Abstract

Correlates of Pedalcycle Crashes in San Diego County
Track: Health and Human Services
Authors: Alan Smith, Isabel Corcos, Barbara Stepanski, Leslie Ray, Alicia Sampson

With the current emphasis on obesity prevention, bicycles are promoted as an alternative mode of transportation. As a result, injuries to bicyclists are expected to increase. This study used ArcGIS 10.0 to identify areas at both the subregional area and intersection levels with higher than expected numbers of bicycle crashes. Reasons for these high levels were explored by examining several levels of data. Crash-level data, from the California Statewide Integrated Traffic Records System (SWITRS) included characteristics of both the bicyclist and motor vehicle driver, type of road, and actions preceding the collision. Census-level data included population density of the region, median income, and employment. Environmental data included presence of bicycling infrastructure, types of zoning, presence of on-street parking, and topography. Elements that were individually predictive of increased collision risk were combined in a multivariate model to assess how well each predicted the risk of bicycle collisions in an area.