Orange County NC Website
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Race and Sex <br />In terms of bicyclist race and sex, 85 percent of bicyclists involved in a crash are white and 79 percent <br />are male. Only three cyclists involved in a crash were black and one was categorized as “other”, while 21 <br />percent of crash-involved cyclists are female. Without good information about the demographics of <br />bicyclists riding in rural Orange <br />County, it is hard to state <br />definitively that one group of <br />people is more likely to be <br />involved in a crash than any <br />other. However, this <br />information generally reflects <br />the demographics of bicyclists <br />on Orange County rural roads <br />based on anecdotal evidence <br />and likely doesn’t support the <br />conclusion that white male <br />cyclists tend to be involved in a <br />crash to a larger degree than <br />female bicyclists or people of <br />other races. <br />Crash Group/Type <br />Perhaps the most important <br />information included as part of <br />the bicycle and pedestrian crash <br />data is the crash group/crash <br />type. This information provides <br />a clearer picture of how the <br />crash occurred and is helpful in <br />determining which, if any, <br />infrastructure or behavior issues <br />are creating unsafe conditions <br />for motorists or bicyclists. For those bicycle crashes occurring in Orange County, the “Motorist <br />Overtaking Bicyclist” crash group is, perhaps unsurprisingly, the most prevalent, accounting for more <br />than half (53 percent) of all crashes involving bicyclists. In examining this in more detail, the specific <br />crash types are “Motorist Overtaking – Misjudged Space”, “Motorist Overtaking – Undetected Bicyclist”, <br />and “Motorist Overtaking – Other/Unknown.” This crash type is directly related to the existing <br />conditions for bicyclists on rural Orange County roads, namely narrow, high-speed travel lanes, minimal <br />shoulders, and, at least in some areas, limited sight distances at curves. Other crash groups, including <br />“Motorist Left Turn/Merge”, “Motorist Right Turn/Merge”, and “Bicyclist Left Turn/Merge”, relate <br />directly to turning movements by either the bicyclist or the motorist as the primary reason for the crash, <br />while “Motorist Failure to Yield” is similar to “Motorist Overtaking Bicyclist.” Only one reported “Loss of <br />0.0% <br />20.0% <br />40.0% <br />60.0% <br />80.0% <br />100.0% <br />WhiteBlackOther <br />29 (85.3%) <br />3 (8.8%) 2 (5.9%) <br />Bicyclist by Race <br />0.0% <br />10.0% <br />20.0% <br />30.0% <br />40.0% <br />50.0% <br />60.0% <br />70.0% <br />80.0% <br />MaleFemale <br />27 (79.4%) <br />7 (20.6%) <br />Bicyclist by Sex <br />52