2022 was the ‘worst year ever for bicyclist deaths,’ new data shows

The number of cyclists who died in traffic crashes reached the highest number in 2022 since the federal government started tracking those deaths half a century ago, with 1,105 people dying in that year while riding a bike.

That’s an increase from 976 cyclists who died in 2021.

The grim statistics come as part of a trove of data on 2022 road fatalities that the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration released earlier this week. Data on cyclists and their habits is notoriously hard to collect, and changing federal definitions make some year-to-year comparisons difficult. Part of the reason for the most recent jump appears to be a new way of classifying motorized bicycles.