Bicycling safety and distracted behavior in The Hague, the Netherlands

• Observations were made of bicyclists entering an intersection for whether their behavior was deemed safe.
• Bicyclists were noted for whether they were performing a secondary task (e.g., talking on a mobile phone).
• Bicyclists performing a secondary task engaged in unsafe behavior more often than those not performing a secondary task.
• Bicyclists performing a secondary task forced others to evade them to avoid an accident.
• Bicycling while performing a secondary task may be unsafe for the bicyclists as well as for others around them.

As planners and public health officials in many cities around the world seek to increase bicycle ridership, bicyclists who are performing a secondary task (such as listening to a portable music device) may pose a risk to public safety. This study examines bicycling safety and potentially distracted behavior in The Hague, the Netherlands, a place where bicycling is a common, everyday travel mode among all walks of life and where bicycling infrastructure is well developed. Based on 1360 observations of bicycling behavior, this study shows that bicyclists who were using a cell phone, listening to a portable music device, or talking with other bicyclists exhibited more unsafe behaviors than those bicyclists who were not performing a secondary task. Furthermore, bicyclists who were performing a secondary task also more frequently created situations where other people had to evade them to avoid an accident. As with distracted car driving, the performance of a secondary task while bicycling may be unsafe for the person engaging in the behavior as well as for other people around them.