Nearly half of all cyclist fatalities occurred between bicycles and ______.

• A. Pedestrians
• B. Light trucks
• C. Motorcycles
• D. Cars

Answer: (B)

The main idea is that when a cyclist is involved in a collision, the outcome is strongly influenced by the other vehicle’s size and speed. In many crash statistics, crashes with motorized vehicles are the ones that lead to fatalities for cyclists, and among common vehicle types, light trucks (like pickups and SUVs) account for a large share of these fatal incidents. Heavier, higher-profile vehicles have more mass and bigger blind spots, which can make them harder for a cyclist to see and can cause more severe injuries in a collision. That’s why, in this context, the interaction between bicycles and light trucks is identified as the source of nearly half of cyclist fatalities. The other options involve non-motorized pedestrians or vehicle types that, in this data, don’t show the same level of involvement in fatal bicycle crashes.