Drivers overtaking bicyclists: objective data on the effects of riding position, helmet use, vehicle type and apparent gender

A naturalistic experiment used an instrumented bicycle to gather proximity data from overtaking motorists. The relationship between rider position and overtaking proximity was the opposite to that generally believed, such that the further the rider was from the edge of the road, the closer vehicles passed. Additionally, wearing a bicycle helmet led to traffic getting significantly closer when overtaking. Professional drivers of large vehicles were particularly likely to leave narrow safety margins. Finally, when the (male) experimenter wore a long wig, so that he appeared female from behind, drivers left more space when passing. Overall, the results demonstrate that motorists exhibit behavioural sensitivity to aspects of a bicyclist's appearance during an encounter. In the light of previous research on drivers' attitudes to bicyclists, we suggest drivers approaching a bicyclist use physical appearance to judge the specific likelihood of the rider behaving predictably and alter their overtaking accordingly. However, the extent to which a bicyclist's moment-to-moment behaviour can be inferred from their appearance is questionable, and so the tendency for drivers to alter their passing proximity based on this appearance probably has implications for accident probability.     

The use of a quasi-naturalistic riding method to investigate bicyclists’ behaviors when motorists pass

The present study aimed to investigate how motorized vehicle-related factors, road-related factors, and bicyclist-related factors influenced motorists’ decisions about initial passing distances and bicyclists’ behaviors after the motorists started to pass. A quasi-naturalistic riding method was used for thirty-four participating bicyclists riding an instrumented bicycle in real traffic. The study included 1380 incidents of left-side passing by motorists and revealed that the factors studied influenced both the motorists’ initial passing distance and the bicyclists’ position (lateral distance from the passing motorists), wheel angle, and speed control behaviors while the motorists passed. Some factors were related to the motorized vehicles; for example, the initial passing distance and the mean lateral distances were smaller when motorcycles passed than when cars and small trucks passed. The bicyclists demonstrated weaker lateral stability when they were passed by buses. In addition, a longer passing time caused the bicyclists to demonstrate cautious but less stable riding behaviors. For road-related factors, a clear and longitudinal solid line separation helped to maintain a greater lateral distance between motorists and bicyclists and assist the bicyclists in riding out of the motorists’ path, maintaining a low speed, and remaining stable. Moreover, when bicyclists avoided road surface hazards, they reduced the initial passing distances that the motorists had chosen. Considering bicyclist-related factors, the motorists selected a greater initial passing distance for female bicyclists. There were also gender differences related to the bicyclists’ lateral control, and differences in road use experience may explain this gender difference. Furthermore, the bicyclists’ wheel angle, speed, and speed variation affected the motorists’ initial passing distance. The present study demonstrated that the quasi-naturalistic riding method is capable of collecting rich data concerning bicyclists’ behaviors, which could potentially be utilized in various types of studies. However, this method requires a large sample and considerable time and effort for data processing.     

Crash reduction following installation of centerline rumble strips on rural two-lane roads

Rural two-lane roads generally lack physical measures such as wide medians or barriers to separate opposing traffic flows. As a result, a major crash problem on these roads involves vehicles crossing the centerline and either sideswiping or striking the front ends of opposing vehicles. These types of opposing-direction crashes account for about 20% all fatal crashes on rural two-lane roads and result in about 4500 fatalities annually in the US. The present study evaluated a potential engineering countermeasure for such crashes—installation of rumble strips along the centerlines of undivided rural two-lane roads to alert distracted, fatigued, or speeding motorists whose vehicles are about to cross the centerlines and encroach into opposing traffic lanes. Data were analyzed for approximately 210 miles of treated roads in seven states before and after installation of centerline rumble strips. An empirical Bayes before–after procedure was employed to properly account for regression to the mean while normalizing for differences in traffic volume and other factors between the before and after periods. Overall results indicated significant reductions for all injury crashes combined (14%, 95% confidence interval (95% CI)=5–23%) as well as for frontal and opposing-direction sideswipe injury crashes (25%, 95% CI=6–44%)—the primary target of centerline rumble strips. In light of their effectiveness and relatively low installation costs, consideration should be given to installing centerline rumble strips more widely on rural two-lane roads to reduce the risk of frontal and opposing-direction sideswipe crashes.     

