An Application of Behavioral Science to Improve Bicycle Safety: An Innovative Behavioral Prompting Technique
摘要
From a behavioral community perspective, cyclists’ decisions to wear helmets reflect social and cognitive biases rather than purely rational risk assessment. Despite awareness of helmet safety benefits, many cyclists, particularly students, forget helmets due to perceived inconvenience and an underestimation of risk on short trips. In a university-based intervention, we applied a community-driven behavioral prompting technique by distributing stickers featuring the Bavarian Prime Minister wearing a helmet. This simple cue led to a temporary two- to threefold increase in helmet use. However, the effect diminished over time, highlighting the limitations of this student-driven intervention. Future research should explore sustained behavioral change strategies, integrating repeated or varied prompts to reinforce long-term impact within student communities.