Car Driver and Bicyclist Behavior at Bicycle Crossings Under Different Priority Regulations

Abstract

In order to improve traffic safety, the Finnish Traffic Code concerning rights of way at bicycle crossings changed on the first of June, 1997. This study examines the effects of the law change both on drivers’ and cyclists’ behavior, and on their knowledge. Behavior was measured with the help of unobtrusive video recordings, and in experimental settings where a test cyclist approached a bicycle crossing on a collision course with a car. The new law formalized the prevailing yielding behavior between drivers and cyclists at bicycle crossings on road sections where drivers did not generally yield to cyclists coming from the right, neither before nor after the law change. The study suggests also that changes in priority rules may affect road user behavior and knowledge in situations in which the formal change does not apply. It can be concluded that road users’ behavior at bicycle crossings is strongly dependent on their movement direction and on the location of the crossings. Thus, changes in priority regulations have different effects on road user behavior depending on the characteristics of the bicycle crossings.