Citation

Wang H, Su F, Schwebel DC. J. Saf. Res. 2023; 85: 8-14.

Copyright

(Copyright © 2023, U.S. National Safety Council, Publisher Elsevier Publishing)

DOI

10.1016/j.jsr.2023.01.002

PMID

37330903

Abstract

INTRODUCTION: China has the largest number of e-bikers in the world, and e-bike crashes cause thousands of fatalities and tens of thousands of serious injuries annually. Mobile phone use while e-biking is a violation of Chinese law and associated with increased crash risk. The current study investigated mobile phone use behavior while cycling among Chinese e-bikers and the psychological factors surrounding why individuals might choose to engage in this risk-taking behavior.

METHOD: In particular, this study investigates whether the decision to use a mobile phone while cycling is explained through reasoned decision making or is a social reactive decision, or both, as defined by the prototype willingness model (PWM). Questionnaire data were collected from 784 Chinese adults with e-bike experience.

RESULTS: Results showed that 40.2 % of the participants reported mobile phone use while cycling e-bikes in the past month. Both behavioral intention and behavioral willingness were predictors of mobile phone while using e-bikes, and they were approximately equal in their magnitude of predictive power (β(BI) = 0.25; β(BW) = 0.26). E-bikers' attitudes, perceived behavioral control, and perception of prototype similarity and favorability were strong predictors of intention, willingness, and self-reported behavior to use mobile phones while e-biking.

CONCLUSIONS: Both social reactive decision-making and reasoned decision-making contribute to decisions to use a mobile phone while riding an e-bike. PRACTICAL APPLICATIONS: Results have implications for guiding development of interventions to prevent and reduce mobile phone use when e-bike cycling.

Language: en

Keywords

Adult; Humans; Motorcycles; Risk-Taking; Bicycling; China; *Cell Phone Use; *Cell Phone; E-bike; Mobile phone use; Prototype willingness model; Reasoned decision-making; Social reactive decision-making