Many of us are both motorists and cyclists.
When I am a motorist, I try to use my cycling experience as a tool to be as aware as possible of cyclists, especially at night. I’m dismayed at how difficult this is in the urban density of Seattle.
From the perspective of a cycling motorist two main factors contribute to the difficulty of watching out for cyclists:
1. Many nighttime cyclists are not properly lit. This ranges from cyclists who completely lack lights, to cyclists who are poorly lit, to those who are well lit, but the lighting arrangement is visually confusing.
2. The behavior of many cyclists (night time or not) is often unpredictable from the perspective of a motorist, even this motorist who cycles (or this cyclist who motors).
I assume that night cycling is more dangerous than daytime cycling, but to verify my hunch I spent about an hour (on the web) researching evidence one way or another.
Unfortunately there doesn’t seem to be any recent data about nighttime cycling accidents or fatalities in WA or the Seattle area. The most recent data for Washington I could find is a study of bicycle accidents from 1988 to 1993. The study is here.
Collisions by day in WA.
Collisions by hour in WA.
Collisions by month in WA.
At any rate, here are some tidbits to consider if you cycle at night:
bicycleuniverse.info posts these statistics:
Cyclist fatalities occurred more frequently in urban areas (66%), at nonintersection locations (67%), between the hours of 5 p.m. and 9 p.m. (30%), and during the months of June, July, and August (36%). (NHTSA, 2004)
In 1999, 39% of deaths on bicycles nationwide occurred between 6 p.m. and midnight.
Although in a much different latitude, the city of Edgewater, FL posts these interesting facts:
Nearly 60 per cent of all adult fatal bicycle accidents in Florida occur during twilight and night hours although less than three percent of bicycle use takes place at that time.
Many factors compound the danger of riding at night, such as:
-Motorists driving under the influence of drugs/alcohol.
-Motorist’s ability to see what is ahead is limited to the area illuminated by headlights. Visibility is further reduced by the glare from lights of oncoming vehicles.
And the Consumer Product Safety Commission has this general post about factors that contribute to automobile-bicycle accidents:
The number of bicyclists killed at night has increased from 304 to 372 per year. In 1975, the number of nighttime deaths accounted for 30% of the total number of bicyclists killed. By 1982 (the latest year for which complete data are available), nighttime deaths accounted for 42% of the total number of bicyclists killed. One factor contributing to fatal nighttime bicyclist accidents is that the bicycles and riders are not readily visible to motorists. Motorists involved in car/bicycle collisions report that they hit bicyclists because the bicycles and riders were not visible. Cyclists’ failure to wear protective helmets may have also contributed to the severity of head injuries suffered in car-bike collisions.
For us here in the Northwest, here are some reasonable conclusions:
1. If you cycle after dark, you may be sharing the road with motorists who are inebriated. Sorry, this fact is not negated if you are an inebriated cyclist.
2. If you are a bicycle commuter this time of year, you are riding in conditions that are stacked against you: The volume of automobiles is larger during commute hours, and it’s more difficult for drivers to see you. Add the glare caused by wet conditions and it’s even worse.
In case you were wondering, I don’t cycle at night.
Some suggestions about night cycling in a future post…
