CRICOS No J Factors influencing perceived risk by French and Australian cyclists and drivers Nadine Chaurand, Wanda Griffin, Narelle Haworth & Patricia Delhomme Presentation to International Conference of Applied Psychology, Paris, July 2014

Background Governments promoting cycling for health and transport High level of perceived risk is a barrier to cycling in traffic Discrepancies in perceived risk may contribute to dangers in interactions between cyclists and drivers Cycling is more common in France than Australia, particularly among women Does this reflect cross-cultural differences in perceived risk?

CRICOS No J Perceived control/ responsibility Type of vehicle operated Type of interacting vehicle Past violations Type of situation Level of experience Perceived Risk Perceived skill Gender

Online surveys Cyclist and driver surveys in Paris (Chaurand and Delhomme, 2013) Translated into English, adapted for LHS driving Single survey in Brisbane, Australia Inclusion criteria –Driver’s licence –“Cyclist” if rode (for transport) more than once a week –“Driver” if rode (to work) once a week or less Measured experience, frequency of committing violations, perceived skill

Perceived risk in six situations involving road rule violation 1.Failing to yield when required to at a cross intersection 2.Tailgating a vehicle that has to stop suddenly 3.Going through a red light 4.Failing to indicate when turning into a driveway 5.Crossing into the opposite lane when turning (swerving) 6.Not checking traffic when turning left (FR) / right (AUS) at an intersection 3 responsibility configurations –Another rider/car driver –Opposite vehicle type –“you”

Participant characteristics FranceAustralia Cyclist N=336N=444 Female29%^32% Mean age45 Riding frequency5.5 days/week4-6 times/week Driver N=92N=151 Female30%^63% Mean age4348 Driving frequency4-6 times/week

CRICOS No J Perceived control/ responsibility Type of vehicle operated Type of interacting vehicle Past violations Type of situation Level of experience Perceived Risk Perceived skill Gender

French-Australian comparisons

French-Australian similarities Tailgating was most risky and not signalling was least risky Drivers in both studies recorded higher perceived risk than cyclists In French study, perceived incompetence affected risk ratings, but in Australian study it was also affected by perceived control

Risk ratings by user type and interacting vehicle type

Effect of responsibility for violation

Gender differences

Summary of French-Australian comparisons French cyclists and drivers had lower perceived risk than Australians –most evident in lowest ratings by French cyclists in interactions with bikes Most of the factors affecting perceived risk were similar across countries –higher perceived risk for females overall in Australia, but only for cyclists in France –perceived risk decreased with weekly time in Australia but not France

Study limitations Risk ratings given sitting at computer, not in real interaction Potential for social desirability in reporting violations Cyclists rode a lot and findings may not generalise to less regular riders Some comparisons between Australia and France complicated by different sample mixes

General conclusions Perceived risk is affected by a range of situational and psychosocial factors Being responsible for current violation doesn’t lead to lower perceived risk (nor does past history of the violation) Extent of increased risk perceived by females is not cycling-specific but may be more important for cycling Lower levels of cycling in Australia than France are reflected in higher risk ratings

Questions? CRICOS No J Mark your Diaries! Sixth International Conference on Traffic & Transport Psychology 2-5 August 2016 Brisbane, Australia