Cyclist Fatalities: Annual Statistics & Safety Trends

In the United States, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) reports that 857 cyclists were killed in traffic crashes in 2020. This represents a 6% increase from the previous year.

Globally, the World Health Organization (WHO) estimates that approximately 1.3 million people are killed in road traffic crashes every year, with 1 in 4 of those deaths being cyclists.

The number of cyclists killed by cars varies significantly from country to country, depending on factors such as traffic volume, infrastructure design, and cycling culture. For example, in the Netherlands, where cycling is a popular form of transportation and there is a well-developed cycling infrastructure, the number of cyclist deaths is relatively low, with an average of 20 cyclists killed per year. In contrast, in countries with high traffic volumes and less developed cycling infrastructure, such as China and India, the number of cyclist deaths is much higher.