http://www.bv.com.au/bikes-&-riding/10218/
Here is the whole story:
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Helmet cam confirms driver inattention
23 November 2010. A research project which fitted cameras to bike
helmets to observe traffic has confirmed what riders have long
suspected—drivers are not paying attention.
Of all the incidents recorded by the cameras drivers were at fault 87
per cent of the time, and in 83 per cent of those cases the drivers
appeared oblivious of their errors. Drivers of 4WD vehicles were
highly likely to failure to observe cyclists.
On the positive side the bad driving did not generally have serious
consequences for riders because the videos suggested that cyclists
were highly aware and could react rapidly to traffic situations and
avoid collisions and near-collisions.
"Overall, on-road commuter cyclists rode in a safe and legal manner
and used cycling facilities when available," the study said. "In
addition, cyclists rode in a manner that was anticipatory (avoiding
potential collisions) and defensive or reactive to the surrounding
vehicular traffic as drivers did not appear to see them.
"Cyclists made frequent head checks throughout their commuter trips,
which suggests cyclists have high situational awareness."
The study, NATURALISTIC CYCLING STUDY: IDENTIFYING RISK FACTORS FOR
ON-ROAD COMMUTER CYCLISTS, was conducted by Marilyn Johnson, Judith
Charlton, Jennifer Oxley, and Stuart Newstead of the Monash University
Accident Research Centre (MUARC).
It found the most frequent event in which the driver was at fault
(55.5%) was where the driver manoeuvred left, including turning left
and turning left across the path of the cyclist .
"There may be a role for educating or training cyclists to ride more
defensively around cars and be particularly vigilant of drivers
turning left across their path at intersections, particularly vehicles
with poor visibility traits such as large vehicles and 4WDs," the
study reported.
When the vehicle's indicator could be observed, only 57 per cent of
drivers did indicate (or signal) before they changed course. Of the
drivers who did indicate, half indicated for only 1-3 seconds before
changing course.
"Drivers' lane change behaviour appeared to be motivated by a gap in
the adjacent vehicle lane. At times, this resulted in a sudden lane
change and often drivers did not indicate (signal), despite the
Australian Road Rule that all drivers must indicate for at least 5
seconds prior to turning left or right.
"Drivers did not appear to be aware of the cyclist travelling
alongside or behind them. While this behaviour did not appear to
impact surrounding vehicular traffic, sudden vehicle lane change had a
dramatic impact on the cyclist. Successful collision avoidance was
reliant on the cyclist's bike handling skills and reaction time,"
according to the study.
The study aim was to identify risk factors for
collisions/near-collisions involving on-road commuter cyclists and
drivers. The cyclists wore helmet-mounted video cameras capturing
cyclists' perspective of the road and traffic behaviours including
head checks, reactions and manoeuvres.
The study concluded: "Lastly, it is important to consider the role of
the road infrastructure and cycling facilities in cyclist safety. A
bicycle lane was present in less than half of the observed events and
across all event severities.
"The cycling lanes observed were disjointed and often ended abruptly,
frequently where the road narrowed, without a viable option for the
cyclist who then either continued in the lane along the kerbside,
directly competing with vehicular traffic for space, or rode
(illegally) on the footpath.
"Greater consistency in cycling facility design is needed. A review of
existing cycling facilities is also required to improve continuity and
provide intuitive end-point options to ensure the road space afforded
to cyclists is identifiable."
Participants in the study were adult cyclists and each filmed 12 hours
of commuter cycling trips over a 4-week period. In total, 127 hours
and 38 minutes were analysed for 13 participants, 54 events were
identified: 2 collisions, 6 near-collisions and 46 incidents.
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