Strap on your helmet and watch out for distracted drivers.
The Alamo City is among the 20 most deadly U.S. cities for bicyclists, according to an analysis of federal data by the insurance-shopping site CarInsurance.org.
San Antonio is 16th on the list with 243 annual bike fatalities per 100,000 commuters in 2017 — or more than double the national average of 104 annual fatalities per 100,000 commuters. The city also had a total of 13 bike fatalities between 2014 and 2017, according to federal data.
The analysis comes as San Antonio looks to curb carbon emissions by encouraging cycling as an alternative to automobile commutes. Local cyclists are also reeling from a string of local road deaths, including that of beloved bike shop owner Tito Bradshaw, who was struck by a woman later indicted for drunk driving.
The number of cyclist deaths across the U.S. has also ballooned in recent years, according to the website’s analysis of National Highway Traffic Safety Administration data. In 2017 alone, there were 783 cyclist fatalities, a 25% increase since 2010.
According to the report, the five most deadly cities for cyclists are: Cape Coral, Florida; Abilene, Texas; San Bernardino, California; Dayton, Ohio; and Pompano Beach, Florida.
Between 2014 and 2017, Texas, California and Florida accounted for 41% of all U.S. cyclist fatalities even though the states only accounting for roughly a quarter of the country’s population.
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