QUESTION: I’m a mountain biker, but I want to get faster and I’ve heard that I should be training on a road bike if I want to improve my cardiovascular fitness. But I’m a little worried about traffic. Is road cycling dangerous? Bob R
ANSWER: Worrying about distracted and drunk drivers or those with road rage against cyclists is a common occurrence with road cyclists. Unfortunately, deaths of both pedestrians and cyclists have risen over the past several years.
The New York Times reported that 2019 saw the largest number deaths of pedestrians and bicyclists caused by drivers since 1990. Here’s the Department of Transportation study (PDF).
But if you’re already a mountain biker, you’re probably equally safe on a mountain bike compared to a road bike overall, according to this study. But if we’re talking only about spinal injuries, mountain bikers are worse off the roadies. Head injuries and trauma are about the same.
“With the exception of spine injuries, severely injured cyclists display similar patterns of injury and comparable outcomes, regardless of style (street v. mountain). Helmets and thoracic protection should be advocated for injury prevention.”
There are ways to make road cycling safer, though. Here are some of the ways we recommend to stay safer on the road.
Always Wear a Helmet
You’re already a mountain biker, so you are probably well aware of the benefits of a helmet. Helmets can protect you from traumatic brain injury, and they make a huge difference. Here are some of the top rated low cost helmets if you don’t have one yet.
Obey the Rules of the Road
Bicyclists have the same obligation as cars to follow the rules of the road. By riding predictably and following the rules, it will keep you safer.
Ride with High Visibility Apparel
We’ve written before about how high viz cycling gear makes you dramatically more visible on the road. We’ve also covered some of the high viz options that you can wear.
Ride with Headlights and Taillights, Even During the Day
Cycling lights have gotten very affordable, and they capture the attention of drivers. Most of the models have a daylight flashing mode, which is highly effective.
Around the Web
Adventure Journal: Why I don’t ride on the road anymore.
Outside Magazine: Is road riding worth the risk?
Bicyclesafe.com: How to not get hit by cars.
Carmichael Training: Think roads have become more dangerous? I don’t. Here’s why.
Why do WE always have the onus of safety??? Instead of telling us to wear bright clothes and daytime lights we should be pushing for drivers to be held accountable for the carnage they create on our streets. Only then will cycling on our roads be safer. It doesn’t matter how much bright clothing and daytime lights you have as long as drivers are protected from prosecution and cops keep blaming pedestrians and cyclists the roads will always be a hazard. Keep your wits about you and use lane control to keep from being bullied by drivers. Yes, preach safe cycle “driving” and how to control lanes to keep yourself safe. Here in the southeast cyclists and peds are like sport for these rednecks in their obnoxiously large trucks. You must assert your right as a legal vehicle on the road!
After you’ve been hit by a car at 30 mph the prosecution becomes totally useless. This article is about what a cyclist can actually do in order to prevent any catastrophe from happening, not about all the never-ending fuss on cyclists’ rights
I live in Brittany, France, and fortunately do not have a problem with riding on roads because most motorists here are cycle friendly. My children still live in the UK and I have stopped taking my bike with me when I visit because it’s not the same. I felt threatened when I rode there because of the speed and closeness of passing cars – no one is prepared to wait ! So I ‘feel’ for you in the USA and hope you can raise driver awareness so they slow down and give you room.
I live on the Côte, and have the same experience, of course we have a few accidents, but many are caused by the rider ignoring the rules, red lights etc., at home in N.H., I ride with lights front and back, and am very careful of the routes I choose.
I would stick to Cross or Gravel.
Your as safe as you make it, obey traffic rules, ride on roads that have specific bike lanes, ride specific bike trails, most drivers are careful, but don’t aggravate the situation by flipping off the driver, if he does it to you just let it go its not worth it. There is a saying in sailing that I apply to cycling, “sailboats have the right of way but tonnage wins” and I follow that saying cycling giving way to cars even though by law I have the right.
