Intersegmental strategies in frontal plane in moderately-skilled riders analyzed in ridden and un-mounted situations

The symmetry of the rider is highly relevant, and in the equestrian community it is generally thought that a symmetrical rider has a better possibility to influence the horse in an optimal way. The aim of the study was to analyse and compare frontal plane kinematics of the core body segments in ten riders while riding and while rocking a balance chair from side-to-side. It was hypothesized that the riders were asymmetrical in relation to their intersegmental strategies when comparing between left and right directions and that individual riders would display the same postural strategies when riding and when rocking the balance chair. Ten moderately-skilled riders wore a full-body marker set that was tracked by a motion capture system as they rocked a balance chair from side to side. Inertial measurement units attached to the head, trunk and pelvis were used to measure the segmental movements while riding in left and right directions. Roll rotation data for head, trunk and pelvis were averaged over available strides/cycles. Results from mixed models showed that the riders were asymmetric when comparing riding in left vs right directions, for example the trunk was rotated 19° to the right on the right circle and 14° to the left on the left circle, on average. Riders adopted the same asymmetrical posture whether they were riding in the left or right direction on straight lines, circles or leg yielding. A significant relationship was found between postural asymmetries when riding and when rocking the balance chair, one degree of pelvis or head roll asymmetry on the chair predicted 2.4 (SE 0.9) degrees of asymmetry while riding. Future studies may investigate the value of seated, off-horse postural training for improving rider symmetry and thereby equestrian performance.     

The effects of safety knowledge and psychological factors on self-reported risky driving behaviors including group violations for e-bike riders in China

ObjectivesIt is unknown that how safety knowledge and psychological factors affect e-bike rider safety. Also, group violation behaviors, which are commonly observed in the field, have been rarely examined for e-bike riders in China. In this paper, the effects of safety knowledge and psychological factors on self-reported risky driving behaviors including group violations were examined.MethodsA questionnaire was developed to acquire information of e-bike riders in Guilin, Guangxi Province. Explanatory factor analysis was used to examine the reliability of the questionnaire and exclude redundant measurement items. Then, a Structure Equation Model was developed to examine the relationships among safety knowledge, safety attitude, risk perception and risky driving behaviors. After that, multiple regression models were fitted to examine the effect of safety knowledge on each type of risky driving behavior, as well as factors associated with group violations. At last, ANOVA tests were conducted to identify significant differences among e-bike rider groups in safety knowledge, safety attitude, and risk perception.ResultsSafety knowledge was found significantly associated with risky driving behaviors for e-bike riders in China, including aggressive driving, erroneous driving, and group violations. E-bike riders severely lack safety knowledge, especially that of traffic rules, including unmarried riders, under-educated riders, riders without driver’s license, younger riders, and riders with little riding experience. Group violations were largely found among e-bike riders, and to be associated with safety knowledge of traffic rules, risk-taking attitude, and riding experience of e-bike riders.ConclusionsThe findings could add some new safety implication and be beneficial for developing safety policies and interventions for e-bikes.     

Investigating the effect of blood alcohol concentration on motorcyclist’s riding performance using an advanced motorcycle simulator

It is largely accepted that drink-driving significantly increases the likelihood that a driver may engage in risk-taking behavior and thus road crash. Although there have been a few studies examining the effect of blood alcohol concentration (BAC) on rider performance in developed countries, there has not been any research on the effect of BAC levels on motorcycle rider’s performance in developing countries. This study is attempted to evaluate the effect of low BAC levels (i.e., ≤0.05 g/dL or 0.05) on riding performance of motorcycle riders in Vietnam using an advanced motorcycle riding simulator. Thirty-four motorcycle riders aged 18–40 complete simulated rides on three BAC levels, namely 0.00, 0.02, and 0.05. Riding performance indicators are measured and compared at different BAC levels. These indicators include average speed, average lateral overtaking distance, brake reaction time, acceleration, deceleration, and frequency of lane change. At the level BAC = 0.02 or lower, the negative effects on the rider’s ability to control a motorcycle safely are statically insignificant. At the level BAC = 0.05, all the performances are impaired and the negative effects become statistically significant. In comparison of between novice participants and experienced participants at the same level of BAC, mean speed and acceleration rates of novice participants are significantly higher than the experienced participant. Based on the findings, the paper further discusses empirical relationships between reduced riding performances and road crash risk, and insights into drink-riding deterrence policy-making with regard to motorcycle riders.     

