Organisation
Brunel University
Amount awarded
£31,492
Completed
2022
Uploaded to Knowledge Centre
14 February 2023
Cyclists are frequent casualties in road traffic collisions and road user inattention is often implicated. Children are more distractible than adults and so are arguably more vulnerable road users, including when cycling.
The aim of this study was to use a lab-based immersive reality training protocol to improve looking behaviour, situation awareness and on-road cycling performance in children who had completed Bikeability Level 2 training.
Thirty-three children aged 10-12 years were randomly allocated to either an intervention group or a control group. All participants reported their cycling behaviour and cycling self-efficacy (confidence), and completed online situation awareness tests at baseline, post-test and retention stages. Between baseline and post-test the intervention group (n = 17) completed a lab-based training protocol in which they viewed real-world cyclist point-of-view footage while pedalling on a stationary cycle.
As they navigated five virtual routes their task was to demonstrate awareness of potential hazards and other information pertinent to their safety, with progressively diminishing levels of support from the researcher as they progressed through the routes. The control group did not receive the training intervention.
All participants’ on-road cycling performance was individually assessed at post-test and retention, by qualified Bikeability cycle instructors. The intervention group outperformed the control group in terms of their on-road performance, although this was not accompanied by significant changes in their cycling self-efficacy and situational awareness, as assessed using online video-based tests, despite trends toward improvement relative to the control group.
An immersive naturalistic lab-based protocol in which situation awareness is frequently encouraged may yield positive transfer to children’s on-road cycling performance and safety.
Click on the link below to read the final project report:
https://www.roadsafetytrust.org.uk/small-grants-awarded/brunel-university