Are signalized intersections with cycle tracks safer? A case–control study based on automated surrogate safety analysis using video data

Cities in North America have been building bicycle infrastructure, in particular cycle tracks, with the intention of promoting urban cycling and improving cyclist safety. These facilities have been built and expanded but very little research has been done to investigate the safety impacts of cycle tracks, in particular at intersections, where cyclists interact with turning motor-vehicles. Some safety research has looked at injury data and most have reached the conclusion that cycle tracks have positive effects of cyclist safety. The objective of this work is to investigate the safety effects of cycle tracks at signalized intersections using a case–control study. For this purpose, a video-based method is proposed for analyzing the post-encroachment time as a surrogate measure of the severity of the interactions between cyclists and turning vehicles travelling in the same direction. Using the city of Montreal as the case study, a sample of intersections with and without cycle tracks on the right and left sides of the road were carefully selected accounting for intersection geometry and traffic volumes. More than 90 h of video were collected from 23 intersections and processed to obtain cyclist and motor-vehicle trajectories and interactions. After cyclist and motor-vehicle interactions were defined, ordered logit models with random effects were developed to evaluate the safety effects of cycle tracks at intersections. Based on the extracted data from the recorded videos, it was found that intersection approaches with cycle tracks on the right are safer than intersection approaches with no cycle track. However, intersections with cycle tracks on the left compared to no cycle tracks seem to be significantly safer. Results also identify that the likelihood of a cyclist being involved in a dangerous interaction increases with increasing turning vehicle flow and decreases as the size of the cyclist group arriving at the intersection increases. The results highlight the important role of cycle tracks and the factors that increase or decrease cyclist safety. Results need however to be confirmed using longer periods of video data.     

Trends in local newspaper reporting of London cyclist fatalities 1992-2012: the role of the media in shaping the systems dynamics of cycling

BackgroundSuccessfully increasing cycling across a broad range of the population would confer important health benefits, but many potential cyclists are deterred by fears about traffic danger. Media coverage of road traffic crashes may reinforce this perception. As part of a wider effort to model the system dynamics of urban cycling, in this paper we examined how media coverage of cyclist fatalities in London changed across a period when the prevalence of cycling doubled. We compared this with changes in the coverage of motorcyclist fatalities as a control group.MethodsPolice records of traffic crashes (STATS19) were used to identify all cyclist and motorcyclist fatalities in London between 1992 and 2012. We searched electronic archives of London's largest local newspaper to identify relevant articles (January 1992–April 2014), and sought to identify which police-reported fatalities received any media coverage. We repeated this in three smaller English cities.ResultsAcross the period when cycling trips doubled in London, the proportion of fatalities covered in the local media increased from 6% in 1992–1994 to 75% in 2010–2012. By contrast, the coverage of motorcyclist fatalities remained low (4% in 1992–1994 versus 5% in 2010–2012; p = 0.007 for interaction between mode and time period). Comparisons with other English cities suggested that the changes observed in London might not occur in smaller cities with lower absolute numbers of crashes, as in these settings fatalities are almost always covered regardless of mode share (79–100% coverage for both cyclist and motorcyclist fatalities).ConclusionIn large cities, an increase in the popularity (and therefore ‘newsworthiness’) of cycling may increase the propensity of the media to cover cyclist fatalities. This has the potential to give the public the impression that cycling has become more dangerous, and thereby initiate a negative feedback loop that dampens down further increases in cycling. Understanding these complex roles of the media in shaping cycling trends may help identify effective policy levers to achieve sustained growth in cycling.     

Identifying beliefs underlying pre-drivers’ intentions to take risks: An application of the Theory of Planned Behaviour

Novice motorists are at high crash risk during the first few months of driving. Risky behaviours such as speeding and driving while distracted are well-documented contributors to crash risk during this period. To reduce this public health burden, effective road safety interventions need to target the pre-driving period. We use the Theory of Planned Behaviour (TPB) to identify the pre-driver beliefs underlying intentions to drive over the speed limit (N = 77), and while over the legal alcohol limit (N = 72), talking on a hand-held mobile phone (N = 77) and feeling very tired (N = 68). The TPB explained between 41% and 69% of the variance in intentions to perform these behaviours. Attitudes were strong predictors of intentions for all behaviours. Subjective norms and perceived behavioural control were significant, though weaker, independent predictors of speeding and mobile phone use. Behavioural beliefs underlying these attitudes could be separated into those reflecting perceived disadvantages (e.g., speeding increases my risk of crash) and advantages (e.g., speeding gives me a thrill). Interventions that can make these beliefs safer in pre-drivers may reduce crash risk once independent driving has begun.     

