Lane splitting policy: Social acceptability of a road safety measure ; Encadrement de la circulation inter-files : Acceptabilité sociale d'une mesure de sécurité routière

Lane splitting is the practice of riding a powered two or three-wheelers between lanes when the traffic is slow or vehicles are stopped (DSR, 2021 ; SPERLEY and PIETZ, 2010). According to Wigan (2002), these practices can have environmental benefits by reducing traffic congestion and greenhouse gas emissions. Although lane splitting is not allowed everywhere in France, it is a common riding practice among motorcyclist drivers. As transport policy is a key driver for promoting sustainable and safe transport, a first experiment (2015-2018) was conducted in eleven departments where lane splitting was allowed on highways and urban expressways (EYSSARTIER et alii, 2018). Results highlight that both car and motorcyclist drivers evaluate positively the experiment, with motorcyclist drivers having however a slightly higher positive level than car drivers. A second experiment is conducted since 2021 in ten new departments with eight specific conditions regulating this practice (e.g. speed must not exceed 50 km/h or motorcyclist drivers must indicate when entering and exiting lanes). The objective of this paper is to present the results of this second experiment by questioning the social acceptability of this transport policy among car drivers and motorcyclists according to their living areas (where lane splitting is allowed versus where it is forbidden). Based on the Unified Theory of Acceptance and Use of Technology developped by Venkatesh et alii (2003), this research explores how factors that compose social acceptability (perceived efficacy, social influence, facilitating conditions through perceived punishment and expected effort, knowledge of the measure, perceived danger, and attitude) are expressed in the case of the social acceptability of lane splitting for motorcyclist and car drivers in France. Data collection took place between July 22 and August 2, 2021. The sample is representative of the French population and composed of 1761 road users (53.61% car drivers and 46.39% motorcycle drivers). The distribution ...