Various agencies analyze bicycle safety standards in the United States, and standards exist for roads, automobile behavior, manufacturing, use of helmets and other equipment on the bike. The U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission will recall bicycles considered unsafe. For example, the agency recalled a model whose fork holding the front tire could break, causing a rider to be thrown over the handlebars.
The Regulators
A number of organizations are watchdogs for bicycle safety. Some are government groups and others are nonprofits. The U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission analyzes consumer products for unreasonable risks and can set manufacturing standards. The CPSC sets standards for bike helmets. The standard is that the upturned helmet must drop from a specified distance onto an anvil, with not more than an established maximum reading on the accelerometer. The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention together developed a report in 2001, "National Strategies for Advancing Bicycle Safety," addressing helmets, safe practices of bicyclists, accommodations on roads, recommendations for the legal system and expectations of motor vehicles.
More Organizations Involved
The Bicycle Manufacturers Association set voluntary standards up until 1978 when the CPSC drafted a set of "Requirements for Bicycles" which became U.S. law. ASTM is an organization that does its own testing, establishes standards and will "shepherd" to a balloting and revision process. It has focused on the composition of frames, which in some cases and under some conditions have fractured, leaving the rider vulnerable to injury.
Standards Versus Regulations
It is worthwhile to note that regulations are legal whereas standards may be voluntary. Regulations are binding on the producers of the bicycles, voluntary standards are not. A bicycle may advertise that it meets a voluntary standard. There should be no need to advertise the regulations the bicycle complies with because all bikes sold in the U.S. should comply.
Why Standards are Needed
Many cities are encouraging bicycle riding for commuting to take some of the burden off the infrastructure. While the bicycle industry tried to be self-regulating, ultimately the standards needed to be enforced as regulations. Poorly constructed helmets, for instance, can actually be more of a hazard than no helmet at all.
Accident Statistics
The NHTSA found in 2008 that there were 716 deaths in bicycle accidents and 52,000 injuries. While that number is down from the survey done by the NHTSA in 1998, the U.S. Department of Transportation created a policy in 1994 with the goal of doubling the number of trips by bicycles and yet reducing by 10 percent the number of injuries. Traffic and road standards could contribute to that goal. In 1986, 10 percent of bicycle injuries were due to equipment failure, according to the International Bicycle Fund.
Rules for Bicyclists
All the standards on roads and equipment won't prevent injuries if the bicyclist is behaving in a dangerous way. In addition to standards for roads to accommodate both bicycles and traffic, and the standards for the bicycles, most states have their own regulations regarding usage and behavior. In the state of Kentucky, for example, the bicycle must have a reflector, a horn, a solid seat if riding on a highway and there are rules about where and how the bike can be ridden. Check with local government on regional regulations.
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