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RESEARCH ACTIVITIES
Issue 47 Autumn 2011
Research Activities is published by SWOV Institute for Road Safety Research in the Netherlands.
Dutch National Bicycle Safety Research Agenda:
the way to safer cycling
Cycling is very popular in the Netherlands and it is promoted because of its positive effects for national and regional governments actively pro-
environment, traffic flow and personal health. However, with a quarter of the road fatalities mote the use of bicycles as a transport mode that
and more than half of the serious injuries being a cyclist, their safety situation requires serious is ‘green’, helps to reduce congestion and is good
attention and action. for your health. However, there is one important
aspect that needs to be tackled and that is the
The Netherlands is one of the world’s leading bi- 25%, the recreational use of bicycles is low in the road safety situation of cyclists.
cycle countries. With about 16.5 million inhabit- Netherlands. Being a real bicycle country, the In 2009, in the Netherlands, 185 cyclists were
ants and an estimated 14 million bicycles, almost Netherlands has a large infrastructural network killed in traffic and 8,000 were seriously injured.
every Dutchman owns a bicycle. Therefore, for cyclists, with many bicycle paths, lanes and The crash statistics of the last decades indicate that
bicycle density, in particular in cities and towns, is crossings, special conflict-free bicycle traffic lights, the reduction in fatalities amongst cyclists remains
enormous. Each year Dutch cyclists travel almost and dedicated bicycle parking places. Much to behind that of other road user groups. The number
15 billion kilometres, mainly in trips to and from the surprise of ‘foreigners’, they rarely see a Dutch of serious injuries among cyclists has even been
work, school, shops and leisure trips. In com- cyclist wearing a helmet.
parison with many other countries, with around Especially for trips shorter than 7.5 kilometres, Continued on page 3
Contents:
Dutch National Bicycle Safety Research Agenda ..1 Music and phone calls while cycling ....................8 “Riding bicycles will not only
Quote
Electric vehicles: road safety effects for cyclists ...2 Bicycle helmets: the pros and cons .....................9 benefit the individual doing it,
Column ................................................................3 From car to bicycle ............................................10 but the world at large.”
Cycling fatalities in blind spot crashes…...............4 Windscreen airbag: protection for cyclists .........11
Ministry of Infrastructure and the Environment Research Activities: the final issue .....................12
on bicycle safety .................................................5 Udo E. Simonis, Emeritus Professor
Information on the internet .................................12 of Environmental Policy at
Infrastructure and bicycle crashes ........................6 the Science Centre, Berlin
Electric vehicles: road safety effects for cyclists
The use of electric vehicles in the Nether-
lands is still in its infancy, but their numbers
are growing. Therefore, SWOV carried out
a first investigation of the effects electric
vehicles have on road safety.
National and local governments stimulate
the purchase and use of electrically powered
vehicles from environmental considerations. In
2010, 0.5% of the vehicle fleet in the Neth-
erlands were hybrid passenger cars; the fully
electric passenger car has not yet really begun
its rise. Furthermore, there are some electrically
powered buses, trucks, delivery vans, and mo-
torcycles in the Netherlands. Electric delivery
vans are expected to replace conventional fuel
powered delivery vans for urban distribution
in particular. At present the number of fully
electric moped scooters is growing considerably
in the Netherlands.
Sound and speed
At low driving speeds the engine of an electri-
cally powered motor vehicle produces hardly
any sound: international research shows that
these cars are almost soundless at speeds lower
than about 20 km/h. At higher speeds the
sound of the tyre in contact with the road is
more prominent. Whether or not this sound
is heard by cyclists largely depends on the type National Highway Traffic Safety Administra- for hybrid vehicles and conventional vehicles.
of road surface and amount of the city noise. tion (NHTSA) compared the crash involve- On urban roads with a speed limit of up to 35
An American crash study performed by the ment in crashes with cyclists and pedestrians km/h, cyclists and pedestrians appeared to be
involved in crashes with hybrid cars by a factor
of 1.5 more than in crashes with conventional
Growing numbers cars. However, exposure was not corrected for.
Indeed, if electric vehicles were to drive more
Data shows that the market for electric bicycle continues to grow. In 2009, more than 150,000 kilometres in urban areas than conventional
‘e-bikes’ were purchased, a growth of 30%. This type of bicycle now has a market share of 10 vehicles, this would make a higher number of
per cent and, with a price of about 1900 euros, constitutes one quarter of the bicycle sales. crashes understandable. On roads with speed
limits higher than 35 m/h no differences were
found between the involvement of hybrid vehi-
175.000 cles and conventional vehicles in crashes with
150.000 pedestrians and cyclists. The number of crashes
in the Netherlands in which electric vehicles are
125.000
involved, cars as well as mopeds, is too small
100.000 for conclusions about the risk of being involved
75.000 in crashes.