Correlations of multiple rider behaviors with self-reported attitudes,perspectives on traffic rule strictness and social desirability

Powered Two-Wheeler (PTW) riders constitute a very vulnerable group of road users, while riding a PTW is considerably more dangerous than using any other motor vehicle. Behavioral issues have been identified major moderating factors to PTW crashes, as riders display great variability in their attitudes towards road safety. Τhe aim of this paper is to present a thorough, overarching structure of relationships correlating various unsafe stated PTW rider behaviors (riding after alcohol consumption, speeding, helmet use and texting) with several self-reported attitude parameters and factors regarding rider perspectives on traffic rule strictness and social desirability. A structural equation model (SEM) was developed using data from the ESRA2 survey, which provided a broad sample encompassing 5,958 respondent riders from 32 countries. Numerous statistical relationships were discovered and quantified correlating the four examined unsafe rider behaviors with eight latent unobserved variables. All covariances between unsafe behaviors were found to be positive and statistically significant, indicating that a rider who will engage more frequently in every single one of the four examined unsafe riding behaviors is more likely to also engage in all the others as well.     

Evasive action characteristics of motorcycle riders towards occluded-surprise and expected pedestrians: A pedestrian mock-up study

Evasive action performance of motorcycle riders plays a vital role in the prevention of road crashes. In possible conflicting scenarios, motorcycle riders need to respond quickly and perform evasive actions successfully to prevent collisions with other vulnerable road users such as crossing pedestrians. To study the motorcycle rider behavior in conflicts with occluded and visible pedestrians, we designed four mock-up pedestrian scenarios, which includes, two surprise scenarios, one stationary scenario, and one expected scenario. Riders’ responses to the conflicts were measured using instrumented vehicle’s trajectory. Most riders preferred deceleration over swerving at the beginning of the interaction, followed by swerving at manageable speeds. Further, the analysis of riders’ deceleration rates revealed that a linear relationship existed between the deceleration rates and time to collisions (TTC). The study also analyzed the riders’ responses using repeated-measures analysis of variance (RM-ANOVA) to check for the effect of scenario type on deceleration rates. Results indicated that scenario type significantly affected the mean deceleration rates. Further, RM-ANOVA analysis carried out on the jerk behavior of motorcycle riders indicated that there was a significant effect of scenario type on the jerk behavior. Motorcycle riders’ jerks varied linearly with TTC and motorcyclists employ relatively higher decelerations and jerks when faced with pedestrians emerging suddenly from occluded locations such as from the blind spots formed due to parked vehicles. This study helps in understanding motorcycle rider behavior in critical situations and shows the need for assistive evasive systems for motorcycle riders to mitigate collisions with other vulnerable road users.     

Safety of micro-mobility: Riders’ psychological factors and risky behaviors of cargo TTWs in China

Cargo two- or three-wheeled vehicles (TTWs), as a new form of micro-mobility, have become a popular mode of urban cargo transportation in China. Cargo TTW riders’ psychological factors and risky behaviors lead to a number of accidents. A questionnaire is designed by comprehensively considering these factors and behaviors of cargo TTW riders that includes eleven risk factors to quantitatively analyze the risky behaviors based on structural equation modeling (SEM). One thousand three hundred nineteen participants reported using cargo TTWs on a questionnaire distributed across the country. The characteristics of riding behavior data are analyzed to verify the three-layer risk theoretical framework of “Psychological factors (Personality traits/specific factors) - Psychological acceptability of risks (confidence/perception/attitude) - Risky behaviors”. The results show that anger has a strong direct effect on riding violations, while normlessness and altruism have a direct effect on riding errors. Workload has a weak but direct effect on risky behaviors, and riding feedback has a weak and mixed effect. In addition, high-risk groups are identified by analysis of variance (ANOVA) with rider population attributes. These quantitative analyses can help guide safety countermeasures to mitigate accidents involving cargo TTWs.     

Factors associated with cyclists’ self-reported choice of lane position

Riders cycling on roads without bicycle lanes are generally advised to ride in the centre of their lane (primary position), and to move toward the left of the lane (in left-hand traffic; secondary position) only to let faster traffic pass and when it is safe. The present research investigated which situational and personal characteristics were associated with choice of lane position, and whether choice of lane position is associated with on-road crash involvement. A large cohort of bicycle riders from New South Wales Australia reported on their cycling patterns and crashes in 6 reporting weeks over a 1-year period using on-line surveys. During one reporting week 1525 participants identified their preferred choice of lane position in each of 6 visually-depicted scenarios that were designed to investigate the influence of number of lanes (in the cyclists’ direction of travel), parked cars, and bus lanes. A majority of respondents preferred the secondary position in scenarios with a clear kerbside lane. Respondents were significantly more likely to choose the primary position in multiple-lane situations compared to single-lane situations, if there were parked cars in the kerbside lane, and if they were female, younger, experienced riders, transport riders, or high intensity riders. Controlling for personal characteristics, choosing the primary position in a single clear traffic lane scenario was associated with a higher on-road crash rate, while choosing the primary position in a traffic lane with parked cars scenario was associated with a lower on-road crash rate. Results suggested that when riding on-road the bicycle riders in this Australian cohort prefer to keep their distance from motorised traffic, allowing traffic to pass safely when space allows. Nonetheless, results suggested that choice of lane position is highly dependent on the local road and traffic environment. Further research is needed to support advice to cyclists.     

