A new study carried out by researchers at the University of Utrecht has confirmed that the individual health benefits of cycling outweigh the safety risks.
For individuals who shift from car to bicycle, it is estimated the beneficial effects of increased physical activity are substantially larger (3 - 14 months
gained) than the potential mortality effect of increased inhaled air pollution doses (0.8 - 40 days lost) and the increase in traffic accidents (5 - 9 days lost).
Societal benefits are even larger due to a modest reduction in air pollution and greenhouse gas emissions and traffic accidents.
The research is published in the journal Environmental Health Perspectives and can be freely downloaded here: http://ehp03.niehs.nih.gov/article/info:doi/10.1289/ehp.0901747