Motorcycle Accident Risk Could Be Inflated by a Time to Arrival Illusion

Horswill, Mark S.; Helman, Shaun; Ardiles, Pablo; Wann, John P.

doi:10.1097/01.opx.0000175563.21423.50

Cited by 99 publications

(74 citation statements)

References 25 publications

Supporting

Mentioning

Contrasting

Order By: Relevance

“…However, it has to be pointed out that our results showed, just as many previous studies (Alexander et al, 2002;Horswill et al, 2005;Petzoldt, 2014), that higher speed levels resulted in longer TTA estimates as well as smaller accepted gaps. So, given the fact that e-bikes have been found to reach higher speed levels than conventional bicycles, not mixing these two vehicle types up might not be sufficient to reduce crash risk for e-bikes considerably.…”

Section: Discussioncontrasting

confidence: 46%

“…There is also evidence that not only vehicle type, but even just vehicle color (Cherry & Andrade, 2001) can influence the speed estimate. Even more problematic seems to be the fact that vehicle type has also been reported to influence drivers' gap acceptance and their estimates of time to arrival (Alexander, Barham, & Black, 2002;Horswill, Helman, Ardiles, & Wann, 2005;Keskinen, Hiro, & Katila, 1998 Prolonged experience in road traffic with the respective types of vehicles is usually the source for such effects. Road users expect certain vehicles (e.g.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

See 1 more Smart Citation

Can Information About an Approaching Bicycle’s Characteristics Influence Drivers’ Gap Acceptance and TTA Estimates?

Schleinitz

Petzoldt

2017

Proceedings of the 9th International Driving Symposium on Human Factors in Driver Assessment, Training, and Vehicle Design: Dri

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Summary: E-bikes, which have the potential to reach higher speed levels than conventional bicycles, but look basically the same, are suspected to be at a higher crash risk than such conventional bicycles. Other road users might misjudge the time remaining before the approaching bicycle arrives (time to arrival, TTA) and accept unsafe gaps (e.g. for turning manoeuvres) as a result of this combination of higher speed and well-known looks. Researchers have therefore suggested to make drivers aware of the higher speed of e-bikes, and give e-bikes a distinct appearance. Goal of this experiment was to investigate the effects of such a unique appearance, coupled with clear instructions about the capabilities of ebikes, on gap acceptance and TTA estimates. Participants were presented with video sequences of approaching cyclists clearly identifiable as either riding a conventional bicycle or e-bike, and were required to either indicate the smallest acceptable gap for a left turn in front of the cyclist, or to estimate TTA in two different experimental blocks. The results showed no difference in accepted gap size between the two appearances of the cyclist, whereas there was a minor effect on TTA estimates. Overall, the results imply that simply informing other road users about e-bikes (in conjunction with a re-design that gives them a unique appearance), might not be sufficient to elicit a more conservative behavior.

show abstract

Section: Discussioncontrasting

confidence: 46%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Can Information About an Approaching Bicycle’s Characteristics Influence Drivers’ Gap Acceptance and TTA Estimates?

Schleinitz

Petzoldt

2017

Proceedings of the 9th International Driving Symposium on Human Factors in Driver Assessment, Training, and Vehicle Design: Dri

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

show abstract

“…Driver failure to see two-wheelers, difficulty in determining motorcycle speeds, and reduced conspicuity of two-wheelers have been identified as important causes of 'failure to give way' type crashes in many studies (e.g., Haque et al, 2012;Horswill et al, 2005;Pai, 2011b;Pai et al, 2009). While driver attention is important, improving conspicuity of riders by using illuminated lights, wearing reflective clothing, and using retro-reflective marking on helmets and two-wheelers could potentially improve rider safety.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…The limited conspicuity of bicycles and motorcycles and consequently drivers failing to see them or giveway to them have been identified as contributing factors in many studies (e.g., Haque et al, 2012;Horswill et al, 2005;Pai, 2011b;Pai et al, 2009), which implies that there might be similarities between bicycle and motorcycle crashes, particularly at give-way situations. Other authors have suggested that drivers' perception of motorcycles as less threatening than other large vehicles may also contribute to them failing to give way (see Pai, 2011a).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

How similar are two-unit bicycle and motorcycle crashes?

