title: The prevalence and reliability of visibility aid and other risk factor data for uninjured cyclists and pedestrians in Edmonton, Alberta, Canada.
abstract: This study was conducted to determine the prevalence and reliability of risk factors collected on uninjured cyclists-pedestrians in Edmonton, Alberta, and what characteristics predict cyclist-pedestrian visibility. At randomly selected locations from July 2004 to August 2004, two independent observers recorded cyclist-pedestrian characteristics such as age, sex, clothing color, use of reflectors, flags, helmets, and a subjective impression of visibility. Data were collected on 836 individuals; most were either walking/jogging (approximately 63%) or cycling (approximately 33%). For non-cyclists, the prevalence of bright colored clothing on the trunk ranged from 12.7 to 14.7%. Few people used any kind of reflective strips. Inter-observer agreement (Kappa) ranged from 0.37 (visibility assessment) to 0.99 (sex). For cyclists, 17-19% of headgear was brightly colored, and 13-14% was white. Approximately one-fourth had a front light; half had a rear reflector. Few cyclists used a flag and just over half used spoke reflectors. Kappa ranged from 0.35 (observer assessed speed) to 0.95 (head gear and sex). A major trunk color of orange, red, yellow or white resulted in a higher visibility rating for both cyclists and pedestrians. The results indicate a low prevalence of visibility aid use among cyclists and pedestrians, but there appears to be acceptable inter-observer reliability for most data collected. Further work is required before an overall visibility rating can be used in place of component scores.
authors.affiliation: Alberta Centre for Injury Control & Research, Department of Public Health Sciences, Faculty of Medicine and Dentistry, University of Alberta, Alberta, Canada. brent.hagel@calgaryhealthregion.ca
authors.forename: Brent E
authors.initials: BE
authors.lastname: Hagel
authors.forename: Andrea
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Lamy
authors.forename: Jacques W
authors.initials: JW
authors.lastname: Rizkallah
authors.forename: Kathy L
authors.initials: KL
authors.lastname: Belton
authors.forename: Gian S
authors.initials: GS
authors.lastname: Jhangri
authors.forename: Nicola
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Cherry
authors.forename: Brian H
authors.initials: BH
authors.lastname: Rowe
mesh_terms: D000063:Accidents, Traffic / Q000517:prevention & control*; D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000416:Alberta; D001334:Automobile Driving / Q000523:psychology*; D001642:Bicycling; D003020:Clothing; D003116:Color; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008029:Lighting; D016015:Logistic Models; D008297:Male; D011482:Protective Devices / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D018570:Risk Assessment; D012307:Risk Factors; D012449:Safety; D014796:Visual Perception; D016138:Walking