It's A Bicycle Crash, Not An Accident: A McLeish Orlando Case Study

Overview

Far too often we see the terms "cycling accident", "bike accident", and "car accident" used in the news. This is a problem. The term "accident" implies that these crashes were not preventable, no one was at fault, and nothing could have been done to prevent them from occurring. In other words, they were freak "accidents" that rarely happen. Unfortunately, the reality is much grimmer.

According to Statistics Canada, an average of 74 Canadians die every year while cycling. Of these deaths, 73% of them are a result of crashes involving a motor vehicle. The Ontario Coroner Review into Cycling Deaths found that 62 percent of the crashes were due to driver error. This statistic is considered low since the cyclist that was killed never had a chance to tell their story. Additionally, approximately 7,500 Canadians are seriously injured every year in cycling crashes.