Bike Riding And Well-Being

We know riding a bike can be better than car-driving. But sometimes there are obstacles to changing our habits. Some of these obstacles are all in our head.

One of these psychological barriers is concerns about health and safety. I think it is mostly an illusion created by over-protective laws. After all, if it requires a helmet it must be unsafe mustn't it?

But i've just read a European study measured the effect in "life years" gained or lost. Increased exposure to pollution (of cars) caused a loss of 0.8-40 days. Traffic accidents were an average loss of 5-9 days.

The health benefits gained from physical exercise were at least 10 times larger - a gain of 3-14 months. Or as the study concluded:

On average, the estimated health benefits of cycling were substantially larger than the risks relative to car driving for individuals shifting their mode of transport.

And that's just the personal benefits. Obviously society also benefits from the reduction in air pollution and greenhouse gas emissions.