The influence of speed,cyclists’ age,pedaling frequency,and observer age on observers’ time to arrival judgments of approaching bicycles and e-bikes

Given their potential to reach higher speed levels than conventional bicycles, the growing market share of e-bikes has been the reason for increased concerns regarding road safety. Previous studies have shown a clear relationship between object approach speed and an observers’ judgment of when the object would reach a predefined position (i.e., time to arrival, TTA), with higher speed resulting in longer TTA estimates. Since TTA estimates have been linked to road users’ decisions of whether or not to cross or turn in front of approaching vehicles, the higher potential speeds of e-bikes might result in an increased risk for traffic conflicts. The goal of the two experiments presented in this paper was to examine the influence of speed and a variety of other factors on TTA estimation for conventional bicycles and for e-bikes. In both experiments, participants from two age groups (20–45 years old and 65 years or older) watched video sequences of bicycles approaching at different speeds (15–25 km/h) and were asked to judge the TTA at the moment the video was stopped. The results of both experiments showed that an increase in bicycle approach speed resulted in longer TTA estimates (measured as the proportion of estimated TTA relative to actual TTA) for both bicycle types (η_p²_Exp.1 = .489, η_p²_Exp.2 = .705). Compared to younger observers, older observers provided shorter estimates throughout (Exp. I: M_Diff = 0.35, CI [0.197, 0.509], η_p² = .332, Exp. II: M_Diff = 0.50, CI [.317, 0.682], η_p² = .420). In Experiment I, TTA estimates for the conventional bicycle were significantly shorter than for the e-bike (M_Diff = 0.03, CI [.007, 0.044], η_p² = .154), as were the estimates for the elder cyclist compared to the younger one (M_Diff = 0.05, CI [.025, 0.066], η_p² = .323). We hypothesized that the cause for this effect might lie in the seemingly reduced pedaling effort for the e-bike as a result of the motor assistance it provides. Experiment II was able to show that a high pedaling frequency indeed resulted in shorter TTA estimates compared to a low one (M_Diff = 0.07, CI [0.044, 0.092], η_p² = .438). Our findings suggest that both the e-bikes’ potential to reach higher speeds and the fact that they reduce the perceived cycling effort increase the risk of TTA misjudgments by other road users.     

Mapping commuter cycling risk in urban areas

Cycling is becoming an increasingly important transportation option for commuters. Cycling offers exercise opportunities and reduces the burden of motor vehicle travel on society. Mapping the risk of collision between cyclists and motor vehicles in urban areas is important to understanding safe cyclist route opportunities, making informed transportation planning decisions, and exploring patterns of injury epidemiology. To date, many geographic analyses and representations of cyclist risk have not taken the concept of exposure into account. Instead, risk is either expressed as a rate per capita, or as a count of events. Using data associated with the City of Hamilton, Canada, we illustrate a method for mapping commuter cyclist collision risk per distance travelled. This measure can be used to more realistically represent the underlying geography of cycling risk, and provide more geographically and empirically meaningful information to those interested in understanding how cycling safety varies over space.     

Electrochemical properties of LiNi1−yTiyO2 and LiNi0.975M0.025O2 (M = Zn,Al, and Ti) synthesized by the solid-state reaction method

LiNi_1?yTi_yO₂ (y = 0.000, 0.012, 0.025, 0.050, 0.100, and 0.150) and LiNi_0.975M_0.025O₂ (M = Zn, Al, and Ti) were synthesized by the solid-state reaction method. The voltage vs. discharge capacity curves for y = 0.012 and y = 0.025 exhibit four distinct plateaus corresponding to phase transitions. Among LiNi_1?yTi_yO₂, LiNi_0.975Ti_0.025O₂ has the largest first discharge capacity, 154.8 mAh/g, at a rate of 0.1 C, and a relatively good cycling performance (77% at n = 10). Among LiNi_0.975M_0.025O₂ (M = Zn, Al, and Ti) samples, the LiNi_0.975Ti_0.025O₂ sample had the largest first discharge capacity. The LiNi_0.975Ti_0.025O₂ sample has sharper peaks for the ?dx/|dV| vs. V curves than the LiNi_0.975M_0.025O₂ (M = Zn and Al). The LiNi_0.975Al_0.025O₂ sample, with the first discharge capacity of 128.5 mAh/g at a rate of 0.1 C, has the best cycling performance (98% at n = 10).     

