Cyclists must steer clear of the threat of parked cars

Car “dooring”, or being hit by an open car door, poses significant risks for cyclists, yet many cyclists ride eye-wateringly close to parked cars.

I once attended a cycle instructor training course, where one of the first things we learned was to ride “a door and a bit more” away from parked cars, even on narrow roads. To many cyclists this is counterintuitive as moving cars can feel – and act – like the most threatening thing on the roads.

The danger comes either from hitting a door or swerving to avoid one and falling into the path of oncoming traffic. Read article

Healthy transport = Healthy lives

People have always wanted to reach destinations quickly, safely and efficiently. But as the UK transport environment has become increasingly complex, transport’s impact on health has become unnecessarily harmful – to the point where it is a significant cause of morbidity and mortality.

Read article | Download full report

Nothing new here for likely readers of this blog, but good to see the BMA flying the flag.

… and another IT article on lack of exercise

Which do you think is riskier?

Some situations seem far more dangerous to us than others, but the perceived risk is often quite far from the truth, writes NIAMH DORNAN … If we look at the numbers only, a different picture can emerge. The lifetime risk of dying in an air crash is 1 in 7,178, according to the National Safety Council of America. This is far lower than the 1 in 98 chance of dying in a car crash or the 1 in 701 chance of being killed as a pedestrian. Cyclists face a 1 in 4,381 chance of dying on their bicycles over their lifetime. Read article