Cyclists wearing helmets and safety gear perceived as ‘less human’, study finds

Australian cyclists are being dehumanised and face a “hostile environment” as they “do battle” on the roads, a report has found.

A report suggests cyclists wearing helmets could be perceived as less human. Picture: David Geraghty

Cyclists wearing helmets and safety gear were perceived as less human, a nationwide study has found.

The report, by academic Dr Mark Limb, found that with the most overt safety equipment the less human they are seen.

Dr Limb said it may be connected to how unpopular cyclists can be among certain sectors of the community, but further research was needed.

And men were more likely to dehumanise cyclists, Dr Limb, an urban planner at QUT, said.

“That maybe has something to do with their notions of risk avoidance and they are less risk averse than women.’’

Cyclists wearing helmets and safety gear are perceived as less human, a report suggests. Picture: David Geraghty

The report also considered if wearing helmets are perceived as less human because others could not see their eyes and hair but the perception was based more on their safety attire instead.

The report follows from a 2019 pilot study, led by Associate Professor Alexa Delbosc at Monash University, into how the dehumanisation of cyclists led to aggressive behaviour towards them.

Dr Limb compared nations with a cycling tradition such as the Netherlands where people wore normal clothes on their bikes to get around, while in Australia mandatory helmet laws require a different approach.

“The environment here is so hostile that have to dress up to do battle with the situation.’’

Dr Limb, a daily cyclist, said riders were well aware of the everyday dangers they face.

“The environment that I’m provided with, I feel like a second-class citizen.’’

Chris Star, spokesperson for bicycle group Yarra BUG, said the findings were peculiar.

“Really, wearing a helmet or gloves or any other protective safety gear is just technical wear.

“Do you pick on someone at a work site for what they are wearing?

“And in Australia, we tend to lump all cyclists into one homogenous group, and that’s clearly not the case,’’ Ms Star said.

In Victoria so far this year, five cyclists have been killed on the roads, one fewer than this time last year.

Twelve riders died in 2022, and TAC data showed that another 315 were so badly injured they required treatment in hospital. Of those, 32 were in hospital for more than two weeks.