Effects of strength level and loading frequency on very-high-cycle fatigue behavior for a bearing steel

Rotating bending (52.5 Hz) and ultrasonic (20 kHz) fatigue tests were performed on the specimens of a bearing steel, which were quenched and tempered at 150 °C, 300 °C, 450 °C and 600 °C, respectively, to investigate the influence of strength level and loading frequency on the fatigue behavior in very-high-cycle regime. Influences on fatigue resistance of materials, characteristics of S–N curves and transition of crack initiation site were discussed. The specimens with higher strength showed interior fracture mode in very-high-cycle regime and with slight frequency effect, otherwise cracks all initiate from the surface and the fatigue strength was much higher under ultrasonic cycling.     

The role of parental alcohol consumption on driving under the influence of alcohol: Results from a longitudinal,nationally representative sample

PurposeMany studies have examined the role of peer and parental alcohol use on drinking behaviors among adolescents. Few studies, however, have examined parental influences on driving under the influence (DUI) of alcohol. The current study uses data from a longitudinal study to examine the role of parental alcohol use during adolescence on the risk for DUI among young adult men and women.MethodsData were derived from 9559 adolescents and young adults who participated in the National Longitudinal Study of Adolescent Health (Add Health) Waves I and III. Survey logistic regression was used to examine the relationship between multilevel risk and protective factors and self-reported DUI. Analyses were stratified by gender and frequency of parental alcohol consumption to understand the role of parental alcohol use on risk for DUI among their youth.ResultsRisk and protective factors for DUI were very similar among men and women. Parental alcohol use significantly predicted DUI among women (OR = 1.39, p < 0.01) and men (OR = 1.33, p < 0.05). When parents did not report alcohol use, peer alcohol use significantly increased risk for DUI for both women (OR = 1.26, p < 0.05) and men (OR = 1.31, p < 0.001). When parents reported alcohol use, however, peer alcohol use was not a significant independent predictor.ConclusionsFindings suggest remarkable similarities in risk and protective factors for DUI across gender groups. For men and women, parental alcohol consumption was a risk factor for DUI. Peers’ alcohol use predicted DUI only when parents did not use alcohol.     

Fatigue of 2024-T351 aluminium alloy at different load ratios up to 1010 cycles

Fatigue properties of 2024-T351 aluminium alloy are investigated in the high cycle fatigue (HCF) and very high cycle fatigue (VHCF) regime. Endurance tests are performed with ultrasonic equipment at 20 kHz cycling frequency at load ratios of R = −1, R = 0.1 and R = 0.5 up to 10¹⁰ cycles. Additional servo-hydraulic tests between 8 and 10 Hz at R = 0.1 show no frequency influence on fatigue lifetimes. Linear lines in double logarithmic S–N plots are used to approximate data. Slope exponents of approximation lines increase with increasing numbers of cycles for all load ratios. Failures above 5 × 10⁹ cycles (R = −1 and R = 0.1) or 10¹⁰ cycles (R = 0.5) occur, and no fatigue limit is found. Fatigue cracks leading to failures above 10⁹ cycles are initiated at the surface or slightly below at broken constituent particles or at agglomerations of fractured particles, which are probably Al₇Cu₂(Fe, Mn). Specimens stressed with more than 10¹⁰ cycles at R = −1 without failure show several cracks starting at constituent particles. Maximum crack lengths are 30 μm, which is considerably below grain size.     

Effect of tool pin eccentricity on microstructure and mechanical properties in friction stir welded 7075 aluminum alloy thick plate

Four different tools with the pin eccentricity of 0.1 mm, 0.2 mm, 0.3 mm and 0.4 mm were designed to friction stir weld 10 mm thick AA7075-O plate. The effect of pin eccentricity on microstructure, secondary phase particles transformation and mechanical properties of the joints was investigated. The results show that the nugget area (A_NZ) increases firstly and then decreases with increasing the pin eccentricity. When the pin with 0.2 mm eccentricity is applied, the A_NZ is the largest; meanwhile the grains size is the smallest which is about 3 μm and secondary phase particles are the most dispersive in nugget zone compared with other tools. While the grains are coarsened to 7–11 μm as the eccentricity is more than 0.4 mm, some coarse hardening particles get to cluster in the thermo-mechanically affected zone. The joints produced by the pin with 0.2 mm eccentricity perform the highest tensile strength and elongation, which is attributed to better interfaces, finer grains and more dispersive secondary phase particles.     

