Social Influence and Different Types of Red-Light Behaviors among Cyclists

Fraboni, Federico; Puchades, Victor Marin; De Angelis, Marco; Prati, Gabriele; Pietrantoni, Luca · 2016 · DOAJ

DOI: 10.3389/fpsyg.2016.01834

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Summary

This study investigates the role of social influence on cyclists’ red-light violations, addressing a gap in literature regarding the psychosocial determinants of this common traffic infringement. Given that red-light violations are strongly associated with cyclist crashes, the authors aimed to distinguish between two types of violations: "risk-taking" (crossing without stopping) and "opportunistic" (stopping initially but crossing before the light turns green). The research tested two hypotheses: first, that a higher number of cyclists waiting at an intersection reduces risk-taking violations; and second, that cyclists are more likely to commit opportunistic violations when following another cyclist who has already violated the signal. The researchers employed an eye-observational methodology at four intersections in Bologna, Italy, during morning and afternoon peak hours in April 2016. Two trained observers simultaneously recorded the behavior of 1,381 cyclists approaching traffic lights during the red phase. Data were collected via a smartphone application, coding for the type of red-light behavior (law-obeying, opportunistic, or risk-taking), the number of other cyclists present (0, 1, 2–4, or 5+), and whether the cyclist was following another violator. Inter-rater reliability was established as excellent prior to data collection. Results indicated that 62.9% of cyclists violated the red-light signal. The analysis confirmed the first hypothesis: risk-taking violations were significantly higher when no other cyclists were present (46.8%) compared to when two or more cyclists were waiting (23.0% for 2–4 cyclists; 5.9% for 5+ cyclists). Conversely, the percentage of law-obeying cyclists increased with group size. Regarding the second hypothesis, statistical analysis revealed a significant association between following behavior and opportunistic violations. Cyclists who followed another violator were more likely to commit an opportunistic violation (60.9%) rather than a risk-taking one (39.1%), whereas those not following were more likely to commit risk-taking violations (57.9%). The findings demonstrate that social influence affects cyclists differently depending on the type of violation. The presence of other cyclists acts as a deterrent to high-risk, immediate crossings, likely due to social proof and conformity pressures. However, the presence of a violating peer facilitates opportunistic violations, suggesting that seeing others break the rule provides social support for non-conformity. These results imply that interventions aimed at reducing cyclist crashes should consider the distinct social dynamics driving different violation types, highlighting that group presence can both inhibit dangerous risk-taking and encourage opportunistic infractions.

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• cyclist safety