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Cycling is so healthy that the pure health effects outweigh the negative effects
of deadly casualties by a factor of around 20 to 1(Hillman, M. 1993)

Cross modal comparison of risk for passengers

1997

Death rate per billion
passenger kilometres
car

3
motorcycle

109
pedestrian

54
pedal cycle

45
bus/coach

negligible
light goods vehicle

1
rail

0.5
air (UK registered aircraft)

0
marine (UK registered vessels)

0.4

Source: Road Accidents Great Britain 1998: DETR (1999)

From the kind of propaganda put out by cycling officers and Sustrans you would think that cycling was a very dangerous activity. Well it isn't, and once you add in the health benefits the chances are you will live a longer and healthier life!

COMPARATIVE RISK OF DIFFERENT ACTIVITIES

Estimates of Fatal Risk

                                              fatalities
  Activity                                   per million hrs 
  --------                                   ---------------
  Skydiving                                     128.71
  General Aviation                               15.58
  On-road Motorcycling                            8.80
  Scuba Diving                                    1.98
  Living (all causes of death)                    1.53
  Swimming                                        1.07
  Snowmobiling                                     .88
  Passenger cars                                   .47
  Water skiing                                     .28
  Bicycling                                        .26
  Flying (scheduled domestic airlines)             .15
  Home Living (active)                             .027
  Traveling in a School Bus                        .022
  Home Living, active & passive (sleeping)         .014

Compiled by Failure Analysis Associates, Inc. (Design News, 10-4-93)

From the web pages of the OCBC