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.
Rick Good spent ten years in the newspaper business, including with The News & Observer (Raleigh, NC) and The Greenville News (Greenville, SC). He co-wrote, with Melinda Coleman, Rutledge to Riley: Governors of South Carolina, 1776–Present (Published by The Greenville News), and is the author of Mind Games Trivia #1 (Amazon). He has recently spent 15 years creating original trivia content through Sounds Good Mobile Entertainment and continues that with his new company, SGME Software. He edits The Smart Reader’s money, real estate, and business coverage.
