In 2021, automated bicycle counters registered 4.70 million cyclists in San Francisco. Of course, these counts don’t register each unique rider, but the large number still shows that cycling is a way of life for many San Francisco residents. Unfortunately, with so many bike riders on the city streets, there are bound to be accidents. The newly released statistics for bike safety in San Francisco indicate that there were 316 bicycle accidents that involved motor vehicles in 2021, up from 311 in 2020.
Cyclist Fatalities Remain Low
Out of the 316 bike accidents that involved motor vehicles in 2021, there were just two fatalities, equaling the number of fatalities in 2020. However, one fatality is one too many and San Francisco’s Vision Zero plan aims to bring the number of cyclist fatalities down to zero in 2022. To achieve this goal, the city has implemented several measures designed to make the streets safer for bike riders.
For example, the Tenderloin area saw reduced motor vehicle speeds, which means cars and trucks had more time to stop for cyclists and road hazards. Since motor vehicle speed is the number one factor in serious cyclist injuries and fatalities, lowering the speed limits in places that experience heavy bicycle traffic can really make a difference. Another tactic the city has employed is constructing more bike paths and protected bike lanes in areas where streets were inhospitable to cyclists, making these places safer for riders.
San Francisco is Generally Safe For Cyclists
The number of cyclist fatalities in San Francisco has remained fairly constant over the past five years, peaking in 2018 at three and experiencing a low of one in 2019. But, even though it’s generally safe for cyclists to ride around San Francisco, the same can’t be said for all California cities.
A recent Cliq study discovered that six California cities were among the top 15 most dangerous cities for cyclists in the United States. The statistics were adjusted for population so that large cities weren’t unfairly ranked just because they have more cyclists than a smaller city.
Stockton, California was named the most dangerous city in the country for cyclists, followed by Sacramento (fourth on the list) and Modesto (sixth on the list). The other three California cities in the top 15 were Santa Ana, San Bernardino, and Bakersfield. Despite these grim results, California as a whole has experienced a drop in bicycle accidents resulting in serious injury or death over the past five years. In 2018, there was a high of 176 serious or fatal bike accidents. This number dropped to a five-year low of 108 in 2021.
Conclusion
Bike safety statistics in San Francisco show that riding a bike is still a safe way to get around the city, but the number of bike crashes with motor vehicles is up slightly, a trend that needs to be nipped in the bud before it gets out of hand. If you’re a cyclist in San Francisco, take care to ensure you’re paying attention to traffic wherever you go to keep yourself as safe as possible.