50.000
Artificial noise?
25.000 There are several developments aimed at adding
0 artificial noise to electric vehicles. The Japanese
government has already set a concept standard
2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 which makes requirements of the sound level of
electric vehicles at speeds up to 20 km/h. Also
Annual sales data of electric bicycles in the Netherlands (BOVAG-RAI, 2010; in Loijen, 2011). in Europe acoustic warning systems and pos-
sible standards are being developed. At present
2 - Research Activities no. 47 - Autumn 2011
Safety in numbers: more cyclists,
it is not clear whether adding artificial noise to
lower risks?
electric cars and other e-vehicles is necessary to A swarm of birds or insects, a school of fish, a flock of sheep, a
prevent crashes with vulnerable road users like pack of wolves. Language has many possibilities to indicate a
cyclists. Balanced judgements require further group of animals. Biology has taught us that a group offers pro-
research using interviews and behaviour and tection and increases safety for the individual members of the
conflict observations in daily traffic. In 2012 group. It is more difficult for a predator to attack a group than
SWOV will start a research project into the one single animal. For this reason a predator uses the strategy
safety of electric cars. to isolate an animal from its flock before attacking it.
Electric bicycle This is also the thought that occurred to me when studying cyclist safety: why not com-
The electric bicycle or e-bike with amplified pare the safety of one individual cyclist with the safety of a group of cyclists. The risk of
pedalling effort is a separate category within the the one single cyclists is greater than that of a cyclist who is part of a group. The American
e-vehicles. The e-bike is particularly popular researcher Jacobsen compared the casualties among cyclists in different countries and
among older road users, but increasingly so tried to establish a relation with the amount of bicycle traffic. He concluded that “Policies
among other users like commuters and second- that increase the numbers of people bicycling appear to be an effective route to improving
ary school pupils (for data see box). Because of the safety of people bicycling”. In other words: add more cyclists to traffic and cyclist
their higher speeds, it is to be expected that the safety will increase. This is a popular idea among those who put effort into stimulating cy-
risk is higher for e-bike riders than for cyclists cling and therefore Jacobsen’s conclusion is quoted frequently in these circles. However,
riding ‘ordinary’ bikes; however, no study I believe that this conclusion is not correct. I will try to explain why.
has been made yet. This raises the question
how much higher the risk is for e-bikes, and If there is much cycling in a country, the risk for cyclists is indeed lower. Comparison of
in which situations this is the case. Increased statistics of different countries offers conclusive evidence. The risks in countries that have
use of the e-bike is very likely to result in an a lot of cycling like the Netherlands and Denmark are (much) lower than in countries where
increase of the number of casualties. ■ cycling is a less important mode of transport. The explanation may be twofold. Firstly,
there are the expectations of the other road user. If a driver does indeed expect a cyclist
on the road, as is the case in the Netherlands and Denmark, the risk is lower. But a second
explanation is conceivable: if there are more cyclists, more safe cycling facilities will be
constructed (which in turn make cycling more pleasant). We have sufficient evidence that
cycling facilities (like bicycle tracks) reduce the risks of cycling. Not only do the Nether-
Publications lands and Denmark have many cyclists, there are also many cycling facilities.
Traffic safety consequences of electrically I do not expect that just a greater number of cyclists will on its own result in a risk reduc-
powered vehicles. C. Schoon & C. Huijs- tion for the cyclist. On the other hand, I do expect that more cycling facilities will lead to
kens (2011). R-2011-11. SWOV, Leidschen- lower risks. Policy that only focuses on an increase in cycling and at the same time ignores
dam. [In Dutch, with a summary in English] the construction of more cycling facilities, will not have a positive effect on road safety.
Unless, of course this policy also takes care of cyclists only cycling close to one another:
Elektrische fietsen in de stroomversnelling. in a swarm, school, flock, or pack of cyclists.
J. Loijen ( 2011). Faculty of Civil Enginee-
ring, TU Delft. Fred Wegman (Director-manager SWOV)
Dutch National Bicycle Safety Research Agenda: the way to safer cycling
Continued from page 1 actions was to look at the existing knowledge, distraction while cycling, the bicycle airbag,
identify the gaps, and bring colleague researchers bicycle helmets, the potential problem of electric
increasing by about 25%. In the Netherlands a and stakeholders together to discuss the topic and vehicles, and many other subjects. As you will see,
quarter of the road fatalities and more than half of decide on the research priorities for the coming quite some knowledge from research is available
the serious injuries is currently a cyclist. years: the Dutch National Bicycle Safety Research in the Netherlands. Nevertheless, in comparison
A year ago, at the Dutch national road safety Agenda. This agenda is expected to be published to what we know about cars and car drivers,
conference NVVC, SWOV Managing Director in the first half of 2012. surprisingly little is known about bicycle safety.
