Does it matter what road users think of each other?

Some rivalries are enduring and it seems many car drivers loathe cyclists – a feeling that is often mutual.

Why is this so? Why do some drivers consider the typical cyclist to be reckless and by the same token cyclists view ‘the motorist’ as inconsiderate and malicious?

Questions like these cannot be ignored in the fields of transport policy and planning, since prejudice leads to antagonism that can seriously jeopardise road safety.

RoadSafe was pleased to assist in the production of new research published by the RAC Foundation, which commissioned Simon Christmas and Shaun Helman to explain some of the psychology behind road user interaction, and how perceptions and attitudes translate into actual behaviour.