Bicycle Rider Behavior and Crash Involvement in Australia

Abstract

This research investigated how behaviours and attitudes of bicycle riders influence crash frequency and severity. The study recruited 1102 Australian bicycle riders for an online survey. The survey comprised questions on demographics, frequency of riding and the number and severity of traffic crashes during the last five years. The survey included the Cycling Behaviour Questionnaire and the Cyclist Risk Perception and Regulation Scale. Overall, there were low levels of errors and violations reported by participants indicating that these behaviours were on average never or rarely exhibited while riding a bicycle. Conversely, participants reported high levels of engagement in positive behaviours and reported high levels of traffic rule knowledge and risk perception. Higher rates of violations and errors were associated with increased crash likelihood, while higher rates of positive behaviours were associated with reduced rates of crash involvement in a period of 5 years. The findings highlight the relationship between errors, total crashes and crash severity Further promotion of positive behaviours amongst riders may also help to reduce the risk of crashes.

Relationships among Bicycle Rider Behaviours, Anger, Aggression, and Crashes in Finland

“…Again, this is expected behaviour throughout Finland with many separated walking and cycling facilities that designate space for active modes of transportation. Reliability for the three factors in the CBQ was similar to previously reported scores [17,19], indicating acceptable internal reliability of each factor.…”

“…Responses are provided on a five-point Likert scale: 0 = strongly disagree, 2 = neither agree nor disagree, and 4 = strongly agree. Previous applications of the RPRS demonstrated acceptable internal consistency with Cronbach's alphas ranging from 0.62 to 0.72 [19,20].…”

“…Each item is measured on a five-point Likert scale (0 = never, 2 = sometimes, 4 = almost always), where participants report how often they perform each behaviour while riding a bicycle. Previous applications of the CBQ demonstrated good internal consistency and reliability of factors, with Cronbach's alphas ranging from 0.65 to 0.86 [17,19].…”

“…In a further outcome, Useche and colleagues [18] investigated the association between behaviours and crashes, identifying increased crash involvement for those who engaged more often in risky behaviours. Conversely, in subsequent studies using the CBQ, positive behaviours were shown to have a protective effect when riding a bicycle, and to be negatively associated with errors and violations [19]. Engagement in positive and risky behaviours is influenced by road user's attitudes and awareness of road traffic rules, their knowledge of traffic norms or their risk perception, which are constructs measured using the Cyclist Risk Perception and Regulation Scale (RPRS) [20].…”

“…Differences in risk perception among various cyclists may also play a role in cycling behaviours and attitudes, with females, for example, showing higher discomfort when cycling in mixed traffic [23,24]. However, the strength of these relationships differs by jurisdiction [19], and there is a need to further explore these relationships among different cohorts of bicycle riders.…”