Fewer women than men hospitalized due to crashes on bikes: UBC research
Posted November 12, 2015 9:04 am.
Last Updated November 12, 2015 9:05 am.
This article is more than 5 years old.
VANCOUVER (NEWS 1130) – It seems the old stereotype about men being more wild behind the wheel also holds true when it comes to cycling.
Researchers at UBC looked at all provinces and territories for a new study that finds fewer women than men are ending up in the hospital because of crashes on their bikes.
“Females had much lower hospitalization rates than males, and that also points to better infrastructure,” says Professor Kay Teschke with the School of Population and Public Health.
“Women tend not to ride on routes without bicycle-specific infrastructure. They tend to ride in places where there’s less traffic, where there are special facilities for bicyclists,” she adds.
Teschke says that shows implementing special routes is a good move.
The study also points out women usually ride slower than men, and fewer women take part in more risky activities like mountain biking.
Teschke hopes this research pushes policy-makers to focus more on putting in routes that separate cyclists from cars, or low-traffic routes.
