New research has tested and confirmed that this unfair framing of traffic crashes has a significant effect on the public’s perception of whether the cyclist or driver is to blame. While the research focused on pedestrians, the study had all vulnerable road users, including cyclists, in mind.
“This was motivated by seeing article after article after article of blaming the victim,” study author Kelcie Ralph, an assistant professor at the Edward J. Bloustein School of Planning and Public Policy at Rutgers University, told Bicycling.