In 2002 the use of handheld phones while driving was banned in The Netherlands. In the beginning of 2006 a member of the Dutch House of Representatives asked about the risks of using a mobile phone while cycling. Empirical studies and data about cycling accidents in relation to the use of mobile phones are lacking. Therefore the risk of using a mobile phone while cycling is estimated by a literature study and induction.
Knowledge about the risk of using a mobile phone while driving
The results of epidemiological studies strongly suggest that using a mobile phone while driving can increase the risk of being involved in a road crash up to four times. It is not clear how accidents related to the use of a mobile phone take place. In simulator studies and field experiments the following effects have been demonstrated:
• Missed information and slower reactions in case cues are noticed
• Slower braking reactions with more intensive braking and shorter stopping distances
• An increase of the standard deviation of steering wheel movements in busy urban traffic
Interference between mobile telephoning and cycling
How does mobile telephoning effect cycling performance? Cycling and driving are different kinds of tasks. Also, bicycle accidents differ from car accidents. The use of a mobile phone will interfere with four processes: visual, auditory, cognitive and kinaesthetic. The use a mobile telephone will affect both driving and cycling especially by interference with cognitive processing. Compared to driving we expect less interference with visual and more with aural processing in case a mobile phone is used during cycling. Cyclists have more time to process visual information. We expect auditory cues to be more important to cyclists than to car drivers. For instance, a yclist relies on hearing the sound of a car passing by. Aural processing will be distorted. During a conversation through a mobile telephone cyclists have to filter out the noise in their surroundings. Especially when using handheld devises we expect interference with kinaesthetic processing. Cyclists have to steer with one hand and have to be careful not to lose balance. Although the four sources of processing differ from one another there is no reason to assume that mobile telephoning will interfere far more or far less with cycling than with driving.
Effects of mobile telephoning on severe cycling accidents
We expect mobile telephoning to interfere with cycling behaviour and to worsen performance. However, we expect the effect on the number of bicycle accidents resulting in severe injury or death to be small compared to driving a car. This estimation is based on the following assumptions:
• More compensatory behaviour among cyclists.
Cyclists have the opportunity to stop and take up the phone. Care drivers would have
to search for a parking place to stop. While driving along a cycle path cyclists have
more space for steering deviation. In case they have to cross a busy road, they can
cycle along or stop on a footpath.
• Less mobile telephoning among cyclists compared to drivers.
Mobile telephoning while cycling is less comfortable than while driving especially during
cold weather or rain. Also, the average trip by bicycle takes less time than by car. For
cyclists it may be more attractive to call back after arrival. Observations are lacking but
this assumption is in accordance with the results of a (self-report) study in the
Netherlands among adolescents between 13 and 16 years of age. It was estimated that
they used their mobile phone about 1.5% of the time while cycling. This is far less than
estimations for car drivers.
• Less mobile telephoning among elderly.
In the Netherlands elderly over 55 years of age constitute more than 50% of the
fatalities among cyclists. It is expected that this group will hardly use a mobile phone
while cycling.
Conclusion and recommendations
We estimate the number of severe accidents caused by the use of mobile phones while cycling to be small. If our assumptions are correct we approximate that about 1 ‰ of the fatalities in the Netherlands are caused by the use of a mobile phone while cycling.
Many countries banned the use of a mobile phone while driving. Studies on the effectiveness of this legislation indicate that it is difficult to reach lasting results. Also these measures do not reduce the use of hands free telephones while the use of these devices is about equally dangerous. Enforcement of a ban on the use of a mobile phone while cycling would be difficult and expensive.
Given the effectiveness of legislation and the estimation of the number of severe accidents caused by the use of mobile phones while driving we advise:
• Not to ban (handheld) mobile telephoning while cycling.
• To pay attention to the risks of the use of a mobile telephone while driving in
traffic education at secondary schools.
One of the goals of traffic education at secondary schools in the Netherlands is risk awareness. The use of a mobile phone while cycling is one of those factors. Fortunately a distinction between handheld en hands free devices is not necessary for an educational approach.
Future developments
It is difficult to predict how the risk of mobile phoning while driving will develop in the next decennia. The use communication technologies will spread. Elderly will probably increase their use of mobile telephones. As a consequence of this development and our aging population a greater number of older people is likely to use a mobile phone while driving. This may result in an increase of fatalities among older people. On the other hand people will get even more accustomed to the use of communication technologies. This may result in a learning affect. People may learn how to deal with double task in a safe way.