Self-Driving Cars Can Be Dangerous For Bicyclists Along With Being A Savior

Dr. Lance Eliot, AI Insider

[Ed. Note: For reader’s interested in Dr. Eliot’s ongoing business analyses about the advent of self-driving cars, see his online Forbes column: https://forbes.com/sites/lanceeliot/]

Are you living in Biketown or in Bikelash?

Let’s start with Biketown, which is any locale that welcomes bicycling.

Bicyclists, some would say, are wonderful because they are green, meaning they are good for society by using a non-polluting form of transportation.

Many cities have opted to increase the number of bike lanes that they provide.

Some cities even have specially painted traditional car lanes to indicate that those lanes are intended for bicyclists to ride in.

It’s considered the “last mile” of ridesharing (you use a car-based rideshare to get near to a desired location, and then bike the remainder of the way rather than walking).

It’s not all roses though in the biking world.

Let’s consider Bikelash, consisting of those that have serious qualms about bicyclists and bike riding.

According to published statistics, there are an estimated 45,000 bicyclists injured each year in reported roadway accidents (that’s the reported number, while the true full number including unreported incidents is likely much higher).

The number of bicyclists deaths seems to range anywhere from 800 to 1,000 per year, and some numbers suggest that it really is more like 3,000–4,000 if you also include severe injuries that leave the bicyclist maimed for life.

In short, anytime you get onto a bike, you’ve just increased your odds of injury or possibly death. Don’t want to be sour on bike riding, and I’m just trying to emphasize that it’s a dangerous “sport” and we often take it for granted..

What Bicyclists Are Supposed To Do

Bicyclists are supposed to abide by the same rights and responsibilities as car drivers.

We often times begin to think that bicyclists can just go where they may.