Cycling

Is cycling safe?

Yes, for most people, most of the time. Per mile it is riskier than being in a car, but the risk per ride is small and the payoff in health is large. In Britain, 82 cyclists were killed in 2024, a rate of 23 deaths per billion miles cycled, or about 2.3 micromortsMicromortA one-in-a-million chance of death. It lets you compare the risk of very different activities on one scale.More in the glossary per 100 miles. A typical 5-mile ride to work carries about a tenth of a micromort.

The bigger danger for most people is not cycling at all. A Dutch study by de Hartog and colleagues estimated that people who switch short car trips to the bike gain 3 to 14 months of life from exercise, against 5 to 9 days lost to crashes and up to 40 days to air pollution.

How the risk compares

Mode (Britain, 2024)	Deaths per billion miles	MicromortsMicromortA one-in-a-million chance of death. It lets you compare the risk of very different activities on one scale.More in the glossary per 100 miles
Car occupant (per passenger mile)	1.6	0.16
Pedal cyclist	23.3	2.3
Pedestrian	26.9	2.7
Motorcyclist	106.7	10.7

Source: Department for Transport, RAS0203 (deaths per billion passenger km, converted to miles). Mile for mile, cycling is about as risky as walking, more than ten times riskier than a car and about one-fifth as risky as a motorbike.

That walking comes out level with cycling seems strange, but DfT RAS0203 counts 16.7 pedestrian deaths per billion km in 2024 against 14.5 for cyclists. The reason is time: at about 3 mph a walker spends roughly three times as long near traffic for each mile as a cyclist at 10 mph. Per hour and per trip, walking is clearly safer: an hour on a bike carries about 0.23 micromorts, an hour's walk about 0.07 to 0.08. See our walking page.

In the US, where 1,075 cyclists died in 2024 according to IIHS, there are no reliable national figures for miles cycled, so a per-mile rate is hard to give.

Where and how cyclists die

Rural roads are the surprise. In 2024, 56% of British cyclist deaths happened on rural roads, which carry only 31% of cycle traffic. Speeds are higher, lanes are often unlit and there is less space to pass. City streets have more collisions, but they are less often fatal.

Most deaths involve a motor vehicle. The most common factor the police record, for drivers and cyclists alike, is a failure to look properly. Lorries turning left (in Britain) or right (in the US) across a cyclist on the inside are a well-known pattern in cities.

Men make up 82% of British cyclists killed or seriously injured. Part of that is that men cycle more, and more often on fast roads and in sport riding.

Injuries

For each death, there are many serious injuries. British police recorded 3,822 cyclists seriously injured in 2024, about 1,100 killed or seriously injured per billion miles. Many crashes without another vehicle, such as a fall on ice or a wheel caught in a tram line, never reach police records, so hospital data show more.

Helmets work for the head. Olivier and Creighton's 2017 meta-analysis found that, among cyclists in a crash or fall, helmet use was linked to 51% lower odds of a head injury, 69% lower odds of a serious head injury and 65% lower odds of a fatal head injury. They do not protect the chest, spine or limbs, and they do not stop a lorry.

Children and older riders

The same habits protect riders at both ends of life. Children are less able to judge the speed of traffic, so quiet streets, off-road paths and cycle training matter most for them. Older cyclists are more likely to be badly hurt in a fall of the same force, which makes route choice and lights especially worthwhile.

How to cycle more safely

1. Choose the route, not just the shortest line. Protected lanes, quiet streets and canal paths cut exposure to fast traffic. On rural roads, pick lanes with low traffic or ride in daylight.
2. Use lights day and night. A bright rear light and a front light make a cyclist visible from much further away.
3. Never ride on the inside of a lorry or bus at a junction. Wait behind it; the driver may not see you in their mirrors.
4. Ride assertively. Taking the centre of a narrow lane stops drivers squeezing past. The UK Highway Code supports this on quiet roads and at junctions.
5. Wear a helmet, especially for sport riding, on fast roads and for children.
6. Keep the bike in good order. Brakes and tyres fail at the worst moments.

How we scored it

Fatality risk (77) sits in the 1–5 micromortMicromortA one-in-a-million chance of death. It lets you compare the risk of very different activities on one scale.More in the glossary band per 100 miles. Injury risk (58) is the weak point, with many serious injuries from falls and collisions. Controllability (60) gets credit for route and equipment choices, though drivers cause most fatal crashes. Compare driving and motorcycling, and running as an alternative way to stay fit in marathon running.