Professors suggest avoiding the word 'cyclist' because it 'dehumanises people who ride bikes'

Stay ahead of the curve with our weekly guide to the latest trends, fashion, relationships and more Stay ahead of the curve with our weekly guide to the latest trends, fashion, relationships and more Stay ahead of the curve with our weekly guide to the latest trends, fashion, relationships and more SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy policy Road safety and psychology professors are calling for people to avoid using the word “cyclist” after a study concluded the word dehumanises people who ride bikes and may put them at increased risk of road aggression. The study also found deliberate aggression is not an uncommon occurrence towards cyclists, with 17 per cent of participants saying they had used their vehicle to deliberately block a cyclist and 11 per cent admitting they had deliberately driven close to a cyclist. To combat this dangerous attitude of dehumanisation towards cyclists, co-author and QUT’s Centre for Accident Research & Road Safety director Narelle Haworth said the word cyclist should be avoided in favour of an identifier such as “people who ride bikes” - which may humanise bike-riders and reduce aggression. Support free-thinking journalism and attend Independent events “Let’s talk about people who ride bikes rather than cyclists because that’s the first step towards getting rid of this dehumanisation,” Professor Haworth said.