Hazard perception abilities of experienced and novice motorcyclists: An interactive simulator experiment

This study reports an experiment that compared the hazard perception abilities of experienced and novice motorcycle riders using an interactive, closed-loop, simulator. Participants (n = 49) were categorized into four groups: experienced motorcycle riders with full driver licence, inexperienced motorcycle riders with full driver licence, novice motorcycle riders with full driver licence, and novice motorcycle riders with probationary driver licence. The participants were tested on three scenarios, each consisting of eight hazardous events. They were instructed to ride normally, but to respond appropriately to avoid the hazards. Under certain conditions in the simulator, we found that experienced riders (relative to inexperienced or novice riders) crashed less often, received better performance evaluations, and approached hazards at more appropriate speeds. Interestingly, we also found that some novice riders were overconfident in their riding ability. We discuss how this overconfidence might be related to hazard perception.     

Motorcyclist accident involvement by age,gender, and risky behaviors in Taipei,Taiwan

This study aimed to investigate the relationship between age, gender, and risky behaviors of motorcyclists and their involvement in accidents. The results of a self-reported survey on motorcyclist behavior in the Taipei metropolitan area were analyzed. A two-step cluster analysis was used to classify motorcyclist behavior to different levels of risk within each of three risky behavior types. This was used to examine the regression relationship with accident risk. The results indicated that young and male riders were more likely to disobey traffic regulations, and that young riders also had a higher tendency towards negligence of potential risk and motorcycle safety checks. These “error” and “violation” behaviors increased the likelihood of an accident. However, in addition to these risks, there are additional factors that put young riders, particularly young female riders with the least riding experience, at increased risk of having an accident. These additional factors may be poor driving skills and less experience, all of which may result from the slack motorcycle licensing system. There should be increased emphasis on the necessity of providing appropriate training and a lower risk environment for novice riders.     

Unsafety on two wheels,or social prejudice? Proxying behavioral reports on bicycle and e-scooter riding safety – A mixed-methods study

The use of non-motorized transportation and micro-mobility is increasing in many cities. Bicycle riding and e-scooter use are now more common and affordable than ever. However, users of these devices face certain key issues. These include their own risky behaviors as well as involvement in conflicts with other road users. Self-report data may not adequately capture these behaviors and interactions. Despite this, more objective data (i.e., how third parties perceive these users’ road behaviors) is scarce. Aims: This study aimed to understand whether e-scooter riders have comparable or different riding behaviors than cyclists. This was investigated using a mixed-method study. Methods: This paper is divided into two sub-studies. In Study 1, 950 Spanish non-cyclists and non-e-scooter riders (mean age 31.98 ± 13.27 years; 55.3% female) provided external ratings (proxies) regarding the perceived behaviors of bicycle and e-scooter riders. In Study 2, collective Rapid Assessment Processes (RAPs; n = 23) were used to develop qualitative configurations of some of the key risky behaviors highlighted in Study 1. Results: There were significant differences in the perceived errors and violations rated by proxies for both types of riders (with e-scooter riders perceived as having higher rates of risky behaviors). However, there were also structural differences in the effects of external raters’ risk perceptions, traffic rule knowledge, and traffic incidents with two-wheeled riders on how they rated the behaviors. Conclusion: The results of both studies suggest that external raters’ perceptions provide further understanding of the causes, dynamics, and conflicts related to road behaviors performed by certain groups of road users. This is particularly apparent when there is no clear legislation and information on safe riding in urban areas. In this sense, improving infrastructure could promote safer interactions. Finally, road safety education could focus on promoting safer practices and interactions in order to improve how others perceive riders’ behavior.     

