How Dangerous Is Biking?

Ezra joins the debate:

How dangerous is biking, really? It certainly feels dangerous. Over at Grist, Alan Durning explored this very question. His answer, basically, was that biking is pretty dangerous, but not biking is even more dangerous, and it would be simple to make biking safer. The breakdown is that bikers are at increased risk for accidents, but that risk is outweighed by their decreased risk for health problems (namely cardiovascular disease). Meanwhile, the dangers of biking have a cultural component. American drivers aren't very used to bikers. They're not on the lookout for them. When they do see them, they tend to be offended by their presence, and dumbfounded that they'd try and take up a lane and slow down the road's rightful users: Cars. In Europe, attitudes are different, and so too are outcomes.