Fred Wegman called upon all key players to join This special bicycle issue of Research Activi- We expect that joining forces and coordinat-
forces and to improve the poor safety position ties contains various articles about studies and ing research efforts in this area will substantially
of cyclists. SWOV took the initiative under the research topics in relation to cyclist safety in the increase our knowledge and speed up the develop-
expert guidance of Divera Twisk, coordinator of Netherlands. For example, you will find articles ment and implementation of measures to improve
the cycling research programme. One of the first about bicycle crash statistics, blind spot crashes, safety of cyclists. ■
Research Activities no. 47 - Autumn 2011 - 3
Cycling fatalities in blind spot crashes
The annual number of fatalities among cyclists in blind spot crashes shows large fluctuations, being, the solution can be found in separat-
but a slow decline seems to be indicated. Blind spot crashes happen when a truck turns off and ing cyclists and trucks at intersection, both in
fails to notice or is unable to see the cyclist who is positioned immediately beside or in front of time and position. Furthermore, it is important
the truck. SWOV has been studying the blind spot issue at regular intervals. to make both the truck driver and the cyclist
more aware of the hazards. For drivers this
Over the years, several measures were taken to Three causes means that it should be an automatism to carry
prevent this type of crashes. Some of the blind In 2008, SWOV made an extensive study into out an “after check” to see if the road is clear
spot measures were the result of European the causes of blind spot crashes and possible when they pull up. This is a task for the driver
legislation. During the 1980s, for example, the solutions. Three main causes were identified: training. The front view system is important
so-called kerb-mirror was made compulsory, • The visual field is still insufficient, especially here and SWOV recommends to make this also
and during the 1990s this was the case for side for high trucks that were manufactured before compulsory for trucks manufactured before
underrun protection. In 2003, the Netherlands 2007 and do not have front view system. 2007. Although several warning systems are
made the blind spot mirror compulsory. The • Truck drivers do not make the best possible being developed to warn drivers that cyclists are
extra attention and media publications ac- use of the different mirrors or these mirrors
companying the introduction of this measure are not adjusted correctly.
were probably the reason for a reduction of the • Cyclists insufficiently take account of the fact
number of blind spot casualties in 2002 and that trucks have a limited visual field.
2003. Unfortunately the reduction was only
temporary. In 2007, the EU came with new, Measures
stricter rules for the visual field of trucks. The in- In SWOV’s opinion, the ultimate solution for
troduction of a front view system which makes it the blind spot problem is a structural separa-
possible to see whether a road user is positioned tion of trucks and cyclists. How this must be
immediately in front of the truck was new for organised and what the economic consequences
the Netherlands in those days. will be, requires further study. For the time Truck mirrors
4 - Research Activities no. 47 - Autumn 2011
present, it is not yet clear whether these systems The Dutch Ministry of
will be sufficiently reliable.
Infrastructure and the
The traffic mirror, also known as black spot
mirror, is mounted on the pole carrying the
Environment:
traffic lights to provide truck drivers with a Kate de Jager on
better view of cyclists at the right-hand side
and front of their vehicle. This mirror has been bicycle safety
found to barely influence truck driver behav-
iour and is only effective while the truck is “Opportunities for improving bicycle safety can
stopped in front of the mirror. Therefore, the for example be found in joining in with other
mirror is not effective at the location where he aspects of cycling like making cycling more
driver has to carry out the after check. comfortable and removing annoyances for cy-
clists. If we want to cycle more comfortably: we
Code of conduct and education
Earlier, SWOV advised that a code of conduct
Publications can think of beautiful (and safe) bicycle routes
with the fewest possible intersections with mo-
for cyclists should be developed, which makes torized traffic, and of bicycle innovations. With
clear which position they ought to take at inter- The problem of lorries turning right. electronics ‘on board’ the electric bicycle offers
sections when a truck is present. C. Schoon (2006). R-2006-2. Leidschen- interesting perspectives. One could think of a
The Dutch Cyclists’ Union and the Ministry of dam, SWOV. [In Dutch, with a summary in warning system when the bicycle approaches an
Transport have collaborated in developing such a English] obstacle.
