Abstract
Riding a bicycle can be considered as a combination of perceptual-motor and cognitive tasks. The task is divided into three functional levels: control, manoeuvring and strategic. Relevant (cognitive) abilities at the first two levels must be acquired and automatised through extensive experience. The processes which are not yet automatised may claim attention and will, therefore, interfere with other processes demanding attention. In this experiment, subjects of various ages and bicycling experiences participated. The hypothesis was verified that novice cyclists cannot accomplish traffic-relevant cognitive tasks while they ride a bicycle; possible countermeasures were discussed. (Author/publisher)