<
https://theconversation.com/safety-vests-and-helmets-make-cyclists-look-less-human-to-other-road-users-207413>
"Getting more people to ride bikes has been flagged as a simple and effective
way to improve public health while tackling climate change. However, research
has repeatedly found safety concerns deter people from cycling.
Australia’s limited cycling infrastructure often forces cyclists to share the
road with motor vehicles. This puts them in a vulnerable position as, unlike
motorists, they have little to protect their flesh and bones from the road or
the vehicles on it.
To reduce their vulnerability, cyclists wear safety gear such as helmets to
protect their heads and high-vis safety vests to make them more visible to
other road users. However, our study found cyclists wearing helmets or safety
vests are more likely to be perceived as “less human” than those not wearing
safety gear. Around 30% of respondents also perceived cyclists to be less than
fully human.
This finding is consistent with previous research showing that perceiving
cyclists as “less human” (known as dehumanisation) was associated with more
aggression towards cyclists. Dehumanisation is the denial of attributes, such
as complex emotions, intelligence, rationality and individuality, that
differentiate humans from other animals and inanimate objects. To dehumanise is
to perceive a person or group as having lesser value and worth, which can lead
to their mistreatment."
Cheers,
*** Xanni ***
--
mailto:xanni@xanadu.net Andrew Pam
http://xanadu.com.au/ Chief Scientist, Xanadu
https://glasswings.com.au/ Partner, Glass Wings
https://sericyb.com.au/ Manager, Serious Cybernetics
