Connecticut Fatal Bicycle Accident Statistics

Connecticut Fatal Bicycle Accident Statistics

According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), Connecticut had three bicycle fatalities for 2015 which involved a motor vehicle. This number is down from four in 2014 and also down from the high point in 2011 when there were eight. The low point came in 2009 when there was just one death.

The total makes up just one percent of the state’s traffic fatalities, which is lower than the national average of two percent. Nationwide, there was an increase of 13 percent in bicycle deaths from 2014, which was the highest number on record since 1995. Deaths have decreased from 1975 by 19 percent with the majority of victims being age 20 or older. In fact, fatalities involving victims younger than 20 have declined by 88 percent since 1975 while fatalities with victims over this age have tripled during the same time frame. More deaths have involved males than females for every year since 1975.

Connecticut has a state law in place requiring every bike rider age 15 and younger to wear a helmet. Studies show that helmet use reduces the risk of head injuries, which are the most serious injuries faced by riders. The risk is reduced by 50 percent when the person wears a helmet while face and neck injuries are reduced by 33 percent. Less than 17 percent of those who were killed in a bicycle accident were wearing helmets.

Only three counties in Connecticut reported a bicycle-related fatality for 2015. Those three counties were in the western half of the state. The three counties were Litchfield, Hartford and New Haven. Litchfield County had one death for both 2014 and 2015. Hartford County actually saw a decrease from two for 2014 to one in 2015 while New Haven County remained the same with one for each of the past two years.


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