Abstract
The increase in the number of electric bicycles worldwide has resulted in a rise in the number of traffic accidents involving e-bicyclists. Previous studies have been based on analyzing the use, advantages and disadvantages of e-bicycles, whereas only a small number of studies have been focused on analyzing the e-bicycle traffic safety, particularly the factors leading to the occurrence of traffic accidents. One of the factors affecting the occurrence of traffic accidents is the incorrect perception of the e-bicycle speed by other traffic participants. To examine the mentioned problem, the authors of this paper conducted an experimental study to determine what affects the e-bicycle speed perception. The experiment included 175 participants, aged 18 to 50. The research was conducted under laboratory conditions using a driving simulator, at different e-bicycle speeds (10 km/h, 20 km/h and 30 km/h), in the situations in which the e-bicyclist was (not) using a reflective vest. The results show statistically significant differences in the e-bicycle speed perception when the e-bicyclist does not use/uses a reflective vest. Besides, the driving licence categories of traffic participants and their driving experience also have a significant impact on the perception of the e-bicycle speed.
Highlights
The use of e-bicycles in traffic is growing [1,2,3,4], because they are becoming increasingly popular in the transportation of passengers and goods [3,5,6]
For the reasons mentioned above, this study aims to collect empirical results regarding the impact of various factors on the e-bicycle speed perception, based on the experimental research using a driving simulator
30 km/h and they overestimate it at the 10 km/h speed in both tested conditions; Errors in the estimation of the e-bicycle speed increase with the analyzed speed; The respondents make minor errors when estimating the e-bicycle speed in the cases when the e-bicyclist uses a reflective vest, and larger errors when the e-bicyclist does not use a reflective vest;
Summary
The use of e-bicycles in traffic is growing [1,2,3,4], because they are becoming increasingly popular in the transportation of passengers and goods [3,5,6]. This mode of transport is still in its development stage and is still unknown in many respects. The existing literature mentions the following advantages of using e-bicycles: travelling longer distances [7,8,9], a larger number of trips [9], faster-travelling speed [7], and decrease of travelling time [8]. The researchers identified certain disadvantages and obstacles to using e-bicycles: congestions at intersections [10], change of traffic flow dynamics, which results in unpredicted traffic situations [2], compromising traffic safety [7,10]
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