X Close

Events

Home

UCL events news and reviews

Menu

Cycling, walking or driving – what are the risks and benefits?

By news editor, on 12 February 2013

Cyclist by Cyberslayer on Flickr

A cyclist tackles the London traffic, courtesy of
Cyberslayer on Flickr

pencil-iconWritten by Rosemary Willatt, UCL Sustainability Stakeholder and Communications Coordinator.

Is cycling really that dangerous compared to walking or going by car? Are the health benefits really worth the risk of death or serious injury?

On 28 January, as part of UCL’s Environmental Sustainability Topic Lunch Series, Dr Jenny Mindell presented on the risks associated with three modes of transport – cycling, walking and driving.

Dr Mindell started by covering both the health benefits of physical activity and negative effects of inactivity. She presented several studies where cyclists had better health than others using metrics such as mortality rates, explosive muscle power and aerobic fitness. She also explained that air quality is lowest inside cars.

(more…)