When attempting to determine why car-bicycle accidents are likely to occur, the reasons ultimately came down to a few common risk factors, each detailed in the following sections.
Alcohol
Unfortunately, drunk driving plays a direct cause in many car accidents involving bikes. According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration or NHTSA, drunk driving accounted for about 34% of cyclist fatalities. In fact, where such collisions were fatal for bike riders, drivers had BAC levels of 0.08% or greater 13% of the time.
Biking while intoxicated, or BWI, is a problem among cyclists, particularly in urban areas. One study found 15% of injured cyclists had consumed alcohol. All things considered, getting behind the wheel or handlebars after drinking isn’t safe for anyone and drastically increases the chances of getting into an accident.
Location
Location often plays a major role in how often a car hits a bicycle. For example, the NHTSA found that 79% of fatal accidents involving cyclists happened in urban areas; 21% happened in rural settings. Likewise, cyclists are more likely to experience a fatal crash away from an intersection than at one.
Time of Day
NHTSA research found that the most dangerous time for cyclists was between 6 and 9 p.m., with fatal accidents most likely to occur in this window. The most likely contributing factors are the decrease in visibility as day turns to night and the rise in rush hour traffic.
Poor Infrastructure
In some areas, the chances of a car hitting a bicycle increases drastically because of a city’s infrastructure. For instance, if there are few or no bike lanes, that increases the interaction between cyclists and drivers. If a city’s streets aren’t created to let cars and bicycles pass safely, it represents an increased risk of accidents.
While each factor can be problematic on its own, often, there is an overlap that leads to many and, sometimes, deadly injuries.
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