Bicyclist Safety & Crashes
The 2011 Minneapolis Bicycle Master Plan calls for a 10 percent annual reduction in the number of bicyclist-motorist crashes. To better understand what is causing crashes and to meet reduction goals, 2,973 bicyclist-motorist crash records from 2000-2010 were examined. Specific crash attributes were extracted from Minnesota Department of Public Safety accident reports, analyzed and mapped.
The analysis found that crashes are complex events and there is no one factor that is contributing to crashes. However, three primary conclusions emerge from the data:
- Most crashes are occurring at intersections along major arterials
- Motorists are not seeing or yielding to bicyclists
- Bicyclists are not riding in a predictable manner
There is also a clear correlation between the number of bicyclists and the crash rate. As the number of bicyclists has increased in Minneapolis over the past decade, the crash rate has decreased. This safety in numbers effect is documented in other U.S. cities and in academic research.
Report
Understanding Bicyclist-Motorist Crashes in Minneapolis, MN (4.6 MB)
Full Appendix (34.7 MB)
Appendix A - Example MN DPS Accident Reports
Appendix B - MN DPS Accident Coding List
Appendix C - Complete Bicyclist-Motorist Crash Data 2000-2010
Appendix D - State and Peer City Comparison
Appendix E - Supplemental Context Maps
Appendix F - Supplemental Crash Maps
Appendix G - Corridor Crash Rates
Appendix H - Supplemental Corridor Analysis
Other Resources
Map of Bicyclist-Motorist Crashes
Bicycle and Large Vehicle Safety
For questions about this report, please contact Simon Blenski at 612-333-1274 or simon.blenski@minneapolismn.gov.
Last updated Jan. 15, 2013