Biker 101: Are you safer riding in town or out on the open highway? The usual thought is that slower is safer, but that's only true after the accident begins. Controlled-access highways are actually safer because all the traffic is going the same way, and there are no side streets from which someone can pop into your path. There are no pedestrians, and, often, less roadside hazards to hit if you leave the roadway. Running down the road at 70 mph side-by-sidewall with the whirling wheels of a semi may be scary, but you are actually safer than at half that speed on a city street or even a country road.