Journal article
New laws, road wars, courtesy and animosity: Cycling safety in Queensland newspapers
Safety Science, Vol.89, pp.256-262
2016
Abstract
The media play an important role in road safety and have a significant influence on road user behaviours. This is achieved through educating road users and communicating safety issues. The issue of cycling safety was again prominent in 2014 when the Queensland Government in Australia trialled new laws to improve cycling conditions. In Australia, the relationship between cyclists and motorists has been described as "road wars", and a one metre passing law was introduced to reduce cycling fatalities and improve road sharing. The aim of this study was to examine the media portrayal of cyclists and cycling following the introduction of the changes. A content analysis of 12 Queensland daily newspapers was undertaken to investigate topics in relation to the new laws, cycling safety, road wars, road factors, accidents, and blame. Data was collected between April, 2014 and January, 2015, with a sample of 467 story items. Analysis of the stories showed a highly negative portrayal of the new laws and cyclists, particularly through user-generated content. The implications for road safety and future road safety-related media activities are discussed.
Details
- Title
- New laws, road wars, courtesy and animosity: Cycling safety in Queensland newspapers
- Authors
- Peter A English (Author) - University of the Sunshine Coast - Faculty of Arts, Business and LawPaul M Salmon (Author) - University of the Sunshine Coast - Faculty of Arts, Business and Law
- Publication details
- Safety Science, Vol.89, pp.256-262
- Publisher
- Elsevier BV
- Date published
- 2016
- DOI
- 10.1016/j.ssci.2016.06.023
- ISSN
- 0925-7535
- Organisation Unit
- Centre for Human Factors and Systems Science; School of Business and Creative Industries; University of the Sunshine Coast, Queensland; School of Creative Industries - Legacy; School of Law and Society
- Language
- English
- Record Identifier
- 99451286502621
- Output Type
- Journal article
Metrics
12 File views/ downloads
937 Record Views
InCites Highlights
These are selected metrics from InCites Benchmarking & Analytics tool, related to this output
- Web Of Science research areas
- Engineering, Industrial
- Operations Research & Management Science
UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs)
This output has contributed to the advancement of the following goals:
Source: InCites