Haworth¹,

Debnath²

2013

Accident Analysis & Prevention

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

This paper explores the similarities and differences between bicycle and motorcycle crashes with other motor vehicles. If similar treatments can be effective for both bicycle and motorcycle crashes, then greater benefits in terms crash costs saved may be possible for the same investment in treatments. To reduce the biases associated with under-reporting of these crashes to police, property damage and minor injury crashes were excluded. The most common crash type for both bicycles (31.1%) and motorcycles (24.5%) was intersection from adjacent approaches. Drivers of other vehicles were coded most at fault in the majority of two-unit bicycle (57.0%) and motorcycle crashes (62.7%). The crash types, patterns of fault and factors affecting fault were generally similar for bicycle and motorcycle crashes. This confirms the need to combat the factors contributing to failure of other drivers to yield right of way to two-wheelers, and suggest that some of these actions should prove beneficial to the safety of both motorized and non-motorized two-wheelers. In contrast, child bicyclists were more often at fault, particularly in crashes involving a vehicle leaving the driveway or footpath. The greater reporting of violations by riders and drivers in motorcycle crashes also deserves further investigation.

show abstract

“…For instance, studies by DeLucia and colleagues (DeLucia, 1991(DeLucia, , 2004DeLucia, Preddy, & Oberfeld, 2016) showed that an approaching object's final optical size before it disappears (i.e., optical size on the final frame in degrees of visual angle, θ final ) affects judgments such that larger final optical sizes are associated with earlier arrival estimates. This Bsize-arrival effect^was reported not only in experiments using laboratory-type stimuli (e.g., a disc increasing in size presented on a blank background), but also in more naturalistic traffic-related settings (Caird & Hancock, 1994;Horswill, Helman, Ardiles, & Wann, 2005;Petzoldt, 2014;Schleinitz, Petzoldt, Krems, & Gehlert, 2016). Relative size may be considered a heuristic that does not reliably provide accurate TTC information (Braunstein, 1976;Cutting & Wang, 2000;DeLucia, 2004;Hosking & Crassini, 2011).…”

mentioning

confidence: 99%

Estimating the relative weights of visual and auditory tau versus heuristic-based cues for time-to-contact judgments in realistic, familiar scenes by older and younger adults

Keshavarz

Campos

DeLucia

et al. 2017

Atten Percept Psychophys

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Estimating time to contact (TTC) involves multiple sensory systems, including vision and audition. Previous findings suggested that the ratio of an object's instantaneous optical size/sound intensity to its instantaneous rate of change in optical size/sound intensity (τ) drives TTC judgments. Other evidence has shown that heuristic-based cues are used, including final optical size or final sound pressure level. Most previous studies have used decontextualized and unfamiliar stimuli (e.g., geometric shapes on a blank background). Here we evaluated TTC estimates by using a traffic scene with an approaching vehicle to evaluate the weights of visual and auditory TTC cues under more realistic conditions. Younger (18-39 years) and older (65+ years) participants made TTC estimates in three sensory conditions: visual-only, auditory-only, and audio-visual. Stimuli were presented within an immersive virtual-reality environment, and cue weights were calculated for both visual cues (e.g., visual τ, final optical size) and auditory cues (e.g., auditory τ, final sound pressure level). The results demonstrated the use of visual τ as well as heuristic cues in the visual-only condition. TTC estimates in the auditory-only condition, however, were primarily based on an auditory heuristic cue (final sound pressure level), rather than on auditory τ. In the audio-visual condition, the visual cues dominated overall, with the highest weight being assigned to visual τ by younger adults, and a more equal weighting of visual τ and heuristic cues in older adults. Overall, better characterizing the effects of combined sensory inputs, stimulus characteristics, and age on the cues used to estimate TTC will provide important insights into how these factors may affect everyday behavior.

show abstract

Motorcycle Accident Risk Could Be Inflated by a Time to Arrival Illusion

Abstract: Results are consistent with the size-arrival effect and are inconsistent with the tau threshold explanation. Drivers estimate motorcycles will reach them later than cars across a range of conditions. This could have safety implications.

Cited by 99 publications

References 25 publications

Can Information About an Approaching Bicycle’s Characteristics Influence Drivers’ Gap Acceptance and TTA Estimates?

Can Information About an Approaching Bicycle’s Characteristics Influence Drivers’ Gap Acceptance and TTA Estimates?

How similar are two-unit bicycle and motorcycle crashes?

Estimating the relative weights of visual and auditory tau versus heuristic-based cues for time-to-contact judgments in realistic, familiar scenes by older and younger adults

Contact Info

Product

Resources

About