Does cycling make young people better drivers?

Shan Bendall

Harbour Sport

2014

Harbour Sport

Glen Larmer

Communications Leader

DDI (09) 415 4648 |  M 021 374 600

Harbour Sport works collaboratively with a number of other agencies to support and facilitate increased cycling in the North Harbour community. There are many well documented benefits of cycling for children and adults related to health, fitness, enhanced balance and coordination, increased confidence and improved mental well-being. There are also community and transport benefits such as reduced congestion and decreased greenhouse gases.

Providing cycling initiatives is one aspect of Harbour Sport’s work in this sector. This involves facilitating “Bikes in Schools” projects and delivery of Grade 1 and 2 cycle skills training in primary and secondary schools across the Harbour community. Since working in the cycling sector, Harbour Sport has been aware of the conjecture that: “Cyclists make better drivers”. Having explored the area and literature available, it was concluded that there was a lack of empirical evidence to confirm this assumption. Many stakeholders within the cycling or transport sector indicated a keen interest in determining if this assumption was true. This led to this pilot study in order to answer the following question:”Does cycling prepare young people for driving through the acquisition of transferable skills?”

 Keywords:

 cycle skills, Bikes in Schools

For information on how to access the full text of this article, go to http://www.harboursport.co.nz/upload/usermedia/files/45173/do%20cyclists%20make%20better%20drivers.pdf or contact your local or organisational library for assistance

Mixed-method

National

Physical activity, Recreation

Young People

Community, Other setting

Facilities (outdoor), Non-organised, Travel and Transport

Barriers, Benefits, Delivery, Impacts- social, Injuries, Management, Participation, Planning, Policy

Cycling/biking

1090

July 9, 2014

November 11, 2014