This article provides an overview of cycling, including fatalities and bicycle helmet use, based on data from the 1994/1995 National Population Health Survey, the 2013/2014 Canadian Community Health Survey and the Vital Statistics-Death Database. In 2013/2014, an estimated 7.0 million Canadians aged 12 or older (24%) reported cycling in the previous three months, compared with 6.5 million (29%) in 1994/95. The prevalence of cycling declined with age, and was more common among males and people living in higher-income and -education households. From 1994 through 2012, 1,408 cyclists were killed, an average of 74 annually, most of whom were male (84%). In 2013/2014, 45% of those who had cycled in the past three months reported that they always wore a helmet.
Keywords: Cyclists; fatalities; head protective devices; health surveys; mortality; population-based; prevalence; vital statistics.