset includes a lot of knuckleheads. Regular riders
fare much better.

Joseph

 

[Bob in CT]

On Mon, 17 Jul 2006 16:49:18 -0400, <[email protected]> wrote:

>
> Leo Lichtman wrote:
>> "trino" wrote: I would guess per accident/
>> ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
>> I had the same question, but I am guessing it is per lifetime--IOW, per
>> person. That would mean that one person in seven has died or is going
>> to
>> die of cancer. and one in five of heart disease. Those numbers seem
>> fairly
>> reasonable. That would mean that .02% of the total population die in
>> bicycle accidents.
>
> And that tiny subset includes a lot of knuckleheads. Regular riders
> fare much better.
>
> Joseph
>

I think a more insteresting statistic would be how many bike riders die,
as out of the 200 million+ people in the U.S., many of them aren't bike
riders.

--
Bob in CT

 

[Fred]

"C" <[email protected]> wrote in message news:[email protected]...
> In article <[email protected]>,
> Bill H. <[email protected]> wrote:
>>I was looking through the August issue of National Geographic and came
>>across some interesting statistics on the odds of dying through various
>>ways. The odds of dying in a bicycle accident are about 1 in 4,919.
>
> What does this number mean? Is it per mile? Per hour? Per year? Per
> person?
> Per accident?

Per death.

 

[trino]

"Fred" <[email protected]> wrote in message
news:[email protected]...
>
> "C" <[email protected]> wrote in message
> news:[email protected]...
>> In article <[email protected]>,
>> Bill H. <[email protected]> wrote:
>>>I was looking through the August issue of National Geographic and came
>>>across some interesting statistics on the odds of dying through various
>>>ways. The odds of dying in a bicycle accident are about 1 in 4,919.
>>
>> What does this number mean? Is it per mile? Per hour? Per year? Per
>> person?
>> Per accident?
>
> Per death.


this is not making sense anymore. Are you joking around. /life /death

 

[Bill Sornson]

Leo Lichtman wrote:
> "trino" wrote: I would guess per accident/
> ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
> I had the same question, but I am guessing it is per lifetime--IOW,
> per person. That would mean that one person in seven has died or is
> going to die of cancer. and one in five of heart disease. Those
> numbers seem fairly reasonable. That would mean that .02% of the
> total population die in bicycle accidents.

In in every 84 will die in a car accident? Don't think so. (Maybe one out
of ever 84 car crashes is fatal?)

 

[Bill Sornson]

Bill Sornson wrote:
> Leo Lichtman wrote:
>> "trino" wrote: I would guess per accident/
>> ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
>> I had the same question, but I am guessing it is per lifetime--IOW,
>> per person. That would mean that one person in seven has died or is
>> going to die of cancer. and one in five of heart disease. Those
>> numbers seem fairly reasonable. That would mean that .02% of the
>> total population die in bicycle accidents.
>
> In in every 84 will die in a car accident? Don't think so. (Maybe
> one out of ever 84 car crashes is fatal?)

Guess they meant one out of every 84 deaths will be from a car wreck. One
out of 626 a pedestrian. And one out of every 4,919 will be from cycling
(all causes?).

Hmm. Somehow it's not /that/ comforting...

 

[Bill H.]

Who knows...

It's probably important to point out that this data is only from one
year, and probably doesn't reflect historically accurate statistics.
It also, obviously, doesn't factor in which of those bicyclists are
being killed - the newbies out riding against traffic somewhere, or the
ones that, though they may not be hard-core cyclists or racers, at
least know the basics of being safe.


Bill Sornson wrote:
> Leo Lichtman wrote:
> > "trino" wrote: I would guess per accident/
> > ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
> > I had the same question, but I am guessing it is per lifetime--IOW,
> > per person. That would mean that one person in seven has died or is
> > going to die of cancer. and one in five of heart disease. Those
> > numbers seem fairly reasonable. That would mean that .02% of the
> > total population die in bicycle accidents.
>
> In in every 84 will die in a car accident? Don't think so. (Maybe one out
> of ever 84 car crashes is fatal?)

 

[Leo Lichtman]

Fred wrote: Per death.
Trino wrote: this is not making sense anymore. Are you joking around.
/life /death
^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
It makes perfect sense to me--it's the same as I posted above, per lifetime,
or per person.

