Modeling offenses among motorcyclists involved in crashes in Spain

Age and engine displacement are associated with unsafe motorcycle rider actions

BACKGROUND

Our goal was to examine the relationship between age and engine displacement in cubic centimeters (CCs) and crash responsibility.

METHODS

Male motorcyclists, aged 16-94, involved in a fatal crash in the United States (1987-2015) who tested negative for both drugs and alcohol were included. Employing a case control design, cases had committed one or more Unsafe Motorcyclist Actions (UMAs), the proxy measure of responsibility; controls had no UMAs recorded. Odds ratios were computed via multinomial regression examining the effect of motorcyclists' age and motorcycle displacement (up to 1500 CCs, in 250 CC increments) on crash responsibility by any UMA and top three individual UMAs committed.

RESULTS

A total of 19,166 motorcyclists met our inclusion criteria. Increased displacement was observed in older motorcyclists and in more recent crashes. Fifty-six percent of motorcyclists committed one or more UMAs (n = 10,743). The top three individual UMAs were: Speeding (35%, n = 6,728), Weaving (24%, n = 3,269), and Erratic Operation (6%, n = 1,162). Odds ratios for committing any UMA were the greatest for riders on 750 CC motorcycles, followed closely by 500 and 1000 CC motorcycles. By 1250 CCs the effect of displacement on rider crash responsibility (any UMA) was no longer statistically significant. Typically, younger ages (e.g., 20-30) on motorcycles with 500-1000 CCs were associated with the highest odds of either speeding, weaving, or erratic riding compared to similar aged riders on 250 CC motorcycles. Exceptions were observed, for example riders at 70 years of age on 1500 CCs having higher odds of speeding than younger riders on equivalent CC motorcycles.

CONCLUSION

Education and legislative measures should be considered. Educationally, the development of training interventions focusing on control, stability, and breaking differences with more powerful motorcycles (750 to 1250 CCs) is needed. Legislatively, licensing tiers could be employed based on displacement and educational requirