Joy Colangelo

I 've been carless for three months after my car caught fire while being repaired at the dealer. I ride my bike daily and have lost 10 pounds, which I really didn't need to lose. I eat more than my teenage children, who are junior Olympians.

I canceled my auto insurance. I fly by gas pumps and have a cholesterol ratio that defies science. But I don't wear a helmet. And I don't use bike lanes.

I'm what's called a "vehicular cyclist," riding as if my bike is a car. Street riding is twice as safe as sidewalk riding, four times as safe as riding against traffic and ultimately safer than riding on bike paths, trails or off-road.

Why ? Because cars don't expect to see you in their lane. You're one of "them" instead of one of the many objects on their periphery. I avoid the bike lane for the same reason a car does—it's too close to parked cars. It's full of "sweep," the debris brushed over from cars. And it's too narrow.

And while vehicular cycling may annoy a driver, better they than I.

Cycling is not only 30 times safer than riding in an automobile, it is often touted as being six times safer than general living. Right, the risk of dying from illnesses caused by lack of exercise outweighs the risk of riding a bike by a factor of six.

Exercise eliminates the risks for a full third of all cancers, solves the obesity crisis, treats many depressions, eliminates the need for most cholesterol, blood pressure and diabetes medications and, thus, solves the medical crisis as a side effect.

In fact, almost any brief change in driving time can lead to measurable reductions in deaths.

The British Medical Journal reports that during 26 U.S. marathons studied, the lives of 46 motorists were saved. Those are people who would have died on the race courses on marathon day. Marathons save the lives of even sedentary people !

While a very small number of cycling injuries result in head injury (1.5 percent), the statistics would be much smaller if the No. 1 risk factor was eliminated . Ninety-seven percent of all cycling and pedestrian deaths result from being hit by cars. That's what gives nighttime bike riding one of the best safety records — there are fewer cars on the road at night.

More helmets wouldn't make cycling significantly safer. Elimination of cars is what would change the statistics.

England and the Netherlands avoid helmet laws, noting that the focus should be on the primary causes of crashes (cars and their drivers) and not secondary prevention of injuries (cyclists wearing helmets).

Australian studies also show that many more lives could be saved if drivers wore helmets.

Traffic calming is in order. "Sharrows," shared lane arrows that tell motorists and cyclists to share the same lane, can make the road safer for cyclists. Even a simple line of trees along the roadway can slow traffic by 10-15 mph compared to a bare street of the same width. A tree is a bigger safety factors than speed limit signs, better than a bike lane and better than a helmet.

So let's hear it for trees with sparrows and roads with sharrows. And if you'd like to join me out there, I'll tell which dealer to take your car to.

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