Why Is It Better To Ride A Bike Than Drive A Car When You Are Over 60 – 6 Best Reasons

Seriously is there anything better than hopping on your bike and taking off to places unknown?

If you haven’t tried cycling yet, now is the perfect time to start.

The bicycle is an excellent form of transportation for older adults. It’s cheap, easy to learn, gentle on the joints and provides exercise that helps keep you fit.

These are just a few reasons why it is better to ride a bike than drive a car.

So why don’t more people ride bicycles as their primary form of transportation?

As we age, we need to work harder to stay fit, and added stress is certainly not our friend.  We all want to and save money.  So why don’t we cycle more instead of drive?

This is something that I ask myself often while I’m stressing out in my car.  “Why didn’t I just take my bike?”

There are so many reasons why cycling is better than driving, read on to discover them.  You might just decide to ditch your car altogether.

1. Cycling For Stress Relief 

According to the American Automobile Association, commuting by car takes up to 20 percent of our daily stress. By contrast, commuting by bike only takes up to 3 percent of our daily stress!

As we age, I think that we are all trying to find ways to make our lives less stressful.  I don’t know about you, but I don’t seem to deal with stress as easily as I did years ago.

We also seem to do fewer goofy things.  We don’t seem to laugh or smile as much.  Life just seems more serious.  I don’t know why.

I personally just want to have more Zen in my life.  You know a feeling of peace, oneness, and enlightenment.  I want to laugh and smile more.

One of the best ways to do that is with cycling.  No matter how bad the day gets, hopping on your bike and going for a ride just seems to make you feel better.

Riding a bicycle is good medicine because it makes you smile more; breath deeper and just gives you time to slow down and become more mindful of your surroundings.

You certainly don’t get that same feeling when you are in your car fighting traffic, with horns honking and trying to avoid drivers with rode rage. 

2. You Can Bike Anywhere

Riding a bike can take you on the “road less traveled”.  You know the back roads and trails that you can never get to in your car or just don’t go in a car. 

The best thing about biking is that you can go pretty much anywhere. Sure, you might be limited to certain areas if you live in a rural area, but if you live in a big city, you can easily get around without having to drive.

And you can enjoy the scenery while you pedal along.

3.  You Will Be More Productive

Studies show that people who cycle regularly tend to be more productive at work. They’re less likely to take sick days, miss meetings, or make mistakes because they’re focused on what’s happening right now.

So why not ride your bicycle to work to get focused for your day.  Then you can hop back on it at the end of a stressful workday to decompress and get your mind right before you arrive back home.

You could ride on a back road or a bike path that you wouldn’t take in a car.  This way you don’t need to deal with crazy traffic jams, drivers that are not paying attention and you may not need to deal with those red lights that always seem to slow you down.

This is just another great reason that bicycling is better than driving a car.

4. You Save Money

If you’re looking for ways to save money, consider switching to bicycling as your primary mode of transportation.

Not only will you save money on gas, insurance, parking and maintenance fees, but you’ll also enjoy the benefits of exercise without having to spend any money on gym fees for a cardio workout.

This is a big reason to ride you bike vs drive a car for the older population looking at retirement and fixed incomes.

What a win, win!  You save money while getting fresh air and some extra cardio.

In addition, cycling is one of the safest forms of transportation available. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), there were approximately 1.2 million injuries related to motor vehicle crashes in 2010. By comparison, there were approximately 830,000 injuries related to bicycling.

So, if your safe and stay healthy riding you will save money on medical costs.

5.  You Save Time

Just think of the time you will save by not needing to get in your car drive to the gym, get in a cardio workout and then drive home.

If you ride to do your errands or ride to work, you will be getting in your workout all day long.

Then there is the time you will save by not sitting in traffic or road construction.  How many times does it take you twice as long to get somewhere in a car vs a bicycle just because of traffic!

I bet your thinking that riding your bike looks pretty good if you are sitting in traffic that isn’t moving!

6. You Save Energy

In addition to being safer and more enjoyable, cycling also saves energy. If you commute to work by bike, you will save money on gas and wear and tear on your vehicle.

And if you ride recreationally, you will reduce your carbon footprint.

According to the EPA, Americans spend nearly half of their travel time in cars. This means that we burn through roughly 2 billion gallons of gasoline every year.

By contrast, Americans spend only about one quarter of their travel time on bikes. This means that we use about 400 million fewer gallons of gasoline each year.

Don’t even get me started on the rising cost of gasoline.

Summary

Why is it better to ride a bike than drive a car?

We all know that riding a bicycle is a great way to age gracefully.  It has so many wonderful physical and mental health benefits. 

Take advantage of these benefits and start riding your bicycle to work or to run your errands today.

Why not ride more and drive less?