Dutch study finds health benefits of cycling outweigh risks

A study by academics at the University of Utrecht in The Netherlands has found that the health and other benefits associated with cycling outweigh the potential risks such as being involved in a road traffic accident or exposure to air pollution.

Researchers, whose findings are to be published in the academic journal Environmental Health Perspectives, analysed literature regarding air pollution, road traffic accidents and physical activity, and sought to assess the impact on mortality from all causes of 500,000 people taking up cycling instead of driving for short trips on a daily basis in The Netherlands.

They found that where people had changed their mode of transport from cars to bikes, there were “substantially larger” beneficial effects, with a gain in life expectancy of 3-14 months set against 0.8 – 40 days lost due to air pollution, and 5-9 days lost as a result of road traffic pollution, leading them to conclude that “on average, the estimated health benefits of cycling were substantially larger than the risks relative to car driving for individuals shifting mode of transport.”

They added that benefits to society would be “even larger due to a modest reduction in air pollution and greenhouse gas emissions and traffic accidents.”