Subjective risk from the side? Investigating cyclists’ perceptions during overtaking maneuvers in a bicycle simulator

Introduction: For cyclists in urban traffic, being overtaken by motorized vehicles is a daily occurrence. This situation can be objectively and subjectively safety–critical, particularly when drivers maintain an insufficient passing distance. It remains unclear which factors in these situations particularly affect cyclists’ perception of safety. This experiment therefore examines how different overtaking distances, vehicle types, overtaking speeds, and cycling infrastructures influence cyclists’ subjective safety in a bicycle simulator. Method: Twenty-eight participants experienced 36 overtaking scenarios in a controlled, simulated environment. They were asked to rate their subjective safety immediately after each overtaking maneuver, while lateral position was continuously recorded. Results: The results showed that passing distance and vehicle type had the largest effects on subjective safety, with small distances and large vans leading to the lowest safety ratings. Overtaking speed and cycling infrastructure also significantly affected subjective safety, but with smaller effect sizes. There were no interactions between the manipulated factors, indicating that they acted additively on cyclists’ safety perception within the tested conditions. Additionally, cyclists showed slight adjustments in their lateral position in response to the overtaking maneuver, moving closer to the curb. Conclusions: Overall, cyclists’ safety perception during overtaking was influenced by multiple additive factors, including vehicle and infrastructure characteristics. The study also showed that cyclists’ perception during overtaking situations could be investigated in a controlled simulator environment. Practical Applications: The findings highlight the importance of legal regulations on passing distances, vehicle types, speed limits, and cycling infrastructures. Targeting even individual factors may already enhance perceived safety. Additionally, simulator-based approaches allow the investigation of other (overtaking) situations that would be too risky or impractical in real traffic.