Is falling/crashing really this common?

[u/Careless-Comedian176]

I see so many threads about their first fall/crash and i'm really starting to wonder if I get a skewed perspective on how common this is? The attitude in these threads is also like they treat as you will crash serveral times before you get the hang of it. This feels weird to me and of course there's always a risk of an accident but I don't know anyone that has crashed, including my parents and their friends who have been riding for 35 years +.

I want to add that I live in Sweden and they have pretty advanced requirements before you get a license. I don't know if it's more uncommon than I think or if it's because other countries have lighter regulations and thus doesn't give you proper instructions on how to handle your bike in certain situations?

[u/i-e-b]

Standard internet selection bias. No-one is posting that they had no problems today.

[u/Last_Lime1893 → u/i-e-b]

it's massively overrepresented online. people don't rush to reddit to say "did 200 miles through the peaks, didn't bin it, had a solid pub lunch" but they'll absolutely post about dropping it at a petrol station

the swedish licensing thing probably helps a ton as well. the uk test is fairly strict but i've still seen lads on a cbt wobbling into roundabouts with zero clutch control, some of the stuff you see on the american msf videos is genuinely terrifying, it's basically a car park slalom and then off you go on a 600