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/sanjuro_kurosawa]

Crash frequency is really a perspective on riding safety and gear, not how likely it will be. This is a perspective I developed from discussing helmet wear including on bicycles and ebikes. A biking fall is not as likely as playing football or snowboarding, although if a rider does crash, it's almost certain the head will hit something and suffer a very serious injury.

Motorcycle injuries are measured in micromorts, micropossibilities. I make this analogy: if you said you rode safely 99% of the time, that means 1 out of every 100 rides you crashed. It's more like 1 out of 10,000 rides, and some riders never do that many rides.

But more importantly, it's important for all riders to expect to crash so they train, ride safely, and wear protective gear.