At first I wasn't sure if they were talking about "motorcyclists" or
"bicyclists".  But the references cited are for bicyclists, so I would
assume that these statistics are comparing bicyclists to automobiles. 

I wish people would stop referring to motorcyclists as "bikers" and
"cyclists" by dropping the all important prefix:  "motor".   Motors burn
fuel; people burn calories - big difference.

Mike Neuman

"If you live within walking or bicycling distance of work, you can reduce
the global warming impact of your commute to zero."
 - Denis Hayes,


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Vital Signs Facts 
U.S. Bikers Less Safe Than European Counterparts 

In the United States, cyclists are 12 times more likely than people in
cars to die en route to their destinations. On a per-kilometer and
per-trip basis, U.S. cyclists are twice as likely to die on the road as
German cyclists, and more than three times as likely as Dutch cyclists.
While cycling fatalities in all of these countries have fallen in the
last 25 years, U.S. cycling deaths have declined largely because of a
drop in cycling, while in the Netherlands and Germany investments in
infrastructure that make cycling safer account for much of the decline. 

Six policies appear to have worked to promote cycling in Germany and the
Netherlands: improved cycling infrastructure, "traffic calming" in
residential neighborhoods, urban design that is people- rather than
car-oriented, restrictions on motor vehicle use, traffic education, and
traffic regulations and enforcement that are pro-pedestrian and
pro-cycling. 

Vital Signs
Purchase a print version or electronic PDF of Vital Signs 2005. 

References
"Bicycle Production Recovers," in Vital Signs 2005, pp. 58-59 
Links
U.S. Department of Transportation's Federal Highway Administration's
Bicycle and Pedestrian Program,
http://www.fhwa.dot.gov/environment/bikeped/
Pedestrian and Bicycle Information Center, http://www.pedbikeinfo.org/ 
http://www.worldwatch.org/features/vsow/2005/08/02/ 
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