More health professionals are acknowledging a link between bicycling and health, suggesting that bicycling not only helps the environment but can also help curb a rising national epidemic of obesity. Less than half of one percent of Americas biked to work in 2000. This may be due in part to the perceived dangers of cycling. Experts estimate that approximately 830 bicyclists die each year in a collision. Some cycling advocates would like to see separate accommodations for cyclists so that contact between motorists and those on bikes is minimized. Other advocates, however, insist that motorists and bicyclists must learn to share the road. Transportation officials often have difficulty determining the best ways to make bicycling safer. Collision report forms often do not indicate bicycles as a party in the collision. If researchers had access to this data, policymakers might have a better understanding of the needs of cyclists. Bicyclists themselves are often an underused source of information. Another problem is that many programs and campaigns educate bicyclists themselves about safety but fail to reach the driving population. Even law enforcement officers are sometimes unaware of laws that pertain to cyclists, such as rules allowing cyclists to ride in the center of a lane if necessary.
Samenvatting