In 2023/24, Cycling Scotland received funding through Transport Scotland’s Road Safety Evaluation Fund to test public understanding of hazard awareness relating to vulnerable road users, especially people walking, wheeling and cycling.

The evaluation was based on two distinct activities: firstly, a population sample survey targeted at people with regular driving experience, to test awareness and understanding of the Highway Code; and secondly, an analysis of road-user behaviour at four identified junction sites in Glasgow and Edinburgh through video data collection.

The data highlighted a range of key insights, e.g. 75% of drivers say they know the Highway Code well, but the majority had not read the Code in over 10 years. Knowledge of rules around people walking and cycling is particularly weak, with results overall suggesting people tend to over-estimate their knowledge of the Code.

Comparison between survey responses and actual behaviours in the observation data showed a reasonable correlation between people driving and people cycling but, in contrast, in less than half of interactions where people driving observed to give priority to pedestrians either waiting to cross or already crossing side roads.

The research highlights the importance of wider and more effective communications to raise awareness of the Highway Code and promote safer road user behaviours. The presentation will outline the methodology and results, incorporating examples from the observation data.

Simon Bradshaw, Cycling Road Safety Manager, Cycling Scotland

Simon Bradshaw has a remit to work with partners across Scotland to support delivery of Scotland’s Road Safety Framework and help get more people cycling, more safely and easily, and in a better environment.

Simon was previously a police officer for 31 years, with extensive experience in road policing and road safety enforcement, retiring in 2022 as a Superintendent and Deputy Head of Road Policing at Police Scotland.