Comments on: Your Biased Brain and the Real Risk of Not Riding Your Bike

By: Tom Bowden

Tom Bowden — Tue, 12 Mar 2013 14:23:52 +0000

Just so we are clear, the formula is totally made up – I mean, obviously the exponent should be negative, when you think about it.

By: Fred Richard

Fred Richard — Mon, 11 Mar 2013 15:54:00 +0000

I loved this talk when I first saw it on YouTube and immediately wanted to see the slides. I asked the LAB for the slides with no response, couldn’t find an e-mail address for Tom, and so it went. Thanks so much commutebybike for putting it all together, providing the references, etc.! This is wonderfully informative and humorous. Great job Tom!

By: Cullen Carter

Cullen Carter — Mon, 11 Mar 2013 01:47:42 +0000

Even though I was made disabled, and put into a coma, after being hit by a pick up truck, while cycling, I’m still an avid cyclist.

I normally ride with my walker strapped to the rear of my trike.

By doing so, I hope that I show people how positively powerful the influence of something simple, like a bike, can have on your life.

By: Esther Lumsdon

Esther Lumsdon — Mon, 11 Mar 2013 01:38:41 +0000

I watched Tom’s talk, and I loved it! Thank you so much for posting the reference links. Tom’s talk, and the one that followed it, gave me a lot to think about.

By: Tom Bowden

Tom Bowden — Sun, 10 Mar 2013 22:29:20 +0000

Ted – simple answer to your question is I don’t know, but I will try to look it up and report back.

By: Ted Johnson

Ted Johnson — Sun, 10 Mar 2013 21:28:59 +0000

The funny thing is that Tom’s presentation came shortly after a talk from a spokeswoman for AAA. Her talk was about the partnership with the League, but she couldn’t stop talking about safety, safety, safety.

I don’t know if she stayed for Tom’s talk.

Tom: The one point you make that I question each time I watch this (and since I edited this together, I’ve watched it a bunch of times) is when you say, “People in America have a 15-times greater likelihood of dying in a car crash than in a bike crash.” (At about the 3-minute mark.)

Is that weighed by hours of exposure, or is that based on absolute numbers? If it’s weighted, that’s a pretty impressive number. If it’s absolute, it’s a pretty scary number for cyclists.

By: Alan

Alan — Sun, 10 Mar 2013 20:12:09 +0000

Interesting assumptions by Mike above. Does he realize his categorization of commuters as counter-culture is influenced by the same prejudices he denounces? Hmm.

I am as conservative as they come. Engineer. Graduate degree. Federal employee. Republican. Gun enthusiast.

I ride my bike to work, when I can, not to prove anything. I do it because it’s fun, costs less than driving, and gives me a workout and much-needed stress relief.

I have to go to work. I like to ride bikes. I just realized I could combine the two.

By: Matt

Matt — Sun, 10 Mar 2013 17:40:19 +0000

Interesting reply, Mike. At the very least, removing the excuse of “but cycling is DANGEROUS!” gives people who think cyclists are weird one less way to explain their behavior with anything but the truth.

By: Mike

Mike — Sun, 10 Mar 2013 16:24:33 +0000

Another red herring! Cycling isn’t cool. Full stop. People who ride are eccentric and different. Until it becomes more socially acceptable, riding wont be seen as “normal”.

Look at smoking. Everyone knew it was bad for you. Even the slow moving federal govt FINALLY came out and said so in the 1960s. Didn’t matter at all. Not until it became socially unacceptable did the rates of smoking drop.

Look at the pockets of smokers that persist. They are social groups. Cancer never enters their minds.

I’d be interested to see some deeper analysis of bicycle commuters. My hunch is that they are mostly independent thinkers. Atheists and agnostics, independent politics, marriages outside their normal social groups…..

By: Dan

Dan — Sun, 10 Mar 2013 15:08:13 +0000

Nice talk. Thanks for sharing.