The Department of Transportation of the Government of Alberta collects statistics on traffic collisions. There are annual reports, as well as a more in-depth report on collisions involving bicycles (2004-2008). The numbers reported there are for all of Alberta; overview statistics for Calgary and Edmonton are included at the end of this post.  The following summary is based on the figures reported there.

In the years covered by the bicycle study (2004-2008), a total of 2,174 people died in traffic collisions. 1.4% were bicyclists, 6.9% were motorcyclists, 10.4% were pedestrians, and 76.2% were drivers or passengers. Of the 121,262 people injured in that same timeframe, 2.4% were bicyclists, 3.2% were motorcyclists, 5.2% were pedestrians, and 87.4% were drivers or passengers.

In 2004-2008, most bicycle collisions (almost 40%) occurred during afternoon rush hour (3pm-7pm).

The majority of collisions involving a bicyclist for all severities occur in urban locations.  For bicycle involved collisions on rural numbered highways and other rural roads, bicycle involved fatal collisions make up a bigger proportion of the total bicycle involved collisions on those highways and roads compared to the proportion of bicycle involved urban fatal collisions to total bicycle involved urban collisions. In 2004-08, only 2% of all collisions involving bicycles occurred on rural highways and roads, but almost half of the cyclist fatalities.

5.0% of cyclists involved in collisions were found to have been drinking or be alcohol impaired, and 15.4% of cyclists in fatal collisions. The statistics do not include the number of alcohol impaired drivers in collisions involving bicycles. However, for the same period (2004-2008), 5.3% of drivers (excluding bicyclists) in all casualty collisions, and 21.2% of those involved in fatal collisions had been drinking.

For 2004-2008, 59.7% of drivers involved in casualty collisions with bicyclists were recorded as driving properly, compared with 37.4% of cyclists.  In fatal collisions, however, only 45.5% of drivers, compared with 61.5% of cyclists, were recorded as driving properly.  Moreover, of the 62.6% of bicyclists reported as not driving properly, about one third (26% of the total) were indicated as committing "other" errors, such as riding on the sidewalk or through a crosswalk.  36.0% of cyclists, compared with 36.5% of drivers involved in casualty collisions, were recorded as having committed a driving error specified on the collision report form, such as disobeying a traffic sign, failing to yield, etc.  These statistics include children on bicycles: almost a quarter of cyclists involved in collisions were under 16 years of age.

Reported Collisions Involving Bicycles 2005–2010

Calgary

Edmonton

* This refers to the total number of people killed and injured in collisions in which a bicycle was involved. It does not refer to only bicycle operators and passengers. However, only bicyclists were fatally injured.

Injuries and Fatalities by Road User Class 2005

Reported to Calgary Police Service

Fatalities

Injuries

(Source: Alberta Transportation, Office of Traffic Safety, April/August 2011)