A recent report from the Sporting Goods Manufacturers Association shows more Americans are road biking.
According to the report, more than 39 million people participated in some sort of road biking at least once in 2006, an increase of more than 9 percent over 2005. Out of the more than 39 million people who rode at least once, almost 14 million were frequent riders. This group is defined as those that go on 25 or more rides a year.
While nationwide traffic deaths increased 1.4%, they increased much more significantly for pedestrians and bicyclists according to this article from the Detroit News:
Pedestrian deaths represented more than 10 percent of all traffic deaths and increased 4.4 percent in 2005 to 4,881, while deaths among bicyclists increased 8 percent to 784.
The NHTSA is concerned about the spike in pedestrian deaths and is investigating it, said Tyson, the spokesman. But the agency has no plans to mandate any safety improvements geared toward protecting pedestrians. “One year does not a trend make,” Tyson said.
From Yahoo!News:
More bicycles than cars have been sold in the United States over the past 12 months, with rising gas prices prompting commuters to opt for two wheels instead of four.
Not since the oil crisis of 1973 have bicycles sold in such big numbers, according to Tim Blumenthal, executive director of Bikes Belong, an industry association.
“Bicycle sales are near an all-time high with 19 million sold last year — close to the 20 million sold during the oil embargo in the early 1970s,” said Blumenthal, whose association is based in Boulder in the western state of Colorado.