School of Psychological Science, The University of Western Australia, Australia.
StudySmarter, The University of Western Australia, Australia.
Accid Anal Prev. 2021 Jun;156:106108. doi: 10.1016/j.aap.2021.106108. Epub 2021 Apr 16.
Cyclists are vulnerable road users who are more likely than others to be involved and injured in accidents and crashes. To enhance cyclists' safety, governments around the world have introduced bicycle passing distance laws, yet research into the effectiveness of these laws is still limited. This study examines the changes in driver behaviour (passing distance, aggressive behaviour) and negative attitudes towards cyclists, as well as cyclist numbers on the roads following the introduction of a cyclist minimum passing distance law in Western Australia in 2017. The study employs a quasi-experimental design using self-reported survey data on driver behaviour and attitudes from two independent samples collected before (N = 302) and after (N = 426) the introduction of the law. Average daily cyclist numbers per month were retrieved from Western Australia's Mainroads Government Agency for 35 cycle counters on shared paths (803 data entries prior to the law and 737 data entries post its's introduction) and one cycle counter on a road in the CBD of the state capital (data entries for 349 days pre-law and 657 days post-law). Results showed that the introduction of the law was followed by an increase in self-reported passing distances by car drivers. However, the results also indicated that aggressive behaviour and negative attitudes towards cyclists had increased between 2016 and 2020, while cycling numbers remained stable. Taken together, the results indicate that the cyclist minimum passing distance law effectively addresses its targeted outcome, while it appears less effective and potentially counterproductive in addressing attitudes, related behaviours and cycling numbers in the short term. The findings have implications for policy makers looking to introduce cyclist minimum passing distance laws. Specifically, such laws may need to be rigorously enforced and to be accompanied with other interventions targeted at changing attitudes and norms concerning cyclists.
自行车使用者是道路上的弱势使用者，他们比其他使用者更容易发生事故和碰撞受伤。为了提高自行车使用者的安全性，世界各国政府都出台了自行车通行距离法，但这些法律的有效性研究仍然有限。本研究考察了司机行为（通行距离、攻击行为）和对自行车使用者的负面态度的变化，以及 2017 年澳大利亚西部出台自行车最低通行距离法后道路上自行车使用者数量的变化。该研究采用准实验设计，使用两个独立样本在该法律出台前后（N = 302）收集的关于司机行为和态度的自我报告调查数据。从澳大利亚西部的 Mainroads 政府机构收集了 35 个共享路径上的自行车计数器（法律出台前有 803 个数据条目，法律出台后有 737 个数据条目）和州首府 CBD 道路上的一个自行车计数器（法律出台前有 349 天的数据条目，法律出台后有 657 天的数据条目）的每月平均每日自行车使用者数量。结果表明，该法律的出台后，汽车司机自我报告的通行距离增加了。然而，结果还表明，2016 年至 2020 年间，对自行车使用者的攻击行为和负面态度有所增加，而自行车使用者数量保持稳定。总的来说，结果表明，自行车最低通行距离法有效地解决了其目标结果，而在短期内，它在解决态度、相关行为和自行车使用者数量方面的效果似乎不太理想，甚至可能适得其反。这些发现对希望出台自行车最低通行距离法的政策制定者具有重要意义。具体来说，这些法律可能需要严格执行，并伴随着其他旨在改变与自行车使用者有关的态度和规范的干预措施。
