In Japan we drive on the left and cyclists pass cars on both sides. So drivers have to look back on their left side before turning left so that they will not collide with cyclists. This knowledge achieved through education seems to be common among drivers and cyclists. This observational research investigated how drivers' schemas (knowledge) of turning left or being careful of cyclists were triggered. 1,912 drivers were videotaped at three comers on city streets from a few angles and were observed as to whether they looked into mirrors or looked back directly before turning left and whether they looked toward the crossing street At most 72% of observed drivers looked back when they stopped at the front of a line of cars. When they stopped but were not the first car in line, depending on the circumstances between 20 to 40% of drivers looked back and when thy didn't have to stop at the intersection, less than 20% did. Those results suggested that the schema of paying attention to cyclists was not triggered all the time, but was activated by encountering cyclists, because more drivers looked back when a cyclist appeared nearby. In contrast, the schema of looking into the crossing street was automatically triggered though it was unnecessary. Implicit rules of priority between drivers and cyclists were discovered. That is, when cyclists were in front of or even with a driver's seat, most of them went first. When they were behind the driver, the cyclists went after the driver. Those rules were implicit because such rules were not stated anywhere and secondly because no explicit gestures or communications had been exchanged between the driver and the cyclist. It was assumed these implicit rules explained the fact that the car-and-cycle accidents involved in the procedure of making left-turns were not so many here in spite of the low percentage of drivers' looking back. (Author/publisher)
Abstract