“Not as Safe as I Believed”: Differences in Perceived and Self-Reported Cycling Behavior between Riders and Non-Riders

Sergio A. Useche, Javier Gene-Morales, Felix W. Siebert, Francisco Alonso and Luis Montoro
Additional contact information
Sergio A. Useche: DATS (Development and Advising in Traffic Safety) Research Group, INTRAS (Research Institute on Traffic and Road Safety), University of Valencia, 46022 Valencia, Spain
Javier Gene-Morales: DATS (Development and Advising in Traffic Safety) Research Group, INTRAS (Research Institute on Traffic and Road Safety), University of Valencia, 46022 Valencia, Spain
Felix W. Siebert: Department of Psychology, Friedrich-Schiller University of Jena, 07743 Jena, Germany
Francisco Alonso: DATS (Development and Advising in Traffic Safety) Research Group, INTRAS (Research Institute on Traffic and Road Safety), University of Valencia, 46022 Valencia, Spain
Luis Montoro: FACTHUM.Lab (Human Factor and Road Safety) Research Group, INTRAS (Research Institute on Traffic and Road Safety), University of Valencia, 46022 Valencia, Spain

Sustainability, 2021, vol. 13, issue 4, 1-14

Abstract: Cycling behavior remains a key issue for explaining several traffic causalities occurring every day. However, recent studies have shown how the assessment of the own safety-related behaviors on the road may substantially differ from how third parties assess them. Thus, the aim of this study was to evaluate the differences between cyclists’ self-reported behavior and the proxy-reported behavior that other (non-cyclist) road users perceive from bike riders. For this purpose, this study used data from two samples: ( i ) 1064 cyclists ( M = 32.83 years) answering the Cycling Behavior Questionnaire—CBQ, and ( ii ) 1070 non-cyclists ( M = 30.83 years) answering an adapted version of the CBQ for external raters—ECBQ. The results show how the self-reported and proxy-reported behaviors of cyclists greatly differ in terms of all behavioral factors composing the CBQ model, i.e., traffic violations, riding errors, and positive behaviors. Also, external raters (non-cyclists) are those targeting significantly riskier behaviors than those self-reported by cyclists. These discrepancies between perceived behaviors may give rise to conflicting viewpoints on the interaction between bicycle riders and other road users. Therefore, this study underscores the importance of behavioral awareness, providing highlights for future studies on the behavioral interaction between cyclists and other road users. Results can be used to improve the road safety of all road users by giving indications on self-and proxy-perceived safety-related behaviors and visibility of protective riding habits.

Keywords: cycling behavior; CBQ; ECBQ; data sources; cyclists; non-cyclists; cycling safety; traffic crashes (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: O13 Q Q0 Q2 Q3 Q5 Q56 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2021
References: View references in EconPapers View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (2)

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