More Cyclists, Less Accidents

It sounds counter intuitive, but a recent study by researchers at the University of New South Wales has shown that as the number of cyclists on the road increases, the number of accidents with cars decreases. Based on local and international research, it turns out that motorists actually change their behavior and drive safer when there are more cyclists on the road.

While common sense would suggest that more bikes on the road would cause more distractions and lead to more accidents, the mere presence of bikes actually conditions drivers to play it safe. When they see one cyclist, they expect to see more and adjust their driving accordingly.

Based on this ‘virtuous cycle,’ even if a city doubled the number of people waking or bicycling, the city should still expect a 1/3 drop in the per-cyclist frequency of accidents with a cars. Interestingly, the study found this effect to be independent of cycling-friendly laws such as reduced speed limits and additional bike paths.

UNSW: A virtuous cycle: safety in numbers for riders says research

[via Wired]