We can't say enough how much we appreciate what BCI is about and how great it is to be a part of it, however small.

— Cavern Exhibit Coordinator, Cincinnati Museum Center

I cringed when I saw your sidebar with 900 annual bicycling deaths in big bold type [BATS, Fall 2000]. Just as with bats, the raw numbers don't tell the entire story. The implication is that bicycling is far, far more dangerous than coming into contact with a rabid bat, but bicycling, in turn, is actually safer than driving a car or trying to cross the street as a pedestrian. You could have gone further up the mortality chart to show 6,000 pedestrian deaths and 35,000 motor vehicle occupant deaths. Most bicycling deaths involve individuals who were riding improperly, not following the rules of the road or using lights at night. The British Medical Association found that bicycling gives such a high health benefit that it outweighs the death and injury risk. Come spring I'll look forward to cycling at dusk around a lake in our neighborhood and watching the bats flit about as they work to keep our mosquito population down.

— Mighk Wilson
Bicycle & Pedestrian Coordinator
METROPLAN ORLANDO
Orlando, FL