A few days in the past, fellow blogger Tony posted this: Most types of train are overwhelmingly protected – however don’t ignore the risks. Thanks, Tony. It’s based mostly on an attention-grabbing research not too long ago revealed within the journal Harm Prevention [1]. By analyzing accident statistics in England and Wales within the interval 2012-2017, they got here up with damage charges for numerous exercise-related actions. Biking had an damage price of two.8 per 100,000 outings, whereas strolling had 0.03 per 100,000, and health actions (e.g. fitness center participation) had 0.21 per 100,000. All of those are comparatively low, I’m solely more likely to get injured about as soon as each 33,000 rides, and it may be argued that the well being advantages of the exercise outweigh the damage danger. However word that biking had 100 occasions the damage price of strolling. So it is smart to do no matter potential to attenuate the dangers. That is very true in my case, as within the few years I’ve been scripting this log, I’ve accrued the train advantages of many hours of exercise. However I’ve additionally: damaged a collarbone in a motorbike crash, ripped my rotator cuff in a mountaineering fall, and needed to go to the hospital for a head trauma (fortunately not too extreme).

For biking, listed here are some apparent security measures:

1. Accident danger greater at evening than through the day, so if potential keep away from driving at evening, in any other case have good lighting and brilliant reflective clothes.
2. Accident danger is greater at busy roads on rush hour. Driving at these occasions could also be unavoidable for bike commuting, however it helps to seek out alternate routes on quieter roads. Again within the late Nineteen Seventies I used to be commuting from Mountain View Ca to Palo Alto. Palo Alto is now thought of a bike-friendly metropolis however was significantly much less so again then. I bear in mind my route went midway on Central Expressway, which had a pleasant bike lane, however then changed into Alma Ave, a busy avenue with no bike lane and a slim shoulder. I rapidly mapped out a route that prevented Alma Ave by utilizing quieter streets, in any other case I won’t be right here to jot down this weblog.

I used to be already doing measures like these and others like maintaining my bike well-maintained. My latest accident triggered me to rethink what I may need completed otherwise, and I got here up with: Use fatter tires. The bike I crashed on is taken into account a “gravel bike” and may have been sure-footed on the street I used to be on. It got here with 32 mm vast tires, and after they wore out I changed them with 25 mm to be quicker. Security first! I’ll be placing 32s again on the bike quickly. I’ve additionally at all times prided myself on being a “fearless descender”. For the reason that crash occurred on a downhill flip, I believe it’s time to moderately take pleasure in being a “cautious descender”.

References

1. Davies M, Lawrence T, Edwards A, et al, “Sport-related main trauma incidence in younger folks and adults in England and Wales: a nationwide registry-based research”, Harm Prevention Revealed On-line First: 24 October 2023. doi: 10.1136/ip-2023-044887.