The effect of cycle lanes on the proximity between motor traffic and cycle traffic

An experiment collected proximity data of motor traffic overtaking cycle traffic on roads with and without cycle lanes using an instrumented bicycle. The work enhances previous research which has considered the riding position of the cyclist and whether or not the cyclist was helmeted, while controlling for vehicle type.The analysis shows that significantly wider passing distances are adopted by motorists in the condition without a 1.45 m cycle lane, with posted speed limits of 40 mph and 50 mph with a 9.5 m wide carriageway. These findings were not replicated for a similar width road with a posted speed limit of 30 mph and a 1.3 m cycle lane.The results suggest that in the presence of a cycle lane, drivers may be driving within the confines of their own marked lane with less recognition being given to the need to provide a comfortable passing distance to cycle traffic in the adjacent cycle lane.     

Is the three-foot bicycle passing law working in Baltimore,Maryland?

Maryland (MD) recently became one of fourteen states in the United States to enact a traffic law requiring motor vehicles to pass bicyclists at a distance of greater than three feet. To our knowledge, motorist compliance with the law has never been assessed. This study measured the distance between overtaking motor vehicles and cyclists [e.g. vehicle passing distance (VPD)], to develop baseline metrics for tracking implementation of the three-foot passing law in Baltimore, MD and to assess risk factors for dangerous passes. During September and October 2011, cyclists (n = 5) measured VPD using a previously published video technique ( Parkin and Meyers, 2010). Cyclists logged a total of 10.8 h of video footage and 586 vehicle passes on 34 bicycle commuting trips. The average trip lasted 19.5 ± 4.9 min and cyclists were passed on average 17.2 ± 11.8 times per trip. VPDs of three feet or less were common when cycling in standard lanes (17%; 78 of 451 passes) and lanes with a shared lane marking (e.g. sharrows) (23%; 11 of 47 passes). No passes of three feet or less occurred in bicycle lanes (0 of 88 passes). A multiple linear regression model was created, which explained 26% of the variability in VPD. Significant model variables were lane width, bicycle infrastructure, cyclist identity, and street identity. Interventions, such as driver education, signage, enforcement, and bicycle infrastructure changes are needed to influence driving behavior in Baltimore to increase motorist compliance with the three-foot law.     

Motor vehicle-bicycle crashes in Beijing: irregular maneuvers, crash patterns, and injury severity

This research presents a comprehensive analysis of motor vehicle–bicycle crashes using 4 years of reported crash data (2004–2007) in Beijing. The interrelationship of irregular maneuvers, crash patterns and bicyclist injury severity are investigated by controlling for a variety of risk factors related to bicyclist demographics, roadway geometric design, road environment, etc.Results show that different irregular maneuvers are correlated with a number of risk factors at different roadway locations such as the bicyclist age and gender, weather and traffic condition. Furthermore, angle collisions are the leading pattern of motor vehicle–bicycle crashes, and different irregular maneuvers may lead to some specific crash patterns such as head-on or rear-end crashes. Orthokinetic scrape is more likely to result in running over bicyclists, which may lead to more severe injury. Moreover, bicyclist injury severity level could be elevated by specific crash patterns and risk factors including head-on and angle collisions, occurrence of running over bicyclists, night without streetlight, roads without median/division, higher speed limit, heavy vehicle involvement and older bicyclists.This study suggests installation of median, division between roadway and bikeway, and improvement of illumination on road segments. Reduced speed limit is also recommended at roadway locations with high bicycle traffic volume. Furthermore, it may be necessary to develop safety campaigns aimed at male, teenage and older bicyclists.     