As an aside, it would be interesting to compare the death rate from heart
disease and other fitness related causes for cyclists and the general
population. I'm willing to bet that the extra years you add to life by
being fit more than offsets the occasional tradgedy.

 

[Ivar Hesselager]

Mon, 17 Jul 2006 22:06:17 GMT, trino <[email protected]> skrev:

>
> "Fred" <[email protected]> wrote in message
> news:[email protected]...
>>

>>>
>>> What does this number mean? Is it per mile? Per hour? Per year? Per
>>> person?
>>> Per accident?
>>
>> Per death.
>
>
> this is not making sense anymore. Are you joking around. /life /death
>

The number of lives and deaths will equal in the long run, I believe.
It must be the percentages of lives/deaths that are calculated. But it is
difficult to interpret: People who never bicycle have a zero risk of dying
in a bicycle accident, but a much higher than average risk of dying from
heart failure.

It IS dangerous to bicycle, but maybe even more dangerous not to! ;-(

Ivar

--
Sendt med Operas banebrydende nyhedsgruppe-
og e-postklient: http://www.opera.com/m2/

 

[catzz66]

C wrote:
> In article <[email protected]>,
> Bill H. <[email protected]> wrote:
>
>>I was looking through the August issue of National Geographic and came
>>across some interesting statistics on the odds of dying through various
>>ways. The odds of dying in a bicycle accident are about 1 in 4,919.
>
>
> What does this number mean? Is it per mile? Per hour? Per year? Per person?
> Per accident?


This reminds me of a line from the two man stage play "Greater Tuna"
where one of the actors is supposedly reading copy for a radio program.
He picks up a card and reads "Peace talks fail. Attack is imminent."
Then he calmly puts it down and goes on to the next item.

 

[Colorado Bicycler]

Bill H. wrote:
> I was looking through the August issue of National Geographic and came
> across some interesting statistics on the odds of dying through various
> ways. The odds of dying in a bicycle accident are about 1 in 4,919.
> For comparison, here are some other big (and not so big) killers.
>
> Cancer: 1 in 7
> Heart disease: 1 in 5
> Motorcycle accident: 1 in 1,020
> Drowning 1 in 1,008
> Hornet, wasp, or bee sting: 1 in 56,789
> Pedestrian accident: 1 in 626
> Motor vehicle accident: 1 in 84
> Fireworks discharge: 1 in 340,733
>
> (Source: National Safety Council, 2003 Data)

If I never go swimming or go near the water, the chances of my dying by
drowning are never. If I never bike, ditto. If I drive 100,000 miles
per year, then my chances of dying in a motor vehicle accident are much
higher. If I take good care of my heart, then it is much better than 1
in 5.

These figures mean absolutely nothing for any particular person.

 

[trino]

Colorado Bicycler said

> These figures mean absolutely nothing for any particular person<<

and I agree
It is interesting that motorcycles accidents are less fatal than pedestrian
accidents. So that means I might get hit by a bus today crossing the
street. lol
I still think you are looking at the figures a little off the mark. Guess
it is open to interpretation
You have to have cancer to die from it.
It is not like 1/7 of 6 billion of us are going to die of cancer. Just
because we all carry the potential to get it is no reason that we will.
How many people die of Mad Cow Disease? 1 in 1 That does not mean everyone
is going to die on this planet. Agree?

"Colorado Bicycler" <[email protected]> wrote in message
news:[email protected]...
>
> Bill H. wrote:
>> I was looking through the August issue of National Geographic and came
>> across some interesting statistics on the odds of dying through various
>> ways. The odds of dying in a bicycle accident are about 1 in 4,919.
>> For comparison, here are some other big (and not so big) killers.
>>
>> Cancer: 1 in 7
>> Heart disease: 1 in 5
>> Motorcycle accident: 1 in 1,020
>> Drowning 1 in 1,008
>> Hornet, wasp, or bee sting: 1 in 56,789
>> Pedestrian accident: 1 in 626
>> Motor vehicle accident: 1 in 84
>> Fireworks discharge: 1 in 340,733
>>
>> (Source: National Safety Council, 2003 Data)
>
> If I never go swimming or go near the water, the chances of my dying by
> drowning are never. If I never bike, ditto. If I drive 100,000 miles
> per year, then my chances of dying in a motor vehicle accident are much
> higher. If I take good care of my heart, then it is much better than 1
> in 5.
>
> These figures mean absolutely nothing for any particular person.
>

