there is NO QUESTION I feel safer biking to work than driving. I am also convinced one of the most dramatic improvements you can make to society by changing your day-to-day routine is to commute by bike. The rising costs of healthcare are complicated, but I believe one significant contribution is the increased lethargy and stagnation of the average urbanite's lifestyle. Too many drivers also leads to a lot of pissed-off employees, who have to sit in idle traffic, get cut-off constantly, and basically battle the highway in general. Instead of arriving at work feeling refreshed and awake, you arrive frazzled and ticked off at people in general.