Super-toughening polyamide-612 by controlling dispersed phase domain size: Essential work of fracture assessment

A new pathway to super-toughen polyamide-612 (PA-612) by incorporating domains of soft poly(octene-co-ethylene)-g-maleic anhydride (POE-g-MA) via melt blending leading to more than ∼1100% increase in notched Izod impact strength vis-à-vis fracture toughness enhancement is demonstrated. Fourier transform infra red (FTIR) studies showed effective phase interactions between PA-612 and POE-g-MA whereas dynamic mechanical analysis (DMA) revealed a reduction in loss-peak intensity at ∼45 °C with increase in the soft phase fraction. The optimal dependence of fracture-toughness (in plane-stress) on domain-size (D_n) of dispersed-phase in the form of a reduction in resistance to crack initiation indicated by essential work of fracture (w_e) and linear increase in resistance to crack propagation indicated by non-essential work of fracture (βw_p) of the blends ⩾10 wt% of POE-g-MA content is correlated to an increase in domain-size ⩾∼0.3 μm. Fracture surface morphology indicated crazing to be responsible for the transition in fracture behavior, i.e. remarkable toughening of PA-612 at the critical rubber phase domain size range of ∼0.2–0.3 μm.     

Who are the traffic offenders among ethnic groups and why?

Marginalized populations, particularly ethnic minorities, are often at a higher risk of being involved in traffic crashes and committing traffic violations. Prominent explanations for this “ethnic traffic risk gap” include cultural and socioeconomic factors, usually measured at an aggregate level. In particular, it has been hypothesized that ethnic minorities commit traffic violations as a form of social resistance to what they perceive to be an oppressing regime. The current study examined the mechanisms underlying traffic violations at the individual level within a single ethnic minority, Israeli-Arabs. The study sample (n = 231) included a group of known offenders (n = 60) and non-offenders (n = 171), all of which completed the Traffic Violation Questionnaire. The results show that offenders and non-offenders tended to have different types of occupations, although these did not translate into significant differences in level of income. Offenders reported significantly lower levels of trust in some hegemonic institutions (the police, government ministries) but not others (parliament, the juridical system). However, offenders displayed remarkably different daily activity patterns, including much higher exposure to traffic (3 h/day vs. 0.75) and more complex trip patterns. Our results find little support for the social resistance hypothesis, as it fails to explain the differential treatment of hegemonic institutions. Daily activity patterns stand out as a central mechanism influencing the risk of violations. These results suggest policymakers should adopt a holistic approach for traffic safety interventions but avoid monolithic views of ethnic minorities which may lead to an inefficient use of resources.     

Enterococcus faecalis and Pseudomonas aeruginosa behaviour in frozen watercress (Nasturtium officinale) submitted to temperature abuses

Watercress is an herb traditionally consumed fresh. If frozen, would be readily available to consumers. However, pathogenics resistant to frozen storage are a safety concern in this new product. In this study watercress was artificially contaminated with Pseudomonas aeruginosa ATCC 27853 and Enterococcus faecalis ATCC 29212. Their survival was evaluated after blanching, frozen storage and temperature fluctuations of the frozen product. The blanching caused a reduction of about 2 log cfu per gram of product of total viable count (TVC) and about 1.7 and 1.3 log cfu per gram of product of P. aeruginosa and E. faecalis, respectively. P. aeruginosa seemed to be more sensitive to temperature abuses than E. faecalis. After 3 months, TVC was still observed with a reduction of about 3 log cfu per gram of product. At the end of the study, exposure to freeze–thaw cycles resulted in death or injury of the microorganisms. These findings on the behaviour of two microorganisms of concern in frozen watercress will help improving the safety and cold chain settings for this product.     

Ion-exchange synthesis of Co-functionalized titanate nanotubes and their application in electrochemical capacitors

Co-functionalized titanate nanotubes (Co-Ti-NTs) were successfully synthesized by means of an ion-exchange reaction. In contrast to the pristine titanate nanotubes (Ti-NTs), Co-Ti-NTs retained rich porous channels and owned even larger specific surface area and better electronic conductivity, which rendered electrons and OH^? ions easily contact the Co species uniformly distributed on their surfaces for energy storage at high rates. The Co-Ti-NTs delivered a specific capacitance (SC) of 124 F g^?1 at 0.4 A g^?1, and a SC degradation of ca. 7% after 1500 continuous cycling at 3 A g^?1, indicating that the Co-Ti-NTs were good candidates and/or even good supports for other electroactive materials for supercapacitors application.     