Drivers just want cyclists to stay off winding blind spot country roads . It’s already dangerous for drivers on theses types of roads. Cyclists please think about the route you take before venturing out. Safety for you and the drivers.
Hey Tj — I’ve measured the sight distances on some of those roads, and it’s surprising how long it is. I choose to ride on winding country roads. It isn’t risk-free, but it doesn’t merit exaggerated fear-mongering either.
Winding roads aren’t inherently dangerous. When people choose to drive dangerously on winding roads, that’s dangerous.
I have to say, I don’t like the suggestion, however indirect, that I’m doing something wrong by choosing those roads.
In some cases, you may want to use daytime running lights. Here’s what I say about them:
https://cyclingsavvy.org/2018/02/daytime-running-lights/
Just so everyone has some perspective, using US federal data, cycling has about half the fatality rate per hour compared to driving. Motorcycling is 8X more dangerous.
And lots of anecdotal evidence says that you really improve your road safety with front and rear (white and red) strobe lights. It is quite noticeable how many fewer cars pull out in front of you, pass you too close, or turn left in front of you.
Right now with this virus is the best time to be on the road!
That said I bought a gravel bike having been hit by a car 2 years ago and still dealing with the injury!!
Nothing is perfectly safe; being sedentary raises cardiovascular and cancer risk’s. That being said and I ride a motorcycle too (actually~36X as dangerous as a car & the light aircraft I used to fly, ~8X) I try and access the risk’s and if I still chose to participate, I mitigate the risk’s, firstly by being 100% present. Much as I would have loved cave diving I was not willing to accept the risk’s compared to no ceiling diving. When I was younger I rode heavy traffic but I know I can’t process information as fast as I used to and I like in a small town so I accept the lesser risk’s there. Nicky Hayden; the best American Moto GP Rider bought it on a bicycle ride in Italy. A 70 year old German American Engineer friend of mine dressed in high conspicuous clothes in a like group was killed by a car. I accept and mitigate my risk’s and ride because I like it more than I fear the risk’s.
The statement, “Bicyclists have the same obligation as cars to follow the rules of the road,” is technically true. However, it is not necessarily appropriate or desirable. The rules of the road were generally made for cars. The reason most bicyclists, myself included, don’t observe 100% of the road rules 100% of the time is because more often than not our transportation system is poorly designed when it comes to giving pedestrians and bicycles the same level of accommodation we do for cars. Bike lanes, if even provided, are often too narrow or full of debris or both. I refuse to be lumped in with the bicyclists who ride on sidewalks or perform other unsafe and unpredictable actions. About 75% of drivers speed, and 46% roll stop signs (National Survey of Speeding and Unsafe Driving Attitudes and Behaviors: 2002). Car drivers have rules, they just don’t follow them. Here’s the point: every user of the road will assess the appropriateness of rules on a case-by-case basis and will sometimes be wrong. But I have never heard of a cyclist making an error and causing the death of a motorist. The higher the risk your actions will harm others, the higher your responsibility to act with care. Ride predictably and try to be considerate of other traffic. But the rules of the road may not be the safest or most considerate way to ride a bike.
You have more influence over your own safety than you realize.
Learn how to enjoy low-stress mindful cycling on any street, anywhere.
You don’t have to be an athlete. You just have to understand traffic. Then you understand how you can take your place in traffic.
You’ll learn all this by getting a free basic essentials membership at Cyclingsavvy.org and reading the materials.
Yes, riding on winding country roads is more dangerous than straight with a shoulder, but some of us have no choice, I ride these roads with lots of caution, at low traffic times of the day.
“But if you’re already a mountain biker, you’re probably equally safe on a mountain bike compared to a road bike overall, according to this study.”
That’s not what this study demonstrates. This study shows that when cyclists are injured, the type of injury they have is roughly the same. But it’s not normalized to account for how many people are doing each sport. So mountain biking could be 10 times more dangerous on a per person, per mile basis, for example.
The claim that road and mountain biking are equally safe or dangerous is not established here.