Introduction

Distraction is an emerging risk factor for cycling safety. Research from Europe, the United States and Japan indicate that the use of electronic devices is prevalent among cyclists in these countries. However, there is little known about the prevalence of Australian cyclists’ engagement in potentially distracting tasks and in non-technology based tasks in particular. This study examined the prevalence of secondary task engagement among Australian cyclists to determine if characteristics, such as age, gender, cycling exposure and personality, predict the frequency of engagement in secondary tasks while riding.

Methods

A sample of 646 regular cyclists (defined as cycling at least once per week) completed an online survey assessing the frequency with which they reportedly engage in a range of potentially distracting tasks.

Results

Reported engagement in secondary tasks among Australian cyclists was low, particularly for technology-based tasks, with the average reported engagement for many tasks sitting between ‘never’ and ‘hardly ever’. In addition, engagement in secondary tasks while riding was predicted by a number of cyclist characteristics including age, cycling frequency and impulsive/sensation seeking personality traits.

Conclusions

Cyclist engagement in any form of distracted cycling may be particularly risky in the Australian context due to a lack of safe cycling infrastructure making the road network less tolerant of distraction-related errors. Findings from this study can inform the design and targeting of policies aimed at reducing distracted cycling in Australia and overseas.

中文翻译：

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澳大利亚骑车人从事次要任务

介绍

分心是骑自行车安全的新兴风险因素。欧洲，美国和日本的研究表明，在这些国家中，骑自行车的人普遍使用电子设备。然而，关于澳大利亚骑自行车者参与可能分散注意力的任务，特别是非基于技术的任务的普遍性知之甚少。这项研究调查了澳大利亚骑自行车者从事次要工作的普遍性，以确定年龄，性别，骑自行车的暴露时间和个性等特征是否能预测骑行时从事次要工作的频率。

方法

646名定期骑自行车的人（被定义为每周至少骑自行车一次）的样本完成了一项在线调查，评估了他们据报从事一系列可能分散注意力的任务的频率。

结果

据报告，澳大利亚骑自行车的人从事次要任务的比例较低，尤其是基于技术的任务，据报道，许多任务的平均参与度介于“从不”和“几乎没有”之间。此外，骑自行车者在骑车时会从事一些次要任务，这是由许多骑自行车者所预测的，包括年龄，骑车频率和冲动/感觉来寻求人格特质。

结论

在澳大利亚，由于缺乏安全的自行车基础设施，使公路网对与分心相关的错误的容忍度较低，在任何情况下，以任何形式的分心骑自行车进行骑车活动都可能特别危险。这项研究的结果可以为旨在减少澳大利亚和海外自行车分心的政策的设计和针对性提供依据。