The following was posted during a discussion on living car-free in Detroit on bikeforums.net (emphasis ours):

Ahh, the myth that the metro area is all Detroit. I live in a very nice suburb that is quiet and safe. The only reason I feel the need to leave here is just so I can depend less upon a motorized vehicle and more upon my own power. The car culture here is strong and the roads are just not safe for riding everywhere I would like to be able to go.

So which is it? The suburb is safe but the roads are not safe?

From a cyclist perspective, if the roads aren’t safe, your community isn’t safe. Cycling advocates shouldn’t let local governments view safety only from behind a windshield.

But surely suburbs do have lower reported crime rates compared with Detroit. Then again, having a motor vehicle on their horn and passing unsafely is?assault with a deadly weapon, though it’s rarely reported.

It does seem Detroit’s streets are safer for cycling — a conclusion supported by the average yearly bicycle crashes per 100K residents from 2004 through 2009.

Also, Detroit has the lowest bicycle crash rate despite having a highest bike to work rate.

And as for living car-free, it would be tough to beat Detroit’s Corktown neighborhood.

How does your community compare with others with respect to pedestrian and bicycle crashes in 2008?

Here are the Oakland County communities with the most crashes according to the Office of Highway Safety and Planning, Michigan State Police:

Vehicle-Pedestrian Crashes

1. Pontiac 24, 2 fatal
2. Southfield 28, 2 fatal
3. Royal Oak 17, 1 fatal
4. Waterford 11, 1 fatal
5. Oak Park 10

Others: Ferndale had 7 with 1 fatal and Birmingham had 6.

Vehicle-Bicycle Crashes

1. Royal Oak 27, 1 fatal
2. Farmington Hills 17
3. Pontiac 16
4. Southfield 16
5. Troy 16
6. Madison Heights 15
7. Waterford 15
8. Ferndale 12
9. Hazel Park 12
10. Rochester Hills 12

Others: Birmingham had 5, Oxford had 1 fatal

Royal Oak is tops for combined crashes just as they were in 2007. It’s expected that their upcoming non-motorized planning can address this dubious distinction.

Royal Oak is tops in Oakland County, but this time it’s not a good thing.

For 2007, Royal Oak had the most reported bicycle and pedestrian crashes in Oakland County. For bicycle crashes, it wasn’t even close. We had 50% more than second-place Troy. For pedestrian crashes, we were second to Pontiac.

m-bike provided copies of these crash data charts to Royal Oak’s City Commission yesterday. After a couple failed previous attempts, we’re hoping this time there’s enough resolve and momentum to pursue our recommended first step: a non-motorized transportation plan for Royal Oak.

The 2007 bike and pedestrian crash results for the four counties in the MDOT Metro Region have just been added to our on-line database.

In summary, while pedestrian crashes have dropped, bicycle crashes increased by over 13%. As noted by SEMCOG, “traffic crashes involving bicycles are more severe than overall crashes.” In other words, they cause a much higher percentage of injuries. Bikes don’t have bumpers, crash cages, and air bags.

The only “good” news is there were 6 bicycle fatalities this year, down from 13 last year. Still, 23% of all traffic related fatalities in the Metro Region were pedestrians or cyclists.

These numbers only provide more justification for road agencies (like Wayne County and the Road Commission of Oakland County) to begin implementing best practices for safe biking. Agencies and municipalities need to create and implement non-motorized plans on how to reduce these crashes.  Road projects that increase bicyclist safety should be rewarded, not penalized as they can be today in Oakland County.

SEMCOG has released their 2007 Traffic Crash Report. The Michigan State Police should be releasing theirs sometime this month.