Data from Ghent University Advance Knowledge in Risk Management (Hazard perception in young cyclists and adult cyclists)

By a News Reporter-Staff News Editor at Insurance Weekly News -- Research findings on Risk Management are discussed in a new report. According to news reporting out of Ghent, Belgium, by VerticalNews editors, research stated, "Child bicyclists are at greater risk to get involved in a traffic accident. Although hazard perception tests between inexperienced and experienced car drivers revealed significant differences in perceptual cognitive skills, a similar test for bicyclists is not yet existent."

Financial support for this research came from Research Fund-Flanders.

Our news journalists obtained a quote from the research from Ghent University, "Therefore this study aimed to compare visual search patterns and reaction times of child bicyclists and adult bicyclists utilizing a hazard perception test for cyclists. Seventy-five children and forty-one adults were presented with eleven video clips filmed from the perspective of the bicyclist. The participants were required to press a response button whenever they detected a hazardous situation. Children were found to have significantly delayed reaction times and time until the first fixation on the latent covert hazards compared to adults. The inefficient visual search patterns in children may be attributed to an immature visual system. However, the finding that children fixated later on the hazards and only responded to the covert latent hazards when they became salient indicate difficulties with identifying possible hazards. Altogether, the findings of this study suggest that children's situation awareness is dependent upon experience too, and not just maturation."

According to the news editors, the research concluded: "Therefore, implications for training young bicyclists will be discussed."

For more information on this research see: Hazard perception in young cyclists and adult cyclists. Accident Analysis and Prevention, 2017;105():64-71. Accident Analysis and Prevention can be contacted at: Pergamon-Elsevier Science Ltd, The Boulevard, Langford Lane, Kidlington, Oxford OX5 1GB, England. (Elsevier - www.elsevier.com; Accident Analysis and Prevention - www.journals.elsevier.com/accident-analysis-and-prevention/)

Our news journalists report that additional information may be obtained by contacting L. Zeuwts, University of Ghent, Dept. of Movement & Sports Sci, B-9000 Ghent, Belgium. Additional authors for this research include P. Vansteenkiste, F.J.A. Deconinck, G. Cardon and M. Lenoir.

Keywords for this news article include: Ghent, Belgium, Europe, Risk Management, Ghent University.

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