code of conduct and in 2009 this code was com- Combining knowledge and ideas to a larger
municated using a public information campaign The circumstances of blind spot crashes degree also offers opportunities for increasing
and the website www.dodehoek.nl. Education and short- and long-term measures. bicycle safety. This can be achieved by more at-
has already been used for several years to raise C. Schoon, M. Doumen. & D. de Bruin tention for citizen initiatives, closer cooperation
awareness in children of the blind spot hazards (2008). R-2008-11A en R-2008-11B. with the bicycle manufacturers, and a relation-
and to teach them how to deal with them. The SWOV, Leidschendam. [In Dutch, with a ship with health and recreational policy at both
evaluation of an educational project indicates summary in English] regional and national level.” ■
that providing children and youngsters with very
specific and concrete rules of conduct results Blind spot crashes. SWOV Fact sheet,
in safer behaviour. A more general approach to May 2009.
point out the blind spot hazards, on the other
hand, was found to have no effect. Model design for Blind spot Detection and
Observation Systems. D. Hoedemaeker,
Improvement M. Doumen, M. de Goede, J. Hogema,
The period has been too brief to conclude that R. Brouwer, & A. Wennemers (2010) Rap-
there has been a structural improvement, but in port TNO-DV 2010 C150. Soesterberg,
recent years there have been considerably fewer TNO Defence, Security and Safety. [In
fatalities among cyclists in blind spot crashes Dutch, with a summary in English]
than in earlier years (see Figure). ■
Numbers of cyclist fatalities in blind spot crashes in the Netherlands
20
18
16
14
12
10
8
6
4
2
0
2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010
Source: Centre for Transport and Navigation, Ministry for Infrastructure and the Environment.
Research Activities no. 47 - Autumn 2011 - 5
Infrastructure and bicycle
crashes: safety increasing,
yet more to do
The road safety investments that were made in the Netherlands during the past 20 years are be-
ginning to pay off. Investments in infrastructure have already made a large contribution, but
there are still many possibilities to make the infrastructure even safer for cyclists. This article
looks at the effects of Zones 30 and roundabouts and discusses infrastructure in relation with
elderly cyclists.
This latter solution is to be preferred: there are
considerably fewer casualties on roundabouts
with separate bicycle tracks.
Not only does the layout of roundabouts in
the Netherlands vary considerably, the prior-
ity regulations for cyclists also differ between
roundabouts. Whereas cyclists never have right
of way on rural roundabouts, there is no univo-
cal regulation for priority on urban roundabouts.
Cyclists have right of way on an estimated 60%
of the urban roundabouts. SWOV research
has shown that it is safer if cyclists do not have
right of way. If the priority regulations for urban
roundabouts would be changed into a com-
pulsory ‘cyclists do not have right of way’, the
number of serious road injuries in comparison
with an ordinary junction would be reduced
by 87%. If cyclists would have right of way on
Zones 30: a success
In the Dutch Sustainable Safety vision, residen- Confluence of factors
tial areas or Zones 30 should have a 30 km/h
speed limit, because crashes at speeds lower Paul Schepers of the Centre for Transport and Navigation (DVS) in the Netherlands has
than 30 km/h rarely have fatal consequences. investigated the extent to which quality and layout of the infrastructure contribute to
Pedestrians and cyclists can mix safely with single-vehicle bicycle crashes, crashes in which no other road users are involved. Not only
motor vehicles at this speed limit. The lower do unsafe behaviour and poor bicycle quality play a role; the infrastructure also makes an
driving speeds are mainly enforced by speed important contribution. Approximately 80% of the single-vehicle bicycle crashes occur in
reducing infrastructural measures. streets, separate bicycle tracks, and on bicycle lanes. The proportion of single-vehicle bicycle
The number of injury crashes declines by crashes on other road types is no more than 20%: 12% occur on footpaths and parking
approximately 25% when a 50 km/h area is spaces and 6% occur on soft surface or unsurfaced roads, mainly in forests and sometimes
converted into a Zone 30. In 2008, 70% of all in parks. This study indicates that one or more infrastructure-related factors play a role in
urban roads in the Netherlands had a 30 km/h approximately half of the single-vehicle bicycle crashes. These causes cannot be considered
speed limit. It is estimated that in 2008 the in isolation: bicycle crashes are often caused by a confluence of factors. Schepers has identi-
construction of 30 km/h roads had prevented fied the following causes:
approximately 51 to 77 fatalities compared to
the situation in 1998. • Causes found in the interaction between cyclists and infrastructure, e.g. the space the
cyclist needs and the width of the bicycle facilities;
Roundabouts • Causes found in the interaction between the bicycle and the infrastructure, e.g. the tyre
The number of road casualties decreases con- grip and the roughness of the road surface;
siderably when an intersection is replaced by a • Causes related with the policy area of infrastructure, e.g. maintenance policy.
roundabout. Roundabouts in the Netherlands
may have different facilities for cyclists: they Furthermore, Schepers indicates that further study is required to answer the question of
sometime have with bicycle lanes, but they how road authorities can make a contribution to reducing single-vehicle bicycle crashes.
can also be fitted with separate bicycle tracks.
