Good News for Cyclists: Health Pros Outweigh Cons in Riding to Work
Good news for cyclists on the blog of Dr Richard this morning. Apparently a recent study examining the benefits versus the risks of cycling in cities has found that the gains of riding outweigh the losses when it comes to health.
The good doctor quotes from the study amusingly mathematical approach:
鈥淔or the individuals who shift from car to bicycle, we estimated that beneficial effects of increased physical activity are substantially larger (3-14 months gained) than the potential mortality effect of increased inhaled air pollution doses (0.8-40 days lost) and the increase in traffic accidents (5-9 days lost). Societal benefits are even larger due to a modest reduction in air pollution and greenhouse gas emissions and traffic accidents.
Conclusions: On average, the estimated health benefits of cycling were substantially larger than the risks relative to car driving for individuals shifting mode of transport.鈥�
Which is good news overall, though if you actually suffer mortality from a traffic accident you may see things differently.
One surprising finding was that car drivers actually breathe worse quality air on average that cyclists, though riders generally inhale more deeply due to physical exertion.
