{"id":60876,"date":"2020-02-11T15:52:18","date_gmt":"2020-02-11T15:52:18","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/hildasibrian.com\/blog\/federal-agency-issues-first-bicycle-safety-report-in-47-years\/"},"modified":"2025-11-20T16:37:10","modified_gmt":"2025-11-20T16:37:10","slug":"federal-agency-issues-first-bicycle-safety-report-in-47-years","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/hildasibrian.com\/en\/blog\/federal-agency-issues-first-bicycle-safety-report-in-47-years\/","title":{"rendered":"Federal Agency Issues First Bicycle Safety Report in 47 Years"},"content":{"rendered":"

Bicyclists in the Houston area know how crucial it is to be careful both on the busier streets and the backroads. A recent report from the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) highlighted just that.<\/p>\n

The NTSB report, titled \u201cBicyclist Safety on US Roadways: Crash Risks and Countermeasures,\u201d was the agency\u2019s first bicycle safety report in 47 years. The report shows just how dangerous the country\u2019s roads are for bicyclists.<\/p>\n

Along with some alarming statistics, the report includes recommendations on how everyone can help make the roads safer for bicyclists, which will hopefully lead to a decrease in the number of bicycle accidents throughout the nation.<\/p>\n

Safety Issues<\/h2>\n

The report showed that there are a number of safety issues that put cyclists at risk for injuries or death due to a car crash. One of the biggest safety issues is that the current infrastructure does not help protect cyclists. Vehicles are simply too close to cyclists, and drivers often do not realize that bicyclists are nearby.<\/p>\n

It is not only drivers and infrastructure that are to blame for bicycle accident injuries. The report also found that less than half of cyclists currently wear a helmet, and few bicyclists use headlights, even when cycling at night or in low-light conditions.<\/p>\n

Findings<\/h2>\n

The safety issues are likely largely to blame for the increase in bicycle accidents<\/a> around the country. According to the report, 857 cyclists were killed in accidents on the roads in 2018. That number is alarming, as it shows a 6.3 percent increase over the number of accidents that occurred in 2017.<\/p>\n

In 2017, there had been a drop of 2.4 percent in cyclist fatalities, leading many to think that the roads were becoming safer for cyclists. Unfortunately, the recent numbers show that is just not true.<\/p>\n

The report also showed that an overwhelming majority of accidents, 65 percent, occurred at intersections.<\/p>\n

Recommendations<\/h2>\n

Based on the data gathered in the report, the federal agency made several recommendations on how the roads could be improved for cyclists. There were a total of 22 recommendations, but the most important included:<\/p>\n