6 - Research Activities no. 47 - Autumn 2011
Visibility of obstacles and
road course important
The majority of bicycle crashes are single
crashes without other traffic involved.
Often these crashes involve elderly cyclists.
The visibility of the bicycle infrastruc-
ture seems one of the important factors
in this type of crashes. A questionnaire
and interview study by the University of
Groningen (Fabriek et al., to be published)
showed that elderly and visually impaired
people encountered specific problems with
the visibility of bollards and kerbs, and
with cycle path markings. Subsequently,
the researchers carried out an outdoor ex-
periment to evaluate the identified critical
situations in real life. The subjects in the
experiment wore special goggles to imitate
low contrast sensitivity and a restricted
visual field size. The results show that
reduced visibility of bicycle infrastructure
generally affects the cycling performance in
a negative way. Moreover, cyclists feel less
safe when visibility is poor. The visibility
can be improved by using red-white bol-
lards rather than black or grey ones, by
painting the kerbs white and by applying
high contrast road markings to mark the
edge of the cycle path.
all Dutch roundabouts this reduction would
amount to 11%.
Publications
Infrastructure and senior cyclists
Getting older comes with functional disorders Frequency and causes of single-vehicle How to make more cycling good for road
that can increase the risk of being involved in cyclist accidents. C. Schoon & A. Blokpoel safety? F. Wegman, F. Zhang & A. Dijkstra
a crash. The deterioration of motor functions is (2000). R-2000-20. SWOV Leidschendam. (2012). In: Accident Analysis & Preven-
one factor in the increased risk of crashes: [In Dutch, with a summary in English] tion. doi:10.1016/j.aap.2010.11.010
slower movements, decline in muscular strength,
decline in fine motor skills, and a large decline of Are roundabouts with separate cycle tracks Improving the visibility of bicycle infra-
the capabilities to adjust to the sudden changes also safe for cyclists? A. Dijkstra (2004). structure. E. Fabriek, D. de Waard, & P.
in posture. An infrastructure that takes account R-2004-14. SWOV, Leidschendam. [In Schepers. In: Journal of Human Factors and
of these problems can help to reduce the crash Dutch, with a summary in English] Ergonomics (to be published).
involvement of senior cyclists.
If seniors are asked which types of measures The balance struck; Sustainable Safety The role of infrastructure in single-vehicle
they find necessary to make them feel safer 1998-2007. SWOV, Leidschendam. bicycle accidents. P. Schepers (2008).
when cycling, they mainly suggest the construc- [In Dutch, with a summary in English] Rijkswaterstaat Dienst Verkeer en Scheep-
tion of more new bicycle tracks, widening vaart. [In Dutch].
existing bicycle tracks, and better maintenance The elderly and infrastructure. SWOV Fact
of these tracks. Other measures that can be sheet, April 2010. Cycling in the dark: how dangerous is it?
taken to increase road safety for senior cyclists M. Reurings (2010). R-2010-32. SWOV,
are a more predictable road course and the Zones 30: urban residential areas. SWOV Leidschendam.
removal of obstacles like bollards. If obstacles Fact sheet, December 2010.
cannot be removed, they should be made more
noticeable. ■
Research Activities no. 47 - Autumn 2011 - 7
Music and phone calls: uses media devices. Approximately 9% bicycle
crashes with injury are preceded by the cyclist
increased risk while cycling using devices. This means that these are the
bicycle crashes in which the use of media de-
vices may have played a role. Other distracting
Using a mobile phone or a portable media player while cycling increases the risk of a crash. factors like talking with another cyclist, taking
Young cyclists in particular use such devices while riding their bike. These are two of the out a sandwich or being lost in thought are
findings in a SWOV study into the use of media devices by cyclists. mentioned three times more frequently than
activities preceding a bicycle crash.
