Look right! The influence of bicycle crossing design on drivers' approaching behavior

One of the most frequent crashes between cyclists and motor vehicles is the so-called turning into accident, where a motor vehicle turns into the main road and collides with a cyclist riding on the main road and crossing the vehicle's course. Previous studies mainly examined this type of crash and its causes with accident analyses or observational approaches. This study uses a driving simulator to examine the effect of possible countermeasures like the drivers' expectancy towards crossing cyclists, the view into the junction, and various bicycle crossing designs. N = 66 participants passed T-junctions that differ in the mentioned measures. Gaze and driving data were collected to assess the criticality of each approach. Results indicate that drivers approach marked bicycle crossings at a lower speed than unmarked crossings. Furthermore, crossings with pronounced designs showed more uncritical approaches. However, an alarming percentage of all approaches were critical because drivers showed no appropriate gaze behavior. This was even increased when the view into the junction was limited. The findings suggest that especially the view at junctions must not be obstructed to provide sufficient fields of view. Pronounced bicycle crossing, however, can enhance drivers' approaching behavior and might help to reduce the frequency of turning into accidents.

Automated summary

This study used a driving simulator to examine the effect of possible countermeasures on turning into accidents between cyclists and motor vehicles. The results suggest that drivers approach marked bicycle crossings at a lower speed and crossings with pronounced designs showed more uncritical approaches.