Why are cyclists not seen in road traffic?

Cycling is growing in popularity in Switzerland – buoyed by the appeal of e-bikes and the trend towards sustainable mobility. However, the increasing use of conventional bicycles and e-bikes is posing new challenges in terms of road safety.

Many collisions can be attributed to failure to give way, but drivers not seeing cyclists might also be a root cause – on top of driver inattention. This project finds us working with the Swiss Council for Accident Prevention (bfu) and the Institute of Sport Science at the University of Bern to investigate why these critical situations occur and what affects driver awareness.

Through a combination of accident data analysis, workshops with relevant professionals and case studies involving VR simulations, we are researching the factors that lead to cyclists not being seen in traffic.

The aim of the project is to come up with a systematic methodology for identifying critical situations that lead to cyclists not being seen, and to develop a package of practical measures. In so doing, we are targeting actions that lead to safer roads and mobility for all.

Project Dates