In recent years, a few studies have been carried cyclists report making or receiving a phone call
out in the Netherlands into how and how often during (almost) every trip; 3% of the cyclists Serious problem
portable media devices and mobile phones are sends or read a text message during (almost) The various research findings give an indica-
used by cyclists in the Netherlands and what every trip; and nearly 2% of the cyclists surf the tion of the higher risk due to listening to music
effects on road safety this may have. An obser- internet during (almost) every trip. The propor- and using the phone while cycling. From a
vation study in the city of Groningen by De tions are highest among the 12-17 year olds. road safety point of view it is wise to refrain
Waard, Schepers, Ormel & Brookhuis in 2010, The use of media devices while cycling is very from listening to music and conducting phone
for example, showed that about 5% of cyclists much age-dependent. Three quarters of the conversations while cycling. SWOV finds it ad-
were listening to an mp3 player, more than 1% young cyclists between 12 and 17 years old visable to use public information and education
was using a phone, and 0.3% were texting. sometimes use media players and also 75% especially focused on young cyclists to point
An experiment in which the participants had sometimes use a mobile phone. Among the out the hazards of using media devices while
to cycle while they were listening to music over 50s these proportions are an eighth and cycling. ■
and using their phones, and were told to stop a third respectively. Much more than young
when they were given an audio signal, indicated cyclists, older cyclists indicate not using their
that their cycling became less safe than when
they did not listen to music. The audio signal
devices in busy or other complex traffic condi-
tions. Publications
often went unnoticed when the participants
were listening to music, especially when in-ear Risk Mobile phone use while cycling: incidence
headphones were used. When a mobile phone The use of these types of devices while cycling and effects on behaviour and safety. D.
was used the cyclists’ reaction was slower than appears to increase the risk of being involved de Waard, P. Schepers, W. Ormel & K.
without a phone being used or they didn’t react in a crash. This conclusion can be drawn on Brookhuis. (2010). In: Ergonomics, vol. 53,
at all, irrespective of whether a handsfree or a the self-reported use of portable media play- nr. 1, p. 30-42.
handheld phone was used. ers and mobile phone and the self-reported
involvement in crashes with or without injury. The use of portable media players and
Internet survey A modest estimate on the basis of self-reported mobile phones while cycling. Ch. Golden-
An internet survey that SWOV carried out information indicates that the risk of a bicycle beld, M. Houtenbos & E. Ehlers. (2010).
in 2009, showed similar results: 15% of the crash increases by 30% for a cyclist who uses R-2010-5. SWOV, Leidschendam. [In
Dutch cyclists said they listened to music dur- the mobile phone and listens to music during Dutch, with a summary in English]
ing (almost) every trip. More than 3% of the every trip than it is for a cyclist who never
8 - Research Activities no. 47 - Autumn 2011
Bicycle helmets Legislation bicycle helmets
The pros and cons In Europe the use of bicycle helmets is cur-
rently mandatory in Finland (everyone eve-
Helmets in the Netherlands the risk of brain injury by 53%, and the risk of rywhere), Spain (outside built-up areas), the
Bicycles are very popular in the Netherlands facial injury by 17%, whereas they increase the Czech Republic (children < 16 years), Iceland
and are widely used for activities such as com- risk of neck injury by 32%. These estimates are (children < 15 years), and Sweden (children
muting, shopping, transporting children and partly based on research carried out in countries < 15 years). Outside Europe, wearing bicycle
recreation. However, cycling can also result in like the United States and Australia, where helmets is compulsory in Australia, New
injury, often including serious head and brain standards for bicycle helmets are stricter than Zealand, in twenty states of the USA, and in
injury. One third (32%) of the seriously injured they are in Europe and can offer protection at a number of Canadian provinces. For these
cyclists that are admitted to hospital are diag- higher impact speeds. countries the legislation usually applies to
nosed with head or brain injury. Approximately children and young people. The use of hel-
three-quarters of the head or brain injuries are Study group mets is currently being promoted in a number
caused by crashes that do not involve motorized The European Science Foundation funds a of other (European) countries.
traffic; as many as nine in ten young children multidisciplinary study group to research
sustain head or brain injury in cyclist-only efficacy and wearability of cycle helmets. The
crashes. The bicycle helmet, which has support- new study group will consist of scientists from 2011–2015. An evaluation study in which
ers and opponents worldwide, is intended to twenty countries and will focus on the impact SWOV participates investigates which factors
reduce the risk of this type of injury. In general, engineering of bicycle helmets, the thermal are responsible for children wearing or not
Dutch cyclists do not wear helmets. If a helmet comfort and physiological effects of heat, and wearing their helmet. It will also look at the
is worn, it is usually by recreational cyclists, the effectiveness of helmets from the perspec- effects on injury trends. The study monitors the
mountain bikers and young children. Since the tives from traffic psychology and accident development in helmet wearing, injuries and
mid-1990s, the demand for children’s bicycle statistics. Recommendations from the study perception from the start of the project in 2011
helmets in particular has been increasing in the group will be used for drawing up EU standards until the end of the project in 2015. ■
Netherlands. and could help influence legislators. SWOV will
also participate in this group.
