A behaviour modification intervention to increase the number of student cyclists using cycle lights at night

Abstract

The failure of over half the cycling population of Christchurch to use adequate head and tail lights when cycling at night has continued to be of considerable concern. A behaviour modification campaign promoting the use of cycle lights was implemented at the two main tertiary institutions in Christchurch, using a multiple baseline design. The City Centre served as a control, receiving no experimental manipulation during the eight-week study. The design was based on a similar study carried out eight years prior (Ferguson, 1987). Ferguson's study failed to achieve the desired result of increasing the proportion of student cyclists using cycle lights at night. Modifications suggested by Ferguson were the basis for the current study. Following a brief baseline period, a multimedia prompting condition was introduced at both experimental locations with the aim of increasing awareness of the dangers associated with cycling at night without lights, and to encourage students to purchase lights. An incentive component was then initiated enabling students to purchase lights at the campus book shops, and giving them the opportunity to win back the purchase price of their lights. Finally an enforcement campaign was imposed with the Ministry of Transport stopping and fining those cyclists without adequate lighting. Overall, the intervention campaign proved as ineffective in significantly increasing the proportion of cyclists using head and tail lights when cycling at night. Despite students gaining a greater awareness of the cycle light issue, improvements in the observed behaviour were not demonstrated, and were not maintained over the duration of the campaign. Reasons for the ineffectiveness of the campaign, and possible directions for future research in this area are discussed.