Cycling Safety
Many factors contribute to cycling safety, including where and how you ride, your interactions with others, and road and weather conditions.
Route Selection
In recent years, research shows that cycling safety can be influenced significantly by type of facility and route. For more information and a list of bicycle facility types, see Where to Cycle.
Important Safety Factors
In addition to route selection and following road safety rules, evidence from Canadian research suggests a variety of other factors influence cycling safety.
Lights, reflectors, and bright clothing can increase visibility and reduce collision risk, even in daylight.
Cycling at night increases collision risk, especially in the absence of street lights.
Cycling while inebriated or intoxicated (drunk/high) increases crash risk.
Higher speeds contribute to greater risk of crashes, force of impact, and severity of injuries.
Using a mobile phone while cycling is correlated with higher crash risk.
Helmets can reduce the severity of head injuries after a crash.
Wearing earphones or headphones is prohibited in some jurisdictions; where they are allowed, it is recommended to use a single earbud so that you can still hear your surroundings.
Sharing the Road
When designated bicycle facilities aren’t available, you may need to share the road (or trail) with other users.
All road and trail users should be aware of and accommodate others. This is especially important with growing volumes of people walking and wheeling on public roads.
For Bicycle Operators
Take care around other vulnerable road users, especially pedestrians—under B.C. law, people who walk, use wheelchairs or other assistive devices, and children in strollers are all considered pedestrians. Some people may not be able to see you, hear you, or move according to your expectations due to visual, auditory, or physical disabilities.
‘Pedestrian’ — see Chapter 318, Part 3, S.119 (Definitions) of the BC Motor Vehicle Act.
Cycle predictably—avoid weaving or swerving, and use hand signals when intending to turn, slow, or stop.
Use a bell or your voice to announce your presence before passing.
Reduce speed near pedestrians and where visibility is limited.
Do not cycle on sidewalks unless permitted under local by-laws—walk your bicycle.
For Motor Vehicle Operators
Everyone who drives in B.C. should follow these rules for sharing the road with people walking and cycling:
Search ‘Dutch reach’ for videos on how to avoid dooring someone.
Drive with care and at a speed appropriate for the conditions, and no more than the posted speed limit.
Watch for people walking, cycling, or using other mobility devices.
Before turning right, shoulder check your right side blind spot and look carefully for people cycling.
Before turning left, look for people on bikes and on foot crossing your path.
When following a bicycle, maintain at least 3 seconds of space.
When passing a bicycle, maintain a minimum of 1 to 1.5 metres (3-5 feet) distance—the greater your speed, the more space you should provide.
Don't drive or stop in designated bicycle lanes.
Shoulder check before leaving a parked vehicle to avoid opening your door into (‘dooring’) a bicycle coming from behind. Do the ‘Dutch reach’—use your right hand to open the door so it’s easier to look behind you.
Common Road Risks
More information on cycling safety research can be found at UBC’s Cycling in Cities website.
Due to evidence of increased collision risk and injury severity from crashes, use caution in these situations:
Near parked cars—opening cars doors and cars exiting parking spots
At major street intersections
In roundabouts and traffic circles
When entering an intersection in the opposite direction of motor vehicle traffic
On downhill grades
In proximity to road construction
On train or streetcar tracks
Road & Route Conditions to Avoid
Try not to ride over leaves, broken glass, garbage, and other debris—they can cause slips, falls, or flat tires.
Cycle across cracks, metal grates, and rail tracks at a right angle so your wheels don’t slip or get caught.
Don’t ride through potholes, puddles, broken pavement or other obstructions—they can cause falls and bicycle damage.
Weather Conditions
Freezing temperatures can create invisible coatings of ice (or black ice) on roads and paved paths—slow down, and avoid sudden turning and braking.
Heavy rain can affect visibility and braking—ride slowly and use lights.
In snowy or icy conditions, reduce tire pressure; use knobby tires on snow, or studded tires on ice (some tires combine both).
Reporting Hazards
Report local road hazards to your municipal government, and hazards on provincial highways, roads, and structures to the Ministry of Transportation and Infrastructure.
You can also map hazards on BikeMaps.org, a free online tool and mobile app. Issues logged on BikeMaps.org help other road users, and may be used by government agencies to find and fix hazards.
Report dangerous driving and other criminal code violations to police.
Cycling Safety Statistics
Overall cycling is safe; Canadian research shows about 1 hospitalization for every 160,000 cycling trips.
On average, fewer than 10 people are killed in bicycling crashes in BC each year, most involving a collision with a motor vehicle.
The risk of death from cycling is about the same as for walking—about 1 death per 7 million trips.
Half of all urban biking injuries involve collisions with fixed objects (e.g., curbs, posts, street furniture), uneven surfaces, rail tracks, other non-motorized users, and other falls.
Every year in B.C., there are an average of 315,000 motor vehicle traffic crashes, and a bicycle is involved only 0.67% of the time, or once in every 150 crashes.
On average in B.C., approximately 2,000 motor vehicle crashes each year involve a bicycle, and 80% result in an injury to the cyclist.
Approximately 35% of all cycling crashes involve motor vehicles; about half of these occur at intersections.
SOURCES: Teschke K, Koehoorn M, Shen H, and Dennis J.; Teschke K, Harris MA, Reynolds CCO, Shen H, Cripton PA, Winters M.; Teschke K, Frendo T, Shen H, Harris MA, Reynolds CCO, Cripton PA, Brubacher JR, Cusimano MD, Friedman SM, Hunte G, Monro M, Vernich L, Babul S, Chipman M, Winters M.; ICBC.
