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"<p class=\"firstpara\">New research supports the belief that, despite the risk posed by other road users and air pollution, cycling can significantly increase a person’s life expectancy.</p>\n<p>The authors of a <a href=\"http://www.fietsberaad.nl/library/repository/bestanden/do_the_health_benefits_of_cycling_outweigh_the_risks.pdf\">report</a> published in the  online journal <a href=\"http://ehp03.niehs.nih.gov/home.action\"><em>Environmental Health Perspectives</em></a> estimated the  effects if 500,000 people in The Netherlands used bikes rather than cars for  short trips on a daily basis; a shift from car to bike of about 12.5 percent. </p>\n<p>The researchers projected a life expectancy gain of 3-14 months against a loss of 0.8-40 days due to exposure to fine dust particles and 5-9 days due to traffic accidents. On  average, the benefits of cycling were about nine times greater than the risks. </p>\n<p>The team said there would also be benefits to society at large due  to a modest reduction in air pollution and traffic accidents.</p>\n<p>These figures  were for the cycling-friendly Netherlands  where cycling is safer than in many countries. Even so, when they looked at the  UK,  the overall benefits still came out as seven times greater than the risks.</p>\n<p>A report from  Cycling England in 2007 – <a href=\"http://www.dft.gov.uk/cyclingengland/site/wp-content/uploads/2009/01/cycling_and_health_full_report.pdf\"><em>Cycling and Health. What’s the evidence?</em></a> – came to a similar conclusion, saying:  “There are risks involved in cycling but these are outweighed by the health  benefits by a factor of around 20:1.”</p>"
<https://www.bikeradar.com/news/regular-cyclists-could-live-14-months-longer-than-car-drivers/>