Bicycle safety tips and products from PDW

You can never be too safe on your bike.

Bicycle trips make up only 1% of all trips in the United States.1 However, bicyclists account for over 2% of people who die in a crash involving a motor vehicle on our nation’s roads.2-3

Note that bicycle refers to bicyclists and other cyclists including riders of two-wheel, nonmotorized vehicles, tricycles, and unicycles powered only by pedals.

Thousands of bicyclists are injured or killed in the United States every year

Photo of a biker wearing jeans riding a bicycle.

Deaths and Injuries

Nearly 1,000 bicyclists die and over 130,000 are injured in crashes that occur on roads in the United States every year.3

Cost

The costs of bicycle injuries and deaths from crashes typically exceed $23 billion in the United States each year.3 These costs include spending on health care and lost work productivity, as well as estimated costs for lost quality of life and lives lost.

Some groups are at higher risk for bicycle injuries and deaths

Risks vary by age and sex

Adults ages 55-69 have the highest bicycle death rates.

Adolescents, teens, and young adults have the highest rates of bicycle-related injuries treated in emergency departments (EDs). People ages 10-24 account for nearly one-third of all bicycle-related injuries seen in US EDs.

Male bicyclists have death rates 6 times higher and injury rates 5 times higher than females.

Additional risk factors

Most bicyclist deaths occur in urban areas.

About 64% of bicyclist deaths occur on sections of roads away from intersections (where higher speeds might occur) and 27% occur at intersections.

About one-third of crashes that result in a bicyclist’s death involve alcohol for the motor vehicle driver and/or bicyclist.

Injuries and deaths among bicyclists are preventable

Effective Interventions

Effective interventions to reduce injuries and fatalities to bicyclists include the following:

Bicycle helmets

Bicycle helmets reduce the risk of head and brain injuries in the event of a crash.4-6 All bicyclists, regardless of age, can help protect themselves by wearing properly fitted bicycle helmets every time they ride.

Bicycle helmet laws

Bicycle helmet laws are effective for increasing helmet use and reducing crash-related injuries and deaths among children and adults.

Promising Interventions

Interventions that have shown promise for reducing injuries and fatalities to bicyclists include rider visibility and active lighting.

Fluorescent clothing can make bicyclists visible from further away than regular clothing during the daytime.

Retro-reflective clothing and materials on the bicycle can make bicyclists more visible at night.

Active lighting may improve the visibility of bicyclists and is required by law in most states when bicycles are ridden after dark. Active lighting includes front white lights, rear red lights, or other lighting on the bicycle or bicyclist.

Portland Design Works or PDW offers a wide range of lighting options, both front and back, that will ensure every rider can see the path ahead, and perhaps more importantly, be seen by cars on the road.

Below are a few highlights from the collection. We have samples available of each of these and would be happy to get you one to review!

The City Rover Power 700 is a USB rechargeable headlight with a powerful lithium-ion battery and a CREE LED bulb that kicks out all the light you need. It's equipped with a battery meter on top so you can see just how much charge you've got (preventing you from getting left in the dark.) Its precision reflector provides a nice focused beam of light. The City Power Rover attaches to handlebars with the Mission Control III mounting bracket which is designed to handle rough terrain.

The Pathfinder USB Headlight is unlike any other bike light on the market, incorporating new technologies to help you see and be seen while riding, day or night. The Vertical Cutoff Beam is designed to focus the 200 lumen main beam onto the road in front of you and prevents lost lumens that can blind oncoming traffic. For daytime riding, the Daytime Running Flash is bright enough to make you seen even on the brightest days. The Battery Meter lets you know exactly how much battery life you have left before needing to recharge with the included USB cord. The Pathfinder includes a powerful lithium-ion battery and a darkness destroying CREE LED bulb. It provides superior luminous guidance for up to 25 hours of ride time. The rugged construction is weatherproof and strong enough to handle the abuse of an urban commute.

The Daybot Tail Light has a CREE LED to power a 100 lumen Daytime Pulse mode for increased visibility on sunny days. Switch from Day Modes to Night Modes to conserve battery power. Hold the power button down for 1 second to turn the light on or off.

The Daybot Tail Light has redesigned mount that works with the included seatpost and seatstay brackets.