Florida Department of Transportation, Final Report – Naturalistic Bicycling Behavior Pilot Study November 2017 [via StreetsBlogUSA] “Bicyclists experience disproportionate rates of injuries and fatalities compared to other road users. The safety for bicyclists is of particular concern in Florida, where bicyclist fatality rates were nearly triple the national average in 2015. This naturalistic bicycling behavior pilot study was conducted to collect data from actual rides of a sample of 100 participants in the Tampa Bay area. The project team successfully designed, developed, and produced bicycle data acquisition systems to conduct comprehensive data collection for the pilot study. Results of the study provided valuable insight in the following six areas: (1) understanding behavior, experience, and interactions between bicyclists and drivers making right turns at intersections (right hook); (2) understanding behavior, experience, and interactions between bicyclists and drivers making left turns at intersections (left hook); (3) understanding behavior, experience, and interactions between bicyclists and drivers at night; (4) understanding bicyclist route-choice decisions with given origins and destinations; (5) assessing bicycling behaviors of bicyclists with and without formal bicycle-riding training; and (6) analyzing bicycle crashes or close calls and determining their contributing factors. The data analysis also showed the effects of age, gender, and self- reported risk and distraction proneness on bicycling behaviors. Based on the research findings from the pilot study, the project team recommended implementable countermeasures in education, engineering, and enforcement to significantly improve bicycle safety.”