Accident/Near Miss Reporting

SafeBicyclingData.org is a new website that offers to cyclists the ability to report near misses or crashes that typically go unreported. Developed in Tucson, AZ to help identify potentially dangerous locations and problems with on-the-road cycling infrastructure, these incident reports are now available to any cyclist in the United States experiencing a near miss or crash while riding.

The easy to fill out online report form collects enough information about the cyclist; nature and location of the incident, conditions and details of the near miss or accident, information about the cyclist, etc., so that a meaningful and statistical analysis can be conducted when enough reports for an area have accumulated. This will be a powerful tool for addressing cycling safety issues in your city, county or state.

While substantial improvements are being made to the cycling infrastructure within the United States there are still far too many serious crashes and fatalities that could have been avoided.  In 2013 there were 48,000 crashes and 743 fatalities of cyclists in the United States.  Just imagine the hundreds of thousands of near misses and minor crashes that go unreported that if known about, could serve as warning signs of dangerous situations to be addressed resulting in the prevention of more serious accidents and deaths.

For many years the reporting of near misses has been an important element in developing safer work environments in industry.  Safety agencies such as OHSA promote the use of near misses to make proactive improvements in worker safety.  It is time that cycling adopts this standard as well.

SafeBicyclingData.org was designed to meet this currently unmet need by; providing the online report form, where analysis and summary of incidents from a specific or general geographic area can then be sent to an interested cycling club or organization. Data will be provided free of charge to cycling advocacy groups that provide a prominent link to SafeBicyclingData.org for their members on their website. Departments of Transportation are also welcome to provide a link on their websites.  Additionally, we encourage bicycling clubs and bike shops to provide a link so that their members and customers have a way to share their stories and fill out a report of any incidents they experience. Also, please send the link to your members.