Comparative analyses of rider position according to skill levels during walk and trot in Jeju horse

The purpose of this study was to evaluate the rider position at walk and trot as a function of rider skill level by analyzing joint angles. Participants included three advanced riders and six beginners, and training was conducted for one hour, twice a week for 24 weeks. In the walk stage of the beginners’ group, the elbows and shoulders sustained postures comparable to those of the advanced riders group; the trunk tilted forwards at first, but later it tilted slightly behind the vertical. The knee, ankle, and left–right angle kept stable postures after 12 weeks of training (p < .05). The front-rear (FR) angle of the beginners group improved during training, but it was still lower than the advanced riders group after 24 weeks of training (p < .05). At trot, while the knee angle measurement of the beginners’ group was similar to the advanced riders, the ankle joint sustained a forward point posture. The ankle joint maintained dorsiflexion posture with 83.9° ± 5.3 in the advanced riders group, while the beginners group had plantar flexion posture with 98.7° ± 6.0. This study suggested that the correlation between the joint and body segment angles could be an important indicator in the evaluation of rider proficiency.     

Compensatory behaviour of visually impaired cyclists in everyday settings

This study investigated whether visually impaired cyclists, compared to cyclists without visual limitations, take other, potentially safer routes to destinations in their own living environment and whether they ride at a lower speed. In total, 19 matched pairs of a visually impaired cyclist and a normally sighted peer from the same neighbourhood recorded their everyday bicycle rides, using GPS action cameras. In addition, they completed an ‘assigned ride’, a ride for which only a starting and an ending point were provided by the researcher. A risk-assessment procedure showed that the route taken by visually impaired cyclists during this assigned ride was not less risky than the route taken by the normally sighted cyclists. Analysis of the everyday rides showed that, on average, cyclists with a visual impairment more frequently (i.e. for longer periods) cycled at a speed below 10 km/h compared to cyclists without visual impairment. Also, the visually impaired participants’ cruising speed was 1.4 km/h lower than that of their normally sighted counterparts. In conclusion, no evidence was found that visually impaired cyclists compensate strategically by taking different, potentially safer routes than normally sighted cyclists when riding in their own environment. They may (unconsciously) compensate tactically for their visual function limitations by riding at a lower speed when necessary. Mobility trainers in vision rehabilitation as well as road designers could apply these findings to optimise the cycling mobility of visually impaired people.     

The psychosemantics of free riding: dissecting the architecture of a moral concept

For collective action to evolve and be maintained by selection, the mind must be equipped with mechanisms designed to identify free riders--individuals who do not contribute to a collective project but still benefit from it. Once identified, free riders must be either punished or excluded from future collective actions. But what criteria does the mind use to categorize someone as a free rider? An evolutionary analysis suggests that failure to contribute is not sufficient. Failure to contribute can occur by intention or accident, but the adaptive threat is posed by those who are motivated to benefit themselves at the expense of cooperators. In 6 experiments, we show that only individuals with exploitive intentions were categorized as free riders, even when holding their actual level of contribution constant (Studies 1 and 2). In contrast to an evolutionary model, rational choice and reinforcement theory suggest that different contribution levels (leading to different payoffs for their cooperative partners) should be key. When intentions were held constant, however, differences in contribution level were not used to categorize individuals as free riders, although some categorization occurred along a competence dimension (Study 3). Free rider categorization was not due to general tendencies to categorize (Study 4) or to mechanisms that track a broader class of intentional moral violations (Studies 5A and 5B). The results reveal the operation of an evolved concept with features tailored for solving the collective action problems faced by ancestral hunter-gatherers.     

Coordination dynamics of the horse-rider system

The authors studied the interaction between rider and horse by measuring their ensemble motions in a trot sequence, comparing 1 expert and 1 novice rider. Whereas the novice's movements displayed transient departures from phase synchrony, the expert's motions were continuously phase-matched with those of the horse. The tight ensemble synchrony between the expert and the horse was accompanied by an increase in the temporal regularity of the oscillations of the trunk of the horse. Observed differences between expert and novice riders indicated that phase synchronization is by no means perfect but requires extended practice. Points of contact between horse and rider may haptically convey effective communication between them.     

Exploring psychological factors of mobile phone use while riding among motorcyclists in Vietnam

Mobile phone use while riding is one of the five most common risky behaviors of motorcycle riders in Vietnam. This study investigated motorcyclist’s mobile phone use while riding intention and behavior based on the extended Theory of Planned Behavior (TPB) framework. Based on this framework, attitude, subjective norm, perceived behavioral control, habits, and health motivation underlying the rider’s mobile phone use while riding intentions and behavior were included in a questionnaire and captured by direct and indirect measurements. Small-displacement motorcycle riders (N = 291) completed the extended TPB based questionnaire. An exploratory factor analysis technique identified the selected factors (e.g., attitude, habit, etc.). Moreover, Structural Equation Modeling results showed moderate to good fits to the observed data. Therefore, the results supported the utilization of extended TPB framework in identifying factors of mobile phone use while riding intention and behavior. Specifically, negative attitude, perceived behavioral control, and mobile phone use while riding habit related to the intention to use a mobile phone while riding of small-displacement motorcyclists. Meanwhile, habit and behavioral intention related to the behavior to use a mobile phone while riding of small-displacement motorcycle riders. Especially, the correlation between behavioral intention and self-reported behavior was very strong. This finding embraced previous research indicating that intention was a major motivational component of behavior. Based on the results, safety intervention implications for small-displacement motorcycle riders were discussed.     

