More and more people are riding bicycles these days in the interest of environmental conservation and improved fitness. In this issue of ITARDA Information, we discuss deaths and injuries suffered by bicycle riders, categorized as operators and passengers. We also analyze the problems that bicycle riders unknowingly cause for other road users.

Conclusion   1. Despite a downward trend in the total number of casualties, deaths and injuries during a bicycle ride have been decreasing at quite a slow pace.   2. Education and training in bicycle safety for young students would be effective at the time of their transition to an upper school level   3. The fatal/major injury rate is lower when young children under 13 years old are carried on a bicycle compared to when mothers travel on their own, suggesting that major accidents can be avoided by careful cycling even under limited operability due to the presence of a passenger.   4. While bicycle riders are called "vulnerable road users" or "victims" when hit by a four-wheeled vehicle or motorcycle, in many cases they can be "perpetrators" because of their reckless manner of cycling.

Institute for Traffic Accident Research and Data Analysis (ITARDA)