Use of smartphone and crash risk among cyclists

High percentages of cyclists admit using smartphone devices while cycling. Moreover, such use has been found to be associated with near crashes and crashes, representing a risk factor for cyclists. This study examines the relationship between such type of behaviours, comprising calling and manipulating the screen, and the frequency of near crashes and actual crashes among Italian cyclists. We administered an online survey measuring smartphone-specific violation, errors, near crash and crash to Italian cyclists (N = 298; age range: 19–72). We hypothesised that the relationship between smartphone use and near crashes would be explained by an increase in the number of errors committed, thus increasing the likelihood of being involved in near crashes. Moreover, we hypothesised that near crashes will predict actual crashes. Results of path analysis showed that smartphone-specific violations predicted crashes throughout their consecutive effects on errors and near crashes only in the subsample of men. These findings offer an explanation of how smartphone use contributes to incrementing the likelihood of getting involved in near crashes and actual crashes. To our knowledge, the present study is the first in building a path model explaining how smartphone-specific violations lead to more near crashes among cyclists.