Effects
Research has shown that a bicycle helmet offers Project Publication
protection against sustaining serious head or To promote the use of bicycle helmets, all
brain injury in crashes. The most reliable esti- primary school pupils of groups 1 to 4 (ages Bicycle helmets. SWOV Fact sheet,
mates indicate that at speeds of up to 20 km/h 4-7) in the Dutch province of Zeeland are December 2011.
helmets reduce the risk of head injury by 42%, given a free bicycle helmet during the period
Research Activities no. 47 - Autumn 2011 - 9
From car to bicycle: years. For them, replacing short car journeys by
bicycle would even lead to fewer fatalities, and
the safety effects investigated
that is directly related to the high fatality risk
of this age group as car driver. When looking at
serious injuries, the shift from car to bicycle has
a negative effect for nearly all age and gender
The physical exercise of cycling has a positive health effect. A negative aspect of bicycle mobil- groups. There is one exception: male road users
ity, on the other hand, is the high number of injuries and fatalities among cyclists. Combin- in the ages of 18 and 19. For them it is safer to
ing the two effects, the positive health effects outweigh the negative road safety effects. This cycle than to drive a car.
was one of the conclusions of a recent study that was conducted by RIVM, the National
Institute for Public Health and the Environment in the Netherlands. Positive net effect on public health
RIVM included SWOV’s road safety findings
Positive effect by physical exercise disease’ is a measure used in the health sector to in their overall estimate of the health effect. It
The RIVM study focused on the public health quantify the impact of a health problem in an appeared that the positive health effects out-
effects of replacing short car journeys, up to 7.5 area. RIVM calculated that, if adults replaced weigh the negative road safety effects and that
km, by bicycle trips. The study not only looked their short car trips by bicycle trips, the burden there will be a net positive health effect if short
at the classic environmental factors like noise of disease due to physical inactivity would be car journeys were replaced by bicycle trips. ■
and emissions, but also included the effects of reduced by up to 1.3% after one year.
the physical exercise of cycling as well as road
safety aspects. Not surprisingly, all aspects, apart
from road safety, contributed to a positive health
Negative effect by crashes
On request of RIVM, SWOV carried out the
Publications
effect. The health benefits due to a reduction of road safety part of the study. On average, per
traffic-related noise and air pollution were found travelled kilometre, cycling in the Netherlands Exchanging car trips by cycling in the
to be relatively small for individual people. The is about 4.7 times more dangerous than driving Netherlands; A first estimation of the
effect of physical exercise, expressed in terms a car. It was then calculated that, if 10% of all health benefits. E. van Kempen, W. Swart,
of ‘burden of disease’ was larger. ‘Burden of car drivers, including the young and elderly, G. Wendel-Vos, P. Steinberger, A. Knol, H.
replaced their short car trips to bicycle trips, an & M. Reurings (2010). RIVM, Bilthoven.
annual extra 4 to 8 road fatalities and approxi-
Quote
mately 500 serious injuries were to be expected. The safety effect of exchanging car mobility
“Life is like riding a bicycle - There were substantial differences for different for bicycle mobility; Substituting a small
in order to keep your balance, age and gender groups, however. When looking number of short car trips with bicycle
at road fatalities, the shift from car to bicycle trips. H. Stipdonk & M. Reurings (2010).
you must keep moving.”
for short trips has the largest negative effect for R-2010-18. SWOV, Leidschendam.
the elderly. For them, due to their physical vul-
Albert Einstein nerability, cycling is even more dangerous than Bicycle Commuting. E. Heinen (2011). TU
car driving than for the average Dutchman. Delft, Delft.
The reverse is true for men between 18 and 35
1 0 - Research Activities no. 47 - Autumn 2011
Windscreen airbag: protection Colophon
for cyclists and pedestrians Research Activities is published twice a year by
SWOV Institute for Road Safety Research in
the Netherlands. Research Activities con-
Since early 2009, the SaveCAP consortium, led types of interactions and near-crashes with tains articles about road safety research and
scientific projects carried out by SWOV and
by the Netherlands Organization for Applied cyclists and pedestrians. The sensor algorithms
by others.
