Drivers don’t check for cyclists, pedestrians

Study shows that more than half of Torontonians fail to look over shoulder

More than half of Toronto drivers did not check for cyclists and pedestrians when turning right, a new University of Toronto study shows.

Researchers in U of T’s Faculty of Applied Science and Engineering studied the eye movements of drivers at busy Toronto intersections using special eye-tracking equipment. They found that more than half failed to look for pedestrians or cyclists at right turns.

Participants in the study were aged 35 to 54, with at least three years of driving experience. The study was conducted at two in- tersections: Palmerston Ave. at Bloor St., and Major and Bloor Sts. Drivers had to turn across a dedicated cycling lane.

According to the study, the main reason for drivers’ inattention to pedestrians and cyclists coming from the right was because they didn’t frequently check over their shoulders. Participants who drove downtown more frequently were also found to make more mistakes.

“We didn’t expect this level of attention failure, especially since we selected a group that are considered to be a low crash-risk age group,” said Birsen Donmez, associate professor and Canada Research Chair in Human Factors and Transportation, who is supervising the research.

“I think it’s an infrastructure issue. I don’t think it’s an education issue. When you look at the bike lanes in the city — they appear over here but disappear there — the more unpredictable the road rules are the more challenging it is.”

The study follows a summer filled with collisions, and growing concerns among bicyclists and pedestrians about their safety in Toronto.

As of early June, 21 cyclists or pedestrians were killed on Toronto streets.