Motonormativity (also motornormativity, windshield bias, or car brain) is an unconscious cognitive bias in which the assumption is made that motor car ownership and use is an unremarkable social norm. [1]
Motonormativity (also motornormativity, windshield bias, or car brain) is an unconscious cognitive bias in which the assumption is made that motor car ownership and use is an unremarkable social norm. [1]
The term was coined by Swansea University psychologist Ian Walker, Alan Tapp and Adrian Davis in a 2023 UK study. [2] [3] The study was replicated in the US by Tara Goddard in 2024. [4]
Motonormativity is not a bias confined just to motorists, but is a feature of car-centric societies. [5] Walker has argued that a consequence of motonormative bias is that any attempt to reduce car use is not seen plainly for what it is, but interpreted as an attempt to curtail personal freedom. [5] This effect has been documented not just in famously car-dependent North America, but around the world. [6]
A 2024 study found that Americans displayed a significant "windshield bias," where participants were more accepting of negative externalities associated with cars compared to similar non-car scenarios. [4] This bias aligns with previous research in the UK, highlighting a pervasive societal tendency to overlook the public health hazards of car-centric systems. [4]
Walker has cited certain road safety campaigns targeting children as an example of motonormativity: by encouraging children to wear brightly coloured clothing to avoid being run over, such campaigns normalize the idea of motor traffic as an accepted danger others must adjust to, in a way which in other contexts would be considered victim blaming. [5]
Motonormativity may affect planning decisions so that, for example, a new hospital is built outside a city even though that makes it less accessible to city dwellers who cannot drive or do not have a car. [2]
