It may seem obvious, but it bears repeating: Bicycling and motor vehicles are often a dangerous combination.
According to sources like the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), around 1,000'1,200 bicyclists die annually in the U.S. in motor vehicle-related crashes, with over 100,000 treated for injuries each year.
Many non-fatal incidents involve no motor vehicles at all, but the most dangerous situations almost always involve motor vehicles:
– Dooring, A parked car's door opens into a cyclist's path (very common in urban areas like cities with street parking).
– Right-hook, A vehicle passes a cyclist then turns right across their path.
– Left-cross / left-hook, A vehicle turns left in front of an oncoming cyclist (or from the opposite direction).
– Rear-end collisions, A following vehicle hits the cyclist from behind (often due to distracted driving or speeding).
– Overtaking / sideswipe, A vehicle passes too closely and clips the cyclist.
– Intersection failures to yield, Drivers turning or crossing paths without seeing the cyclist (common at non-intersection spots too, but intersections are high-risk).
Driver negligence (failure to yield, distracted driving, not checking blind spots) is a leading cause, though cyclist visibility issues or right-of-way errors also contribute.