How dangerous is cycling?

Am I dicing with death every morning and evening? The Times would say so. I cycle to work, and, for the past two days, the Times has given over its front page to a campaign on cycling safety. The campaign is in most respects commendable — I like the specific proposals — but it emphasises the urgency of the issue by giving a very grim impression of the risks that cyclists face. ‘Britain’s riders are paying with their lives when they take to the roads,’ we are told. In fact, a bicycle is far from being the most dangerous way to get around.

On the measure the Times uses — death rate by distance travelled — pedestrians are more likely to pay with their lives than cyclists are. In 2008, there were 31 deaths for every billion kilometres walked, as against 24 per billion km cycled. You’re much safer in a car, it’s true — two deaths per billion km — but very much less safe on a motorbike: 89 deaths per billion km.