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Original article
Distracting and risky behaviours while cycling: a comparison of group and non-group riders in Western Australia
  1. Michelle Fraser1,
  2. Lynn B Meuleners1,
  3. Kyle Chow1,
  4. Mark R Stevenson2
  1. 1Curtin-Monash Accident Research Centre, Curtin University, Perth, Australia
  2. 2Melbourne School of Design, Melbourne School of Population and Global Health, The University of Melbourne, Melbourne, Victoria, Australia
  1. Correspondence to Michelle Fraser, Curtin-Monash Accident Research Centre (C-MARC), Curtin University, GPO Box U1987, Perth, WA 6845, Australia; m.fraser{at}curtin.edu.au

Abstract

Background Use of mobile phones and portable audio equipment and alcohol are known to negatively affect cycling ability. Evidence suggests that cyclists may be less likely to engage in these behaviours while riding in a group; however, it is unknown whether group riders are also at reduced risk when participating in non-group riding.

Objective To examine the association between group riding participation and the use of mobile phones and portable audio equipment and alcohol while non-group riding in Perth, Western Australia.

Methods A cross-sectional analysis of an online questionnaire was undertaken. Group and exclusive non-group riders were compared and separate binary logistic regression models were used to examine the association between group riding participation and the use of mobile phones and portable audio equipment and alcohol while non-group riding, controlling for gender, age, education and frequency of non-group riding.

Results Participants included 365 cyclists: 187 exclusive non-group riders (51.2%) and 178 group riders (48.8%). Group riders were less likely to have possibly cycled while over the legal blood alcohol limit in the past 12 months (OR: 0.56, 95% CI 0.34 to 0.92) and were less likely to ever use portable audio equipment (OR: 0.57, 95% CI 0.34 to 0.94) than exclusive non-group riders, while participating in non-group riding. Group riding status was not associated with mobile phone use.

Conclusions This study provides early evidence that there may be differences between group and non-group riders that impact on their safety behaviours while participating in non-group riding.

https://doi.org/10.1136/injuryprev-2017-042397

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    Footnotes

    • Contributors MF contributed to the conception and design, acquisition of the data, analysis and interpretation of the data, drafting and revising the article, and final approval of the version to be published. LBM contributed to the conception and design, interpretation of the data, revising the article and final approval of the version to be published. KC contributed to acquisition of the data, analysis of the data, revising the article and final approval of the version to be published. MRS contributed to the conception and design, interpretation of the data, revising the article and final approval of the version to be published.

    • Funding This work was supported by Curtin University, through a Curtin University Postgraduate Scholarship. The sponsor had no involvement in the study design, collection, analysis and interpretation of data, writing of the report, or the decision to submit the article for publication.

    • Competing interests None declared.

    • Ethics approval Curtin University Human Research Ethics Committee.

    • Provenance and peer review Not commissioned; externally peer reviewed.

    • Data sharing statement Unpublished data from the study are not available due to confidentiality requirements.