 

[Bill]

Colorado Bicycler wrote:
> Bill H. wrote:
>> I was looking through the August issue of National Geographic and came
>> across some interesting statistics on the odds of dying through various
>> ways. The odds of dying in a bicycle accident are about 1 in 4,919.
>> For comparison, here are some other big (and not so big) killers.
>>
>> Cancer: 1 in 7
>> Heart disease: 1 in 5
>> Motorcycle accident: 1 in 1,020
>> Drowning 1 in 1,008
>> Hornet, wasp, or bee sting: 1 in 56,789
>> Pedestrian accident: 1 in 626
>> Motor vehicle accident: 1 in 84
>> Fireworks discharge: 1 in 340,733
>>
>> (Source: National Safety Council, 2003 Data)
>
> If I never go swimming or go near the water, the chances of my dying by
> drowning are never. If I never bike, ditto. If I drive 100,000 miles
> per year, then my chances of dying in a motor vehicle accident are much
> higher. If I take good care of my heart, then it is much better than 1
> in 5.
>
> These figures mean absolutely nothing for any particular person.
>
So,
According to this, sky diving is safe?
Some facts seem to be missing.
Bill Baka

 

[Daryl Hunt]

"Bill H." <[email protected]> wrote in message
news:[email protected]...
>I was looking through the August issue of National Geographic and came
> across some interesting statistics on the odds of dying through various
> ways. The odds of dying in a bicycle accident are about 1 in 4,919.
> For comparison, here are some other big (and not so big) killers.
>
> Cancer: 1 in 7
> Heart disease: 1 in 5
> Motorcycle accident: 1 in 1,020
> Drowning 1 in 1,008
> Hornet, wasp, or bee sting: 1 in 56,789
> Pedestrian accident: 1 in 626
> Motor vehicle accident: 1 in 84
> Fireworks discharge: 1 in 340,733
>
> (Source: National Safety Council, 2003 Data)

Getting caught in bed with a Linebackers wife: 1 in 1

 

[Buck]

Colorado Bicycler wrote:
> If I never go swimming or go near the water, the chances of my dying by
> drowning are never. If I never bike, ditto. If I drive 100,000 miles
> per year, then my chances of dying in a motor vehicle accident are much
> higher. If I take good care of my heart, then it is much better than 1
> in 5.
>
> These figures mean absolutely nothing for any particular person.

Exactly correct. They are a reflection of the number of people in the
U.S. population who die in a particular manner for a given year.

You can read more one-year and lifetime odds at the National Safety
Council website:
http://www.nsc.org/lrs/statinfo/odds.htm

-Buck

 

[Bill H.]

I think the best way of thinking of this study is to think in terms of
"overall statistics". Obviously, if you never fly by plane you can't
die in a plane crash (unless you're extremely unlucky). People say
things like "flying is statistically safer" than driving a car, which
is probably true. Naturally, it might not apply to everyone, but stats
are stats.


Bill wrote:
> Colorado Bicycler wrote:
> > Bill H. wrote:
> >> I was looking through the August issue of National Geographic and came
> >> across some interesting statistics on the odds of dying through various
> >> ways. The odds of dying in a bicycle accident are about 1 in 4,919.
> >> For comparison, here are some other big (and not so big) killers.
> >>
> >> Cancer: 1 in 7
> >> Heart disease: 1 in 5
> >> Motorcycle accident: 1 in 1,020
> >> Drowning 1 in 1,008
> >> Hornet, wasp, or bee sting: 1 in 56,789
> >> Pedestrian accident: 1 in 626
> >> Motor vehicle accident: 1 in 84
> >> Fireworks discharge: 1 in 340,733
> >>
> >> (Source: National Safety Council, 2003 Data)
> >
> > If I never go swimming or go near the water, the chances of my dying by
> > drowning are never. If I never bike, ditto. If I drive 100,000 miles
> > per year, then my chances of dying in a motor vehicle accident are much
> > higher. If I take good care of my heart, then it is much better than 1
> > in 5.
> >
> > These figures mean absolutely nothing for any particular person.
> >
> So,
> According to this, sky diving is safe?
> Some facts seem to be missing.
> Bill Baka