Safety effects of permanent running lights for bicycles: A controlled experiment

Making the use of daytime running lights mandatory for motor vehicles is generally documented to have had a positive impact upon traffic safety. Improving traffic safety for bicyclists is a focal point in the road traffic safety work in Denmark. In 2004 and 2005 a controlled experiment including 3845 cyclists was carried out in Odense, Denmark in order to examine, if permanent running lights mounted to bicycles would improve traffic safety for cyclists. The permanent running lights were mounted to 1845 bicycles and the accident rate was recorded through 12 months for this treatment group and 2000 other bicyclists, the latter serving as a control group without bicycle running lights. The safety effect of the running lights is analysed by comparing incidence rates – number of bicycle accidents recorded per man-month – for the treatment group and the control group. The incidence rate, including all recorded bicycle accidents with personal injury to the participating cyclist, is 19% lower for cyclists with permanent running lights mounted; indicating that the permanent bicycle running light significantly improves traffic safety for cyclists. The study shows that use of permanent bicycle running lights reduces the occurrence of multiparty accidents involving cyclists significantly. In the study the bicycle accidents were recorded trough self-reporting on the Internet. Possible shortcomings and problems related to this accident recording are discussed and analysed.     

Cyclist safety on bicycle boulevards and parallel arterial routes in Berkeley,California

This study compares the safety of bicyclists riding on bicycle boulevards to those riding on parallel arterial routes in Berkeley, California. Literature on the impact of motor vehicle traffic characteristics on cyclist safety shows that high motor vehicle speeds and volumes and the presence of heavy vehicles are all detrimental to cyclist safety. This suggests that cyclists may be safer on side streets than on busy arterials. Bicycle boulevards—traffic-calmed side streets signed and improved for cyclist use—purport to offer cyclists a safer alternative to riding on arterials. Police-reported bicycle collision data and manually collected cyclist count data from bicycle boulevards and parallel arterial routes in Berkeley, California from 2003 to 2010 are used to test the hypothesis that Berkeley's bicycle boulevards have lower cyclist collision rates and a lower proportion of bicycle collisions resulting in severe injury. While no significant difference is found in the proportion of collisions that are severe, results show that collision rates on Berkeley's bicycle boulevards are two to eight times lower than those on parallel, adjacent arterial routes. The difference in collision rate is highly statistically significant, unlikely to be caused by any bias in the collision and count data, and cannot be easily explained away by self-selection or safety in numbers. Though the used dataset is limited and the study design is correlational, this study provides some evidence that Berkeley's bicycle boulevards are safer for cyclists than its parallel arterial routes. The results may be suggestive that, more generally, properly implemented bicycle boulevards can provide cyclists with a safer alternative to riding on arterials.     

Evaluation of bike boxes at signalized intersections

This paper presents a before-after study of bike boxes at 10 signalized intersections in Portland, Oregon. The bike boxes, also known as advanced stop lines or advanced stop boxes, were installed to increase visibility of cyclists and reduce conflicts between motor vehicles and cyclists, particularly in potential "right-hook" situations. Before and after video were analyzed for seven intersections with green bike boxes, three intersections with uncolored bike boxes, and two control intersections. User perceptions were measured through surveys of cyclists passing through five of the bike box intersections and of motorists working downtown, where the boxes were concentrated. Both the observations and survey of motorists found a high rate of compliance and understanding of the markings. Overall, 73% of the stopping motor vehicles did not encroach at all into the bike box. Both motor vehicle and bicycle encroachment in the pedestrian crosswalk fell significantly at the bike box locations compared to the control intersections. The bike boxes had mixed effects on the motorists' encroachment in the bicycle lane. The number of observed conflicts at the bike box locations decreased, while the total number of cyclists and motor vehicles turning right increased. Negative-binomial models based upon the data predict fewer conflicts with the boxes, particularly as right-turning motor vehicle volumes increase. Observations of yielding behavior at two bike box and one control intersection found an improvement in motorists yielding to cyclists at the bike box locations. Differences in the traffic volumes and location contexts make firm conclusions about the effects of green coloring of the boxes difficult. Higher shares of surveyed motorists felt that the bike boxes made driving safer rather than more dangerous, even when the sample was narrowed to respondents who were not also cyclists. Over three-quarters of the surveyed cyclists thought that the boxes made the intersection safer.     

