Distraction of cyclists: how does it influence their risky behaviors and traffic crashes?

Abstract

BackgroundUndisputedly, traffic crashes constitute a public health concern whose impact and importance have been increasing during the past few decades. Specifically, road safety data have systematically shown how cyclists are highly vulnerable to suffering traffic crashes and severe injuries derived from them. Furthermore, although the empirical evidence is still very limited in this regard, in addition to other human factors involved in cycling crashes, distractions while cycling appear to be a major contributor to the road risk of cyclists.ObjectivesThe main objectives of this study were, first, to explore the prevalence and trends of cycling distractions within an international sample of bike users, and second, to determine the influence of such distractions on road crashes suffered by cyclists, simultaneously considering the explanatory role of risky behaviors (errors and traffic violations) as potentially mediating variables between cycling distractions and traffic crashes.MethodsFor this cross-sectional study, we analyzed the data obtained from 1,064 cyclists—61.2% male and 38.8% female—from 20 different countries, who answered an on-line questionnaire on cycling-related features, habits, behaviors and accidents.ResultsThe prevalence of different cycling distractions oscillated between 34.7% and 83.6%. The most common distractions were those related to the behavior of other users, physical elements of the road, weather conditions and phone calls. Age trends and differences were also found, thus establishing a positive association between age and distractibility during cycling. Furthermore, the effect of distractions on traffic crashes of cyclists was significant when tested together with age, risk perception and risky behaviors on the road.ConclusionThe results of this study support the hypotheses that distractions have a major prevalence among bike users, and that they play a significant role in the prediction of the traffic crash rates of cyclists, through the mediation of risky behaviors.

Well-being, behavioral patterns and cycling crashes of different age groups in Latin America: Are aging adults the safest cyclists?

“…During their trips, both cyclists and other road users are commonly exposed to a great amount of information, traditionally translated into the demands of different factors such as traffic signaling, billboards, noise and the risky behaviors of other road users [29,34,54].…”

“…Thus, it is worth discussing the role of distractions in traffic crashes involving bicycle riders. In a recent empirical study performed on cyclists from 20 different countries, Useche, Alonso, Montoro & Esteban [34] found that the mechanism through which distractions represent a threat for cycling safety is their relationship with cycling errors as a statistical mediator.…”

“…This is a Likert scale composed of 12 items, in which the degree of the risk perceived (7 items; α = .651) in objectively risky factors and the knowledge of the general road regulations (5 items; α = .719) are assessed. Finally, the questionnaire on cycling distractions is a dichotomous scale (8 items; α = .603) used for assessing the impact of potential distracting sources commonly experienced by participants [34]. The contents of the questionnaires included in this section of the instrument are fully available in S1 Appendix.…”

Individual and environmental factors associated with death of cyclists involved in road crashes in Spain: a cohort study

“…In our study, ‘Distraction’ was unexpectedly the only infraction inversely associated with death and statistically significant, but this category included a wide range of sources of distraction, such as involuntary risky behaviours and intentionally committed behaviours (eg, use of technological devices). Although other authors have found distraction to be associated with a higher risk of crash,22 to our knowledge, the association between distractions and the severity of the crash has not been previously assessed. A possible explanation for this inverse association with death could be the lower speed (an unobserved variable) while cycling distracted 41.…”

Data on unsafe riding behaviors among 1960 shared bicycle riders in urban China

“…The second part consisted of shared bicycle travel-related information, such as typical purpose of shared bicycle travel, number of shared bicycle riding hours a week, and riding time for average shared bicycle rides. The third and final part of the survey asked about frequency of engaging in eight unsafe shared bicycle riding behaviors: (1) not wearing helmets [4], [5], [6], [7], (2) running red lights [8], (3) cycling against the traffic flow [9], (4) riding in a motor vehicle lane where bicycles are prohibited, (5) riding in a pedestrian lane where bicycles are prohibited, (6) carrying passengers on a shared bicycle with only one seat [10], (7) using a cell phone while riding a shared bicycle, and (8) eating while riding a shared bicycle [11], [12]. The eight risky behaviors were developed through a series of steps involving a thorough review of existing research literature and media reports, multi-round group discussions among the research team, and pilot testing.…”