Countermeasures

Countermeasures to improve bicycle safety are listed in the table below and discussed individually in the remainder of this chapter. The table is intended to provide a rough estimate of each countermeasure’s effectiveness, use, cost, and time required for implementation. Effectiveness is shown using a five-star rating system.

• Countermeasures that receive  or  have been determined to be effective.
• Countermeasures that receive  are considered promising, and likely to be effective.
• Countermeasures that receive ✩ or ✩✩ have NOT been determined to be effective, either because there has been limited or no high-quality evidence (✩) or because effectiveness is still undetermined based on the available evidence (✩✩).

States, communities, and other organizations are encouraged to use , and especially  or , countermeasures. They should use caution in selecting ✩ or ✩✩ countermeasures, since conclusive evidence is not available to demonstrate the effectiveness of these countermeasures. If they decide to use a new or emerging countermeasure that has not yet been studied sufficiently to demonstrate that the countermeasure is effective, they are encouraged to have the countermeasure evaluated in connection with its use.

Further details about the symbols and terms used are included after the table. Effectiveness, cost, and time to implement can vary substantially from State to State and community to community. Costs for many countermeasures are difficult to measure, so the summary terms are very approximate. See each countermeasure discussion for more information.

Each countermeasure to improve bicycle safety is discussed individually in this chapter. Full descriptions are included for ,  and  countermeasures. Brief descriptions are included for ✩ and ✩✩ countermeasures. Further details about the ✩ and ✩✩ countermeasures are included in Appendix A9 to this report.

 

1. Children

Countermeasure	Effectiveness	Cost	Use	Time
1.1 Bicycle Helmet Laws for Children		$$	Medium	Short
1.2 Safe Routes to School		$	High	Short
1.3 Bicycle Safety Education for Children	✩✩	$	Unknown	Short
1.4 Cycling Skills Clinics, Bike Fairs, Bike Rodeos	✩	$	Unknown	Short

 

2. Adults

Countermeasure	Effectiveness	Cost	Use	Time
2.1 Bicycle Helmet Laws for Adults		$	Low	Short
2.2 Bicycle Safety Education for Adult Cyclists	✩	$$	Low	Medium

 

3. All Bicyclists

Countermeasure	Effectiveness	Cost	Use	Time
3.1 Active Lighting and Rider Conspicuity		$	High†	Varies
3.2 Promote Bicycle Helmet Use with Education	✩✩	$$$	Medium	Medium
3.3 Enforcement Strategies	✩	$$	Unknown	Varies
3.4 Motorist Passing Bicyclist Laws	✩	$	Medium	Short

†High for active lighting laws; unknown for promoting other conspicuity measures.

 

4. Drivers and Bicyclists

Countermeasure	Effectiveness	Cost	Use	Time
4.1 Driver Training	✩	$	Low	Medium
4.2 Share the Road Awareness Programs	✩✩	$$	Unknown	Medium

 

Effectiveness:
			Demonstrated to be effective by several high-quality evaluations with consistent results
			Demonstrated to be effective in certain situations
			Likely to be effective based on balance of evidence from high-quality evaluations or other sources
✩✩			Effectiveness still undetermined; different methods of implementing this countermeasure produce different results
✩			Limited or no high-quality evaluation evidence
Effectiveness is measured by reductions in crashes or injuries unless noted otherwise.   See individual countermeasure descriptions for information on effectiveness size and how effectiveness is measured.
Cost to implement:
$$$	Requires extensive new facilities, staff, equipment, or publicity, or makes heavy demands on current resources
$$	Requires some additional staff time, equipment, facilities, and/or publicity
$	Can be implemented with current staff, perhaps with training; limited costs for equipment or facilities
These estimates do not include the costs of enacting legislation or establishing policies.
Use:
High		More than two-thirds of the States, or a substantial majority of communities
Medium		One-third to two-thirds of States or communities
Low		Less than one-third of the States or communities
Unknown		Data not available
Time to implement:
Long		More than 1 year
Medium		More than 3 months but less than 1 year
Short		3 months or less
These estimates do not include the time required to enact legislation or establish policies.

---