The impact of perceptual treatments on driver's behavior: From driving simulator studies to field tests—First results

Our study focused on the lateral position of drivers in relation to risk on rural crest vertical curves, using a field site proposed by a local operator of the French road network (Conseil Général de Maine-et-Loire, 49). The final goal was to test one road treatment on this field site. The study consisted of three stages. The first, using driving simulators, selected two perceptual treatments (i.e., rumble strips on both sides of the centerline and sealed shoulders) from five that were tested in order to help drivers maintain lateral control when driving on crest vertical curves. The rumble strips were installed first on the field site.     

How similar are two-unit bicycle and motorcycle crashes?

This paper explores the similarities and differences between bicycle and motorcycle crashes with other motor vehicles. If similar treatments can be effective for both bicycle and motorcycle crashes, then greater benefits in terms of crash costs saved may be possible for the same investment in treatments. To reduce the biases associated with under-reporting of these crashes to police, property damage and minor injury crashes were excluded. The most common crash type for both bicycles (31.1%) and motorcycles (24.5%) was intersection from adjacent approaches. Drivers of other vehicles were coded most at fault in the majority of two-unit bicycle (57.0%) and motorcycle crashes (62.7%). The crash types, patterns of fault and factors affecting fault were generally similar for bicycle and motorcycle crashes. This confirms the need to combat the factors contributing to failure of other drivers to yield right of way to two-wheelers, and suggest that some of these actions should prove beneficial to the safety of both motorized and non-motorized two-wheelers. In contrast, child bicyclists were more often at fault, particularly in crashes involving a vehicle leaving the driveway or footpath. The greater reporting of violations by riders and drivers in motorcycle crashes also deserves further investigation.     

Influence of road markings,lane widths and driver behaviour on proximity and speed of vehicles overtaking cyclists

The proximity and speed of motor traffic passing cyclists in non-separated conditions may be so close and so great as to cause discomfort. A variety of road design and driver behaviour factors may affect overtaking speeds and distances. The investigation presented in this paper builds on previous research and fills gaps in that research by considering the presence of cycle lanes on 20 mph and 30 mph roads, different lane widths, different lane markings, vehicle type, vehicle platooning and oncoming traffic. Data were collected from a bicycle ridden a distance of one metre from the kerb fitted with an ultrasonic distance detector and forward and sideways facing cameras.     

On-road bicycle facilities and bicycle crashes in Iowa, 2007–2010

Purpose

An average of 611 deaths and over 47,000 bicyclists are injured in traffic-related crashes in the United States each year. Efforts to increase bicycle safety are needed to reduce and prevent injuries and fatalities, especially as trends indicate that ridership is increasing rapidly. The objective of this study was to evaluate the effect of bicycle-specific roadway facilities (e.g., signage and bicycle lanes) in reducing bicycle crashes.

Methods

We conducted a case site-control site study of 147 bicycle crash-sites identified from the Iowa Department of Transportation crash database from 2007 to 2010 and 147 matched non-crash sites. Control sites were randomly selected from intersections matched to case sites on neighborhood (census block group) and road classification (arterial, feeder, collector, etc.). We examined crash risk by any on-road bicycle facility present and by facility type (pavement markings--bicycle lanes and shared lane arrows, bicycle-specific signage, and the combination of markings and signage), controlling for bicycle volume, motor vehicle volume, street width, sidewalks, and traffic controls.

