Drivers' gap acceptance and time to arrival judgements when confronted with approaching bicycles and e-bicycles
DOI: 10.1080/19439962.2019.1591551
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Abstract
Cite as: Schleinitz, K., Petzoldt, T., & Gehlert, T. (2020). Drivers’ gap acceptance and time to arrival judgements when confronted with approaching bicycles, e-bikes, and scooters, Journal of Transportation Safety & Security, 12(1), 3-16. doi:10.1080/19439962.2019.1591551 Drives’ gap acceptance and time to arrival judgements when confronted with approaching bicycles, e-bikes and scooters Katja Schleinitz TU Chemnitz, Chemnitz, Germany E-mail: katja.schleinitz@psychologie.tu-chemnitz.de Tibor
Summary
Schleinitz, Petzoldt, and Gehlert tested whether perceived threat, not just physical size, drives the well-known bias by which drivers accept smaller gaps and overestimate time to arrival (TTA) for smaller approaching vehicles. Participants viewed videos of approaching bicycles, e-bikes, and motor scooters of similar size but differing in inferred threat, and either indicated the smallest acceptable gap to turn in front of the vehicle or estimated TTA. Drivers accepted smaller gaps and gave longer TTA estimates for both bicycle types than for the scooter, despite comparable optical size. Findings suggest characteristics beyond physical size, such as perceived threat, shape gap-acceptance and TTA judgments and may help explain why drivers select risky gaps when turning in front of bicycles and e-bikes.
Key finding
Drivers accepted smaller gaps and judged TTA as longer for bicycles and e-bikes than for similarly sized scooters, indicating that perceived threat (not just object size) modulates gap acceptance.
Methodology
Video-based laboratory study using a within-subjects design across vehicle type (bicycle, e-bike, scooter); two task blocks (smallest acceptable gap; TTA estimation) presenting approaching two-wheelers; published in Journal of Transportation Safety & Security.
Quality score: 5 / 5