Transportation
Why Are the Costs of Bike Crashes Rising So Much?
The tumultuous urban environment seems to be driving up the dire consequences of wrecking, researchers say.
As more Americans are hopping on bikes, it’s no surprise that more cyclists are getting injured. In the U.S., there’s been a 120 percent bump since the late 1990s in hospital visits due to bike crashes. And more than 800 riders died in car-on-bike incidents in 2015, averaging out to about two fatal wrecks each day.
What is less evident, though, is that on a case-by-case basis the costs of these incidents are increasing. While an adult rider who suffered a serious (but nonfatal) crash in 1997 might expect it to cost roughly $52,495—including medical bills, missed work, and loss of quality of life—the inflation-adjusted price tag grew to $62,971 in 2005 and a whopping $77,308 in 2013.