Results

A total of 11.6% of case sites and 15.0% of controls had an on-road bicycle facility. Case intersections had higher bicycle volume (3.52 vs. 3.34 per 30 min) and motor vehicle volume (248.77 vs. 205.76 per 30 min) than controls. Our results are suggestive that the presence of an on-road bicycle facility decreases crash risk by as much as 60% with a bicycle lane or shared lane arrow (OR = 0.40, 95% CI = 0.09–1.82) and 38% with bicycle-specific signage (OR = 0.62, 95% CI = 0.15–2.58).

Conclusions

Investments in bicycle-specific pavement markings and signage have been shown to be beneficial to traffic flow, and our results suggest that they may also reduce the number of bicycle-motor vehicle crashes and subsequent injuries and fatalities. As a relatively low-cost traffic feature, community considerations for further implementation of these facilities are justified.     

Road factors and bicycle-motor vehicle crashes at unsignalized priority intersections

In this study, the safety of cyclists at unsignalized priority intersections within built-up areas is investigated. The study focuses on the link between the characteristics of priority intersection design and bicycle–motor vehicle (BMV) crashes. Across 540 intersections that are involved in the study, the police recorded 339 failure-to-yield crashes with cyclists in four years. These BMV crashes are classified into two types based on the movements of the involved motorists and cyclists:

• • 

  type I: through bicycle related collisions where the cyclist has right of way (i.e. bicycle on the priority road);

• • 

  type II: through motor vehicle related collisions where the motorist has right of way (i.e. motorist on the priority road).

The probability of each crash type was related to its relative flows and to independent variables using negative binomial regression. The results show that more type I crashes occur at intersections with two-way bicycle tracks, well marked, and reddish coloured bicycle crossings. Type I crashes are negatively related to the presence of raised bicycle crossings (e.g. on a speed hump) and other speed reducing measures. The accident probability is also decreased at intersections where the cycle track approaches are deflected between 2 and 5 m away from the main carriageway. No significant relationships are found between type II crashes and road factors such as the presence of a raised median.     

Cyclists' perception of risk in roundabouts

Converting an intersection into a roundabout improves motor vehicle safety, but a similar safety effect is not found for car–bicycle collisions. Very little is known about the reasons behind these collisions. In this study a first step towards an understanding of the reasons behind these collisions is taken. The study focuses on cyclists’ perceived risk in specific situations, factors influencing the perception of risk and cyclists’ knowledge about traffic rules regulating the interaction between road users in roundabouts.

One thousand and nineteen cyclists aged 18–85 participated in the study. Data were collected using structured interviews conducted in five Danish roundabouts.

Underestimation of risk and lack of knowledge about relevant traffic rules may contribute to car–bicycle collisions in roundabouts. Cyclists prefer road designs with a clear regulation of road user behaviour. A need to increase knowledge about traffic rules regulating road user behaviour in roundabouts is identified.     

Effects of transverse rumble strips on safety of pedestrian crosswalks on rural roads in China

The primary objective of this study is to evaluate the impacts of transverse rumble strips in reducing crashes and vehicle speeds at pedestrian crosswalks on rural roads in China. Using crash data reported at 366 sites, the research team conducted an observational before-after study using a comparison group and the Empirical Bayesian (EB) method to evaluate the effectiveness of transverse rumble strips in reducing crashes at pedestrian crosswalks. It was found that transverse rumble strips may reduce expected crash frequency at pedestrian crosswalks by 25%. The research team collected more than 15,000 speed observations at 12 sites. The speed data analysis results show that transverse rumble strips significantly reduce vehicle speeds in vicinity of pedestrian crosswalks on rural roads with posted speed limits of 60 km/h and 80 km/h. On average, the mean speed at pedestrian crosswalks declined 9.2 km/h on roads with a speed limit of 60 km/h; and 11.9 km/h on roads with a speed limit of 80 km/h. The 85th percentile speed declined 9.1 km/h on roads with a speed limit of 60 km/h; and 12.0 km/h on roads with a speed limit of 80 km/h. However, the speed reduction impacts were not found to be statistically significant for the pedestrian crosswalk on the road with a speed limit of 40 km/h. The study also looked extensively at the influence area of transverse rumble strips on rural roads. Speed profiles developed in this study show that the influence area of transverse rumble strips is generally less than 0.3 km.     

