One of the first things folks should do is look at the accident statistics to see if there is evidence of a problem:
Year Pedestrians Pedalcyclists
2006 4,784 773
2005 4,892 786
2004 4,675 727
2003 4,774 629
2002 4,851 665
2001 4,901 732
2000 4,763 693
1999 4,939 754
1998 5,228 760
1997 5,321 814
1996 5,449 765
1995 5,584 833
1994 5,489 802
Source:
http://www-fars.nhtsa.dot.gov/Main/index.aspx
These USA national statistics suggest there has been no significant change, other than the reduced fatalities of the 1990s flat-lined in the 2000s. So the next question will be to see at how a high-hybrid state, California, looks like compared to the USA:
Year USA Pedestrians USA Pedalcyclists CA Pedestrians CA Pedalcyclists CA ped. percent CA cycle percent
2006 4,784 773 717 141 15.0% 18.2%
2005 4,892 786 742 115 15.2% 14.6%
2004 4,675 727 684 110 14.6% 15.1%
2003 4,774 629 704 106 14.7% 16.9%
2002 4,851 665 709 116 14.6% 17.4%
Source:
http://www-nrd.nhtsa.dot.gov/departm.../6_CA_2006.htm
Again, the numbers are not far off enough to show a trend of hybrid vehicles being more dangerous than regular cars. There is an obvious spike in 2006 for California cyclists but this one year is inconsistent with the total number.
The 2006 cyclist year might also correspond with an increase in unskilled people trying to use a bicycle to avoid the high cost of gas. The new cyclists may not realize they are invisible to traffic, thinking they are still as visible as they were in their car.
Bob Wilson
Pedestrian Accident Statistics
