How knowledge of cycling practice and changes to the British Highway Code relate to perceptions of cyclist discourtesy

• Significant increase in scores on cyclist road positioning knowledge over a three year period. • Greater knowledge of cyclist road positioning practice predicted lower perceptions of cyclist discourtesy. • Knowledge of changes to the Highway Code did not predict improvements in knowledge of cyclist road positioning practice. In 2022 the UK Highway Code had a major update including advice for cyclists around lane positioning that reflects existing safety training practice and guidance for drivers to leave at least 1.5 m of lateral clearance when overtaking cyclists. This study uses a repeated measures design to examine the impact of changes to the Highway Code on knowledge of cycling road positioning practice, and the effect of this knowledge on perceptions of cyclist discourtesy. Knowledge of cyclist positioning practice improved significantly between the two surveys. A hierarchical multiple regression found that cyclist positioning knowledge score added significantly to the model predicting perceptions of cyclist discourtesy, with the change in R 2 between the two models being significant. A separate hierarchical multiple regression, with cyclist positioning knowledge as the DV and Highway Code knowledge as the additional stage two IV, was not significant. The findings showed that while the highway code changes did not predict improvements in knowledge, drivers with better knowledge did have more positive opinions of cyclist behaviour, when controlling for their own participation in cycling. This was a novel study in applying a repeated measures design before and after the changes to the UK Highway Code. The findings will help inform development of interventions designed to improve road safety for cyclists.