Critical factors in fatal collisions of adult cyclists with automobiles

This article evaluates, by means of multivariate regression, critical factors influencing the collisions of motor vehicles with adult (over 17 years) cyclists that result in fatal injury of cyclists. The analysis is based on the database of the Traffic Police of Czech Republic from the time period 1995–2007. The results suggest that the most consequential categories of factors under study are: inappropriate driving speed of automobile; the head-on crash; and night-time traffic in places without streetlights. The cyclists’ faults are of most serious consequence on crossroads when cyclists deny the right of way. Males are more likely to suffer a fatal injury due to a collision with a car than females. The most vulnerable age group are cyclists above 65 years. A fatal injury of a cyclist is more often driver's fault than cyclist's (598 vs. 370).In order to reduce the fatal risk, it is recommended to separate the road traffic of motor vehicles from bicyclists in critical road-sections; or, at least, to reduce speed limits there.     

Comparative analysis of vehicle-bicyclist and vehicle-pedestrian accidents in Japan

Bicyclist and pedestrian injuries in collisions with vehicles in Japan were investigated based on national and in-depth accident data analyses and mathematical simulations. In an impact with a bonnet-type vehicle, a bicyclist slides over the bonnet of the vehicle, behavior that is not observed for pedestrians. As a result, the bicyclist’s head tends to strike a bonnet-type vehicle at a more rearward location in comparison with pedestrians. The first contact position of a bicycle with a vehicle, the vehicle front-end geometry and the bicycle velocity affect whether the bicyclist’s head strikes the vehicle or not. Due to the bent-knee posture of a bicyclist’s legs, the types of leg injuries sustained by bicyclists and their causes differ from those seen for pedestrians. Component test procedures have been proposed for evaluating pedestrian safety, but some modifications of the head impact area and angle are necessary when applying these methods to bicyclists.     

Red-light running rates at five intersections by road user in Changsha,China: An observational study

The red-light running rate by type of road users has not been reported in China so far. We conducted an observation study to report the violation rate in Changsha, China. Portable digital devices were used to record red-light running violations at five selected intersections. The observation was performed for three days (weekday, weekend and holiday), four time periods per day and an hour per time period (peak and off-peak hours in the morning and in the afternoon). Violation rate was calculated as number of violations divided by total number of vehicles/pedestrians × 100%. We used adjusted violation rate ratio (VRR) to quantify the effects of type of day and time period based on Poisson model. Totally, 162,124 vehicles (including motor vehicles, motorcycles and bicycles) and 31,649 pedestrians were recorded. The red-light running rate was 0.14% for motor vehicle drivers, far lowering than those for motorcyclists (18.64%), bicyclists (18.74%) and pedestrians (18.54%). The rate on holiday was 1.89 times that on weekday for drivers. The rate for motorcyclists was high in off-peak hours (adjusted VRR: 1.11), but low on weekend and on holiday (adjusted VRRs: 0.80 and 0.65). The rate for bicyclists was 32% lower on weekend than on weekday. For pedestrians, the rates were high on weekend and holiday and in off-peak hours (adjusted VRR: 1.09, 1.67 and 1.30). The red-light running rate of motor vehicle drivers is far lower than those for motorcyclists, bicyclists and pedestrians. The effects of type of day and time period on violation rate vary with road users, indicating the type of day and time period should be considered when developing and implementing interventions to reduce red-light running of different road users.