Bike commuting lowers risk of early death by 47%: 'important findings'

This is wheelie good news for bike commuters.

Cyclists have a 47% lower risk of early death and a 10% lower risk of hospitalization for any reason than commuters who drive or take the train, new research out of Scotland has found.

“This study strengthens the evidence that active commuting has population-level health benefits and can contribute to reduced morbidity and mortality,” the UK researchers wrote in their findings, published Tuesday in BMJ Public Health.

The study followed more than 82,000 UK residents — ranging from 16 to 74 years old at the start — over 18 years. As part of the census, participants reported the mode of transportation they used most often to commute. Researchers recorded that information and analyzed their prescription, hospitalization and death records.

“Active” travel was defined as walking or cycling. All other commuting methods, like driving or taking the train, were deemed “inactive.”

Cyclist commuters were more likely to be male, young, shift workers who live in a city — but not own a home.

After accounting for factors such as age and preexisting health conditions, commuting by bike was associated with a 51% lower risk of dying from cancer, a 24% lower risk of hospitalization for heart disease and a 20% lower risk of being prescribed drugs for mental health problems.

But cyclist commuters were twice as likely as “inactive” commuters to be hospitalized after a road traffic collision.

“Our finding that cyclist commuters have twice the risk of being a road traffic casualty compared with non-active commuters reinforces the need for safer cycling infrastructure,” the study authors penned.

Pedestrian commuters, meanwhile, were more likely to be female, young, shift workers who live in a city and walk short distances to school or work. They’re less likely to be highly educated, have a high income and have young children.

Pedestrian commuting was associated with an 11% lower risk of hospital admission for any reason and a 7% lower risk of being prescribed mental health medication.

“That cyclist and pedestrian commuting is associated with lower risks of being prescribed medication for poor mental health is an important finding,” the researchers wrote.

Still, there were limitations to the study — census responses reflect just one point in time. Plus, the prescription records used in the research only dated back to 2009.

In the US, commuters who biked or walked to work made up 2.9% of all workers in 2022, according to Census figures.

That’s a smaller share than in 2019 — before the COVID-19 pandemic greatly changed commuting behaviors — but a larger share than in 2021.