When Rules Go Awry: A Single Case Analysis of Cycle Rage

On a sunny Sunday afternoon in 2012 a conflict arose between two men riding a popular mountain biking track in New Zealand. The bulk of this was filmed from a helmet-mounted action camera, facilitating a single case analysis of the transition from an everyday trouble to an unexpected violent ending. The two riders come across each other travelling downhill at speed on a narrow track. Unease quickly develops for the camera-clad rider wants to pass the rider in front, but except for an intriguing and brief interlude, the first rider will not let the other pass. The second rider grows frustrated, progressing to tailgate the ‘slower’ rider, in the midst of which he invokes a rule of mountain biking conduct. The reflexive implications of the rule-invocation need to be seen to be believed. The video is used as data to get close to such seeing, and despite some limitations, we can see a clear trajectory where the rule significantly contributes to a moment of phenomenological salience. Thereafter, it becomes witnessably relevant to the conflict that develops.     

Coordination Dynamics of the Horse-Rider System

The authors studied the interaction between rider and horse by measuring their ensemble motions in a trot sequence, comparing 1 expert and 1 novice rider. Whereas the novice's movements displayed transient departures from phase synchrony, the expert's motions were continuously phase-matched with those of the horse. The tight ensemble synchrony between the expert and the horse was accompanied by an increase in the temporal regularity of the oscillations of the trunk of the horse. Observed differences between expert and novice riders indicated that phase synchronization is by no means perfect but requires extended practice. Points of contact between horse and rider may haptically convey effective communication between them.     

Characteristics of unsafe events involving a motor vehicle for group riders in Western Australia: A naturalistic study

Little is known about the safety issues affecting non-professional group riders. This study aimed to identify the most common unsafe events involving a motor vehicle that occurred while group riding, describe their characteristics and suggest potential preventative measures. A naturalistic study collected video footage from cameras attached to the bicycles of group riders who rode on-road for training, fitness or recreation in Perth, Western Australia. Fifty-two riders from 40 different riding groups, recorded footage of 126 group riding trips, resulting in 135 h of video. A total of 108 unsafe events (‘near-crashes/ crash relevant events’ and ‘close passing only events’) involving the group riders and a motor vehicle were observed. The most common type of unsafe event involved a motor vehicle attempting to pass/ overtake the group (65.7%). For 39.4% of the passing events, the presence of road infrastructure ahead (e.g. roundabout, traffic island) prevented safe passing and led to an unsafe event. Motorists were at fault for 83.3% of all unsafe events and reckless behaviour by the motorist was observed for 13.3% of these at-fault events. Aggressive communication on the part of the motorist or rider/s was observed for 15% of all unsafe events. This study highlighted that motorists were at fault for the majority of unsafe events involving group riders but only a small proportion involved reckless behaviour. Further research should examine the effectiveness of motorist education as well as infrastructure modifications on popular group riding routes, for reducing unsafe events involving group riders.     

The changing nature of motorcycling: Patterns of use and rider characteristics

Notable increases in motorcycling activities since the mid-1990s have been reported in a number of countries worldwide. Governments and enforcement agencies have begun to recognise that not only has this mode of transport been neglected in terms of safety interventions, but also that the reasons behind the increase in popularity are poorly understood. This paper reports the results of a survey distributed to a sample of the UK motorcycling population in order to discover the types of motorcycles they ride and the trips they engage in. From the data, three groups of riders were identified – new, long-term and returning riders. They were additionally stratified by the type of riding they engaged in (leisure or commuting). The results indicated that long-term and returning riders dominated ownership of the higher capacity motorcycles whilst new riders favoured low powered mopeds and scooters. Those riders who used their motorcycles for leisure trips were more likely to be long-term and returning motorcyclists. Using retrospective data, it was found that those motorcyclists who had taken up the activity in recent years, increased the engine size of their machines more quickly, compared to earlier cohorts. Motorcycles purchased today are much more likely to be purchased for reasons of styling and image compared to previous cohorts who relied on them as a form of transport. The overall conclusion is that there is evidence of a shift in the nature of motorcycling in that it has, for some, become a leisure activity, with the motorcycle being more of accessory than a means of transport.