Scientific Research TNO, has been develop- that are developed will be used for both the
ing in-car intelligence to protect cyclists and airbag and the automatic braking system. Final Editor:
pedestrians in crashes with passenger cars. The Hansje Weijer
method consists of a sensor on the vehicle A prototype of the airbag is expected to be in-
which operates a windscreen airbag or the troduced in the course of 2012. Several parties, Editors:
application of automatic braking. Crash tests among whom car manufacturing industry and Ingrid van Schagen, Han Tonnon,
and computer simulations show that a cyclist EuroNCAP, have already shown an interest in Divera Twisk, Hansje Weijer
often sustains serious injury in a crash with the method. ■
Photographs:
a car when his head hits the windscreen. The
Peter de Graaff, Den Haag
airbag will therefore cover the most important
Paul Voorham, Voorburg
parts of the windscreen. The airbag inflates
automatically when the cyclist or pedestrian Realisation:
makes contact with the front of the car. SLEE Communicatie,
www.slee.nl
Introduction of this type of airbag, possibly Sources
combined with automatic braking, can reduce Publisher:
the number of seriously injured pedestrians Pre-development of a Vulnerable Road SWOV Institute for
Road Safety Research,
and cyclists. Presently, it is important to deter- User (VRU) airbag. Van Schijndel-de Nooij
PO Box 1090, 2260 BB
mine the precise sensor algorithms to predict et al. (2010). Rapport TNO-033-HM-
Leidschendam, The Netherlands
the moment of impact while simultaneously 2010-00695/1P T + 31-703173333
controlling the airbag or braking system. Save- F + 31-703201261
CAP is conducting a yearlong sensor field test ESV 2011: Holland: VRU paradise goes for E info@swov.nl
to examine and improve the accuracy of this the next safety level I www.swov.nl
vision system. Five passenger vehicles partici-
pate in two major cities in the Netherlands ITS 2011: SaveCAP: Cyclist and pedestri- Free subscriptions and extra copies are
where many situations with mixed an protection: from theory to practice available from SWOV. Please send
subscription requests and address changes to
and busy traffic are ensured. The cars are fitted www.savecap.org
info@swov.nl.
with video cameras that register the different
Reproductions from this magazine are
permitted with due acknowledgement.
The articles can also be found on our website:
www swov.nl
ISSN: 1380-7
Also visit our website www.swov.nl
The SWOV website contains a wealth of in-
formation about a variety of road safety topics.
SWOV fact sheets are all available in English.
The library has extensive possibilities to search
for international road safety
literature and publications.
Research Activities no. 47 - Autumn 2011 - 1 1
Research Activities: the final issue
subscribe to the SWOV newsletter
SWOV finds it important that its relations and is now an equivalent source of informa- its website. As a result Research Activities has
are always informed about the latest research tion to Research Activities. The articles you are become redundant and you are now reading the
findings and the latest developments in the accustomed to find in Research Activities are last issue of the magazine.
road safety field as thoroughly and as early also added to each newsletter to disseminate If you do not wish to go without the SWOV
as possible. Research Activities, which has information even faster. road safety information, we suggest you
been published three times a year from 1993 subscribe to the SWOV Newsletter. This can
onward, has been used as an important tool to These benefits have not gone unnoticed: the be done easily on the English homepage of
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sent by e-mail to all subscribers. This electronic complete and interesting Newsletter and in all the road safety information even earlier and
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Information on the internet
Many Dutch traffic and road safety organizations also publish (part of ) their website in Eng- The full text and the abbreviated version of
lish. Below you find a selection of websites that discuss aspects of cycling and bicycle safety. the publication Advancing Sustainable Safety,
the adapted and updated sequel to the original
www.swov.nl about cycling and road safety. The Dutch traf- publication Towards a sustainably safe road traf-
SWOV’s own website has an English equiva- fic and traffic safety data (including cycling) is fic, can be downloaded in pdf.
lent to the Dutch site. The most important also made available and can be analysed using
news and all the information SWOV believes Cognos Powerplay. www.dutchcycling.nl
to be of international importance is translated The Dutch Cycling Embassy is a comprehensive
into English. All SWOV fact sheets are also www.sustainablesafety.nl network of traffic and infrastructure consultants,
published in an English version. The website This website offers information about the manufacturers, NGOs, universities, research
and some of the fact sheets contain information Dutch road safety vision Sustainable Safety. institutions, national and local governments.
The Dutch Cycling Embassy facilitates cycling
worldwide as the most modern, efficient and
sustainable means of transportation by sharing
expertise and technology. Their website offers
brochures in English, Spanish, and Portuguese.
www.fietsberaad.nl
Fietsberaad is a center of expertise on bicycle
policy. Among others, its website has a Knowl-
edge bank, which tries to present the most
complete overview of information relating to
cycling and associated subjects, and an exam-
ples bank which presents – often infrastructural
– solutions, illustrated by photos and videos
and with detailed explanations.
www.fietsersbond.nl
The Fietsersbond is the Dutch Cyclists’ Union
that campaigns for better cycling conditions in
the Netherlands. There is currently no English
version of its website, but there is a link to the
special English edition of its magazine, called
Cycling Cities. The site also offers an overview
of cyclists’ unions and organizations in other
countries with links to their websites.
1 2 - Research Activities no. 47 - Autumn 2011
