While the standard measure makes sense for a lot of cases, a more wholistic view is required when making life decisions. Taking my own life as an example: when

While the standard measure makes sense for a lot of cases, a more wholistic view is required when making life decisions. Taking my own life as an example: when I owned a car, my travel habits were different. I went farther more often, without good reason to. Not owning a car, I now travel less distance. With the same job and a car, I drove x miles/year. Riding a bike, I ride y miles/year. If x * deaths/mile is greater than y * deaths/mile, the smart choice would be a bicycle. Even if as a mode of transport it technically has a higher rate of deaths/mile. You're right, you can't really say biking is the safest form of transportation. It's less safe per mile, according to the stats. But it could turn out to be a specific person's safest transportation choice.