Peace and Planning

One interesting outcome of researching car culture, driver behavior, and vehicular violence is uncovering counterintuitive findings. Dr. Ian Walker – based out of Swansea University in the UK – made waves when he published his 2007 article, “Drivers overtaking bicyclists: Objective data on the effects of riding position, helmet use, vehicle type and apparent gender.” Using some rather creative techniques (including sporting some luscious locks), he found that while giving female-presenting cyclers more room when passing, drivers tended to pass closer to cyclers wearing a helmet (Walker was apparently hit twice in the course of his research). Despite his findings, some municipalities still insist on adult cyclers wearing helmets and a lot of people continue to get bent out of shape about people not wearing helmets when they’re out on two (or one, or three) wheels.

(While this is not the main point of this post, it’s worth spending a moment to shed some light on the complexity of this topic. First of all, our focus should be on ensuring streets are designed to slow cars down, taking dangerous drivers off the road, and passing national requirements to ensure that cars are smaller and have fewer in-car distractions…it should not be on blaming cyclers for not wearing a helmet. Second, the chances of a helmet saving your life when you’re hit by a 4,000 ton metal box going 60 miles an hour are…slim (see point 1 – which is not to discount less severe crashes where a helmet could reduce injury, although research isn’t conclusive on precisely how much more protection helmets offer). Third, requiring helmets can have negative implications for unhoused people and people of color [a trend that emerges in most transportation policies] given disproportionate ticketing practices. Also…do we require pedestrians to wear helmets?! My personal opinion, which has shifted since beginning my research: I try to wear a helmet when I can, but don’t judge others when they don’t…given the whole “safety in numbers” bit, I’m not inclined to discourage anyone from riding. As we’ll see below, traumatizing cyclers with close calls does that enough!).

Back to the topic Dr. Walker began to illuminate 15 years ago: driver behavior toward cyclers. In the years since his seminal study, several others (most out of Australia) have pushed his ideas even further. Most recently, researchers found that cyclers who accessorize with equipment such as reflective vests and protective helmets are more likely to be seen as less human than cyclers without such apparel (Limb & Collyer, 2023). You read that right – less than human. Previous studies have explored the dynamic of driver animosity towards cyclers with similar results…surprising absolutely no one who has ever ridden a bicycle on a “shared” street (Delbosc et al., 2019; Fruhen et al., 2019; Fruhen & Flin, 2015; Oldmeadow et al., 2019; Poulos et al., 2019). Indeed, when cyclers experience “close calls,” shouting abuse, and obscene gestures/sexual harassment from drivers (which some research suggests are the most common forms of aggression), excitement about riding tends to be dampened (Aldred, 2016; Heesch et al., 2011; Sanders, 2015). Unfortunately, these types of interactions are rarely captured in existing reporting mechanisms or gathered through academic research pursuits, though promising tools like bikemaps.org and innovative approaches such as “emotional mapping” attempt to fill those yawning gaps (Branion-Calles et al., 2017; Pánek and Benediktsson, 2017). (Pedestrian safety is also getting some mapping love, as detailed by Telima et al., 2023.)

The “dehumanization of cyclists” is a concerning trend to be sure – all the more so knowing that any cycler who dares question or cross a driver for unsafe behavior risks being on the business end of a violent weapon…with no metal shell to protect them. In fact, a War on Cars episode considered whether to confront drivers or merely pedal on and pray we get home in one piece (and pray we do, because bicyclist roadway fatalities are increasing). Because I’m worried someone will use their car against me – or worse, pull out a firearm because thanks Congress – I bite my tongue when I encounter unsavory driver behavior, think of what super powers I wish I could have (deflating tires with my steely gaze is the current favorite), and refuse to engage beyond my usual resting and/or good-grief-this-is-a-big-hill-to-climb-without-pedal-assist lady face.

So what can you do? Take a moment to examine headlines in articles about crashes involving cyclers and see if you can spot the bias (and stay tuned for a future post on media coverage). Chances are good that a reference to a helmet will make an appearance but that framing distorts the role of systems and much more reckless individual driving behavior that contributed to the crash. If you feel inspired, write to the editor to share how this type of messaging grossly misrepresents the nature of the vehicular violence epidemic. Complicate the topic when it comes up in conversation with hand-wringing drivers. And maybe be kind to the cyclists in your life…it’s not always tulips and hot air balloons out there.

Until next time, I invite you to get curious – what comes to mind when you envision more peaceful streets? ✌️🚸

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For research articles on this topic, see:

Aldred, R. (2016). Cycling near misses: Their frequency, impact, and prevention. Transportation Research Part A: Policy and Practice, 90, 69–83. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.tra.2016.04.016

Branion-Calles, M., Nelson, T., & Winters, M. (2017). Comparing Crowdsourced Near-Miss and Collision Cycling Data and Official Bike Safety Reporting. Transportation Research Record, 2662(1), 1–11. https://doi.org/10.3141/2662-01

Delbosc, A., Naznin, F., Haslam, N., & Haworth, N. (2019). Dehumanization of cyclists predicts self-reported aggressive behaviour toward them: A pilot study. Transportation Research Part F: Traffic Psychology and Behaviour, 62, 681–689. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.trf.2019.03.005

Fruhen, L. S., & Flin, R. (2015). Car driver attitudes, perceptions of social norms and aggressive driving behaviour towards cyclists. Accident Analysis & Prevention, 83, 162–170. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.aap.2015.07.003

Fruhen, L. S., Rossen, I., & Griffin, M. A. (2019). The factors shaping car drivers’ attitudes towards cyclist and their impact on behaviour. Accident Analysis & Prevention, 123, 235–242. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.aap.2018.11.006

Heesch, K. C., Sahlqvist, S., & Garrard, J. (2011). Cyclists’ experiences of harassment from motorists: Findings from a survey of cyclists in Queensland, Australia. Preventive Medicine, 53(6), 417–420. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ypmed.2011.09.015

Oldmeadow, J. A., Povey, S., Povey, A., & Critchley, C. (2019). Driver anger towards cyclists in Australia: Investigating the role of the perceived legitimacy of cyclists as road users. Transportation Research Part F: Traffic Psychology and Behaviour, 63, 240–251. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.trf.2019.04.021

Pánek, J., & Benediktsson, K. (2017). Emotional mapping and its participatory potential: Opinions about cycling conditions in Reykjavík, Iceland. Cities, 61, 65–73. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cities.2016.11.005

Poulos, R. G., Hatfield, J., Rissel, C., Flack, L. K., Grzebieta, R., & McIntosh, A. S. (2019). Cyclists’ self-reported experiences of, and attributions about, perceived aggressive behaviour while sharing roads and paths in New South Wales, Australia. Transportation Research Part F: Traffic Psychology and Behaviour, 64, 14–24. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.trf.2019.04.027

Sanders, R. L. (2015). Perceived traffic risk for cyclists: The impact of near miss and collision experiences. Accident Analysis & Prevention, 75, 26–34. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.aap.2014.11.004

Telima, M., El Esawey, M., El-Basyouny, K., & Osama, A. (2023). The use of crowdsourcing data for analyzing pedestrian safety in urban areas. Ain Shams Engineering Journal, 14(6), 102140. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.asej.2023.102140

Walker, I. (2007). Drivers overtaking bicyclists: Objective data on the effects of riding position, helmet use, vehicle type and apparent gender. Accident Analysis & Prevention, 39(2), 417–425. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.aap.2006.08.010