Motorcycle protective clothing: Protection from injury or just the weather?

BackgroundApart from helmets, little is known about the effectiveness of motorcycle protective clothing in reducing injuries in crashes. The study aimed to quantify the association between usage of motorcycle clothing and injury in crashes.Methods and findingsCross-sectional analytic study. Crashed motorcyclists (n = 212, 71% of identified eligible cases) were recruited through hospitals and motorcycle repair services. Data was obtained through structured face-to-face interviews. The main outcome was hospitalization and motorcycle crash-related injury. Poisson regression was used to estimate relative risk (RR) and 95% confidence intervals for injury adjusting for potential confounders.ResultsMotorcyclists were significantly less likely to be admitted to hospital if they crashed wearing motorcycle jackets (RR = 0.79, 95% CI: 0.69–0.91), pants (RR = 0.49, 95% CI: 0.25–0.94), or gloves (RR = 0.41, 95% CI: 0.26–0.66). When garments included fitted body armour there was a significantly reduced risk of injury to the upper body (RR = 0.77, 95% CI: 0.66–0.89), hands and wrists (RR = 0.55, 95% CI: 0.38–0.81), legs (RR = 0.60, 95% CI: 0.40–0.90), feet and ankles (RR = 0.54, 95% CI: 0.35–0.83). Non-motorcycle boots were also associated with a reduced risk of injury compared to shoes or joggers (RR = 0.46, 95% CI: 0.28–0.75). No association between use of body armour and risk of fracture injuries was detected. A substantial proportion of motorcycle designed gloves (25.7%), jackets (29.7%) and pants (28.1%) were assessed to have failed due to material damage in the crash.ConclusionsMotorcycle protective clothing is associated with reduced risk and severity of crash related injury and hospitalization, particularly when fitted with body armour. The proportion of clothing items that failed under crash conditions indicates a need for improved quality control. While mandating usage of protective clothing is not recommended, consideration could be given to providing incentives for usage of protective clothing, such as tax exemptions for safety gear, health insurance premium reductions and rebates.     

Driver views on speed and enforcement

This paper reports on the results of a drivers’ survey regarding the effects of speed cameras for speed enforcement in Israel. The survey was part of a larger study that accompanied the introduction of digital speed cameras. Speed camera deployment started in 2011, and till the end of 2013 twenty-one cameras were deployed in interurban road sections. Yearly surveys were taken between 2010 and 2013 in 9 gas stations near speed camera installation sites in order to capture drivers’ opinions about speed and enforcement. Overall, 1993 drivers were interviewed.In terms of admitted speed behavior, 38% of the drivers in 2010, 21% in 2011, 13% in 2012 and 11% in 2013 reported that their driving speed was above the perceived posted speed limit. The proportion of drivers indicating some speed camera influence on driving decreased over the years. In addition, the majority of drivers (61%) predicted positive impact of speed cameras on safety. This result did not change significantly over the years. The main stated explanation for speed limit violations was time pressure, while the main stated explanation for respecting the posted speed was enforcement, rather than safety concerns.Linear regression and sigmoidal models were applied to describe the linkage between the reported driving speed (dependent) and the perceived posted speed (independent). The sigmoidal model fitted the data better, especially at high levels of the perceived posted speeds. That is, although the perceived posted speed increased, at some point the actual driving speed levels off (asymptote) and did not increase. Moreover, we found that the upper asymptote of the sigmoidal model decreased over the years: from 113.22 (SE = 18.84) km/h in 2010 to 88.92 (SE = 1.55) km/h in 2013. A wide variance in perceived speed limits suggest that drivers may not know what the speed limits really are.     

Hydriding–dehydriding cycling behavior of magnesium–nickel–iron oxide alloy

By measuring the absorbed hydrogen quantity as a function of number of cycles, cycling characteristics of the Mg–15 wt%Ni–5 wt%Fe₂O₃ alloy was investigated. The sample was hydriding–dehydriding cycled 150 times. The absorbed hydrogen quantity decreased as the number of cycles increased from the second to the 150th cycle. The H_a value varied almost linearly with the number of cycles. The degradation rate from n = 1 to n = 100 is 0.01201 wt%/cycle for the hydriding reaction time of 10 min, and 0.00860 wt%/cycle for the hydriding reaction time of 60 min. After the 150th hydriding–dehydriding cycle, Mg, Mg₂Ni, Mg(OH)₂, MgO, and Fe were observed. The phases were analyzed by Rietveld analysis from the XRD patterns of the Mg–15Ni–5Fe₂O₃ alloy after 150th hydriding–dehydriding cycles. The crystallite size and strain of Mg were then estimated by Williamson–Hall technique.     

