ATTENTION AND EXPECTATION PROBLEMS IN BICYCLE-CAR COLLISIONS - AN IN-DEPTH STUDY

One hundred and eighty-eight bicycle-car accidents in four cities were studied by multidisciplinary in-depth analysis. The sample was repres entative of the national accident statistics. All the accidents were a nalyzed in detail to reconstruct the actual movements of those involve d and to assess detection of the other party. In 37% of collisions, ne ither driver nor cyclist realized the danger or had time to yield. In the remaining collisions, the driver (27%), the cyclist (24%) or both (12%) did something to avert the accident. Two common mechanisms under lying the accidents were identified. First, allocation of attention su ch that others were not detected, and second, unjustified expectations about the behavior of others. These mechanisms were found to be close ly related to the system of two-way cycle tracks and to the fact that the general priority rule is applied to the crossings of a cycle track and a roadway. The most frequent accident type among collisions betwe en cyclists and cars at bicycle crossings was a driver turning right a nd a bicycle coming from the driver's right along a cycle track. The r esult confirmed an earlier finding (Accident Analysis and Prevention 2 8, 147-153, 1996) that drivers turning right hit cyclists because they looked left for cars during the critical phase. Only 11% of drivers n oticed the cyclist before impact. Cyclists' behavior was in marked con trast to that of drivers. In these cases, 68% of cyclists noticed the driver before the accident, and 92% of those who noticed believed the driver would give way as required by law. Cyclists with a driving lice nse and those who cycled daily through the accident site were involved in different accident types to other cyclists. (C) 1998 Elsevier Scie nce Ltd. All rights reserved.