fuller center bicycle adventure - what's my risk?
TRANSCRIPT
What’s My Risk?We want your ride to be
healthy and happy
www.FullerCenterBikeAdventure.org
Why we made this presentation
• To help you put your choice in a healthy perspective.
• To encourage you to take our safety rules and materials seriously.
• Since safety can never be guaranteed, we want to help you make an informed decision about your risks in joining our ride.
Risks
By and large, riding a bicycle is safe, rewarding, and fun. Still, it does come with risks that have the potential to threaten health and safety.
But remember this: All of life has risks. Living your life without leaving your home may be the greatest risk of all – the risk of missing out on life.
First, the good news…
Which is more dangerous?According to a study from 1998:
One surprising result: Just being alive has a higher (average) risk of death than cycling!
Still, this averages all cycling activities, and may not equal the rate of risk in participating on our ride.
Sources: 900mpg.org, cyclehelmets.org, U.S. News & World Report
Skydiving
On-road
motorcy
cling
Scuba divi
ng
Living (a
ll causes o
f death
)
Swim
ming
Snowmobilin
g
Passenge
r cars
Bicyclin
g0.02.04.06.08.0
10.0128.7 8.8
2.0 1.5 1.1 0.9 0.5 0.3
Fatalities per million hours128.7
Death by vehicle accidents as compared to cycling
Motor Vehicle accidents Bicyclists0
5,000
10,000
15,000
20,000
25,000
30,000
35,000
40,00035,369
743
Nope, cycling is not entirely safe. Neither is driving.
Sources: CDC and NHTSA
Exercise promotes healthAs the next chart shows, some of the highest risks of death over time are not from what you do, but what you don’t do. Inactivity is deadly.
According to the Centers for Disease Control, “Science shows that physical activity can reduce your risk of dying early from the leading causes of death, like heart disease and some cancers.”
It goes on to say, “Only a few lifestyle choices have as large an impact on your health as physical activity. People who are physically active for about 7 hours a week have a 40 percent lower risk of dying early than those who are active for less than 30 minutes a week.”
Sources: CDC
Number of deaths in U.S. in 2013
Sources: CDC and NHTSA
Heart dise
ase
Cance
r
Stroke
Alzheim
er's
Diabetes
Pneumonia
Suici
de
Accidental
poisening
Motor Vehicl
es
Bicycli
sts0
100,000
200,000
300,000
400,000
500,000
600,000611,105
584,881
128,97884,767 75,578 53,282 41,149 38,851 35,369
743
And now the bad news
742 cyclists died in 2013.
Each one had a name, a family, and a story.
Where the deaths occurred
Urban; 68%
Rural; 32%
Intersections; 57%
Non-in-tersec-
tions; 34%
Other; 9%
Sources: NHTSA
Other factors
• Alcohol. About 1 in 4 cyclists killed had at least some alcohol on their breath– Even low levels of alcohol reduce reaction times. That’s
why we don’t allow riders to consume any alcohol before or while riding.
• Riding after dark. About half of all cyclists were killed when it may have been dark, between 6pm – 6am. – We get started early morning and all riders must arrive
before sunset.
Sources: NHTSA
The hard facts
• Transportation involves danger. The longer your exposure, the more risky it becomes.
• You will spend many hours traveling by bicycle during our rides.
• Other cross country bicycle rides by other organizations have had deadly accidents, sometimes several over the years.
The hard facts• Besides some risk of death, risk of injury while cycling is also elevated.
• Injuries could be potentially very painful and debilitating in the short- or long-term.
• This is why we require all participants to own health insurance, even if it means purchasing a short-term insurance policy for the duration of your time on the ride.
• Prior to your ride you may want to consider other types of insurance as well, such as life, disability, or long-term-care insurance.
Some specific risks our riders encounter
• Collision with car and truck traffic as we ride on open public roadways
• Adverse weather and road surface conditions
• Physical inability to complete the mileage in good health, which is why we recommend that you ask your doctor prior to joining and do training to prepare
• Bicycle malfunction• Falls onto pavement or beside
it
• Actions of other cyclists sharing the road or participating in the event
• Injury on construction worksites
• Illness from food preparation or food service
• Vehicle accidents while riding in team support vehicles
• Damage, loss, or theft of your bicycle or other possessions
You can choose which risks to take in life
• It is our priority that our riders stay safe, but as a ministry partnering with the world’s poor, The Fuller Center for Housing cannot accept liability for your risks, loss, or injuries.
• It’s all in the waiver.
• We hope you’ll participate, but it’s your decision which risks you deem worth taking in your life.
One thing more
Don’t forget what (we feel) makes it all worth it!
