Road users’ stereotypes, emotions and behavioral intentions: Comparisons between motorists, cyclists and pedestrians

• Group perception models were used to study road user dynamics. • Road users see others differently based on their transport mode. • Stereotypes guide emotions and behavioral intentions on the road. • Cyclists and pedestrians favor their own group in traffic situations. This study examines social judgments among road users by focusing on how motorists, cyclists, and pedestrians perceive both their own group and others based on their mode of transportation. Drawing on the Stereotype Content Model (SCM) and the Behavior from Intergroup Affect and Stereotype (BIAS) map, the stereotypes, emotions, and behavioral intentions associated with each group were analyzed (motorists, n = 124; cyclists, n = 114; pedestrians, n = 137). Results show that mode of transport serves as a key social marker in shaping group identities, with vulnerable road users (cyclists and pedestrians) demonstrating strong in-group favoritism, in contrast to motorists. Through the BIAS map, a detailed mapping of the emotions and behaviors directed toward each group is offered, and a perceptual system is proposed that captures how these three social groups relate to one another in traffic contexts. This framework provides a valuable tool for understanding the dynamics of intergroup perception within a complex system of road users. Moreover, these implicit biases—often automatic and unconscious—are emphasized as potential causes of conflictual interactions and contributors to serious, even fatal, accidents. Findings finally suggest that addressing such biases could improve interactions among road users and enhance overall traffic safety.