The non-linearity of risk and the promotion of environmentally sustainable transport

Several studies show that the risks of injury to pedestrians and cyclists are highly non-linear. This means that the more pedestrians or cyclists there are, the lower is the risk faced by each pedestrian or cyclist. On the other hand, the more motor vehicles there are, the higher becomes the risk faced by each pedestrian or cyclist. The relationships found in previous studies suggest that if very large transfers of trips from motor vehicles to walking or cycling take place, the total number of accidents may be reduced. The “safety in numbers” effect for pedestrians and cyclists would then combine favourably with the effect of a lower number of motor vehicles to produce a lower total number of accidents. This paper explores if such an effect is possible, relying on the findings of studies that show the non-linearity of injury risks for pedestrians and cyclists. It is found that for very large transfers of trips from motor vehicles to walking or cycling, a reduction of the total number of accidents is indeed possible. This shows that the high injury rate for pedestrians and cyclists in the current transport system does not necessarily imply that encouraging walking or cycling rather than driving will lead to more accidents.     

Analysis of vehicle-bicycle interactions at unsignalized crossings: A probabilistic approach and application

In the last decades, bicycle usage has been increasing in many countries due to the potential environmental and health benefits. Therefore, there is a need to better understand cyclists’ interactions with vehicles, and to build models and tools for evaluating multimodal transportation infrastructure with respect to cycling safety, accessibility, and other planning aspects. This paper presents a modeling framework to describe driver-cyclist interactions when they are approaching a conflicting zone. In particular, the car driver yielding behavior is modeled as a function of a number of explanatory variables. A two-level hierarchical, probabilistic framework (based on discrete choice theory) is proposed to capture the driver’s yielding decision process when interacting with a cyclist. The first level models the probability of the car driver perceiving a situation with a bicycle as a potential conflict whereas the second models the probability of yielding given that a conflict has been perceived by the driver. The framework also incorporates the randomness of the location of the drivers’ decision point. The methodology is applied in a case study using observations at a typical Swedish roundabout. The results show that the conflict probability is affected differently depending on the user (cyclist or driver) who arrives at the interaction zone first. The yielding probability depends on the speed of the vehicle and the proximity of the cyclist.     

Self reported risk taking and risk compensation in skiers and snowboarders are associated with sensation seeking

In alpine skiing, a controversial discussion has been taking place regarding the potential influence of wearing a ski helmet on the individual level of risk taking behaviour. The aim of this study was to evaluate whether self reported risk taking behaviour and self reported risk compensation are associated with the personality trait sensation seeking (SS) in alpine skiing and snowboarding. In total, 683 persons (36% males and 64% females) completed an online-survey about attitudes and use of protective gear in winter sports including the German version of the sensation seeking scale form V. A logistic regression analysis including gender, age, nationality, preferred winter sport, self reported skiing ability, mean skiing time per season, use of ski helmets, and SS total score was used to estimated adjusted odds ratios (ORs) and their 95% confidence intervals (95 CI) for self reported risk taking behaviour. Regression analysis revealed that a more risky behaviour increased with male gender (OR: 2.7), with an age < 25 years (OR: 1.6), with skiing (OR: 1.3), higher skill level (OR: 5.7), and a mean skiing time > 28 days per season (OR: 2.2). In addition, SS total score was significantly higher in more risky compared to more cautious people (23.8 vs. 20.3, p < .001). Ski helmet use was not found to be predictive for a more risky behaviour (p > .05). Also, skiers and snowboarders with self reported risk compensation while wearing a ski helmet had higher SS total scores compared to those who did not report risk compensation (23.8 vs. 20.9, p = .001). In addition, self reported risk compensation in helmet wearers increased with an age < 25 years (OR: 2.2), a higher skill level (OR: 2.5) and a mean skiing time > 28 days per season (OR: 2.1). In conclusion, self reported risk taking and self reported risk compensation are associated with higher sensation seeking total scores. The personality trait sensation seeking, not wearing of a ski helmet, appears to be associated with riskier behaviour on the ski slopes.