Riding a bike is good for you, but it can be dangerous

A new report, published in Tuesday's Journal of the American Medical Association, found that bike injuries are up since 1998 and older riders are getting hurt in larger numbers.

The University of California, San Francisco, study was based on emergency department data from 1998 to 2013, so only fairly serious injuries were included.

The report found that the overall rate of injuries increased by 28 percent. Riders over 45 were especially hard hit. They accounted for 42 percent of injuries in 2013, compared to 23 percent when the study began.

That probably reflects the fact that older people are riding more.

The authors also noted an increase in street accidents and in high-speed sport cycling. "As the population of cyclists in the United States shifts to an older demographic, further investments in infrastructure and promotion of safe riding practices are needed to protect bicyclists from injury," they said.

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