The good, the bad and the ugly. Association between car colour and bicycle passing space.
OBJECTIVE
Because anecdotal evidence indicates that the behaviour of cars (and their drivers) with respect to bicycles is highly variable, this study was undertaken to determine whether car colour correlates with the space allowed by the driver for passing a bicycle.


METHODS
Randomized recollection.


METHODS
The streets of Vancouver and Burnaby, BC.


METHODS
The author, her bike, lots of cars and a few transit buses.


METHODS
For a 10-day period in the summer of 1998, the investigator attempted, while cycling, to remember car colours and associated behaviours until she reached her various destinations. Data were eventually recorded in a tattered spiral-bound notebook saved from university days.


METHODS
Numbers of cars in 2 categories: "good" (those that gave extra space to cyclists) and "bad" (those that didn't).


RESULTS
Read the article to find out.


CONCLUSIONS
Although there was a slightly greater chance that a passing car would give a cyclist extra space, riders should be especially cautious when they catch sight of white and maroon vehicles.
Hurst
J K
JK
Medical Services, British Columbia Institute of Technology.
D001334:Automobile Driving / Q000523:psychology; D001642:Bicycling / Q000523:psychology; D002170:Canada; D003116:Color; D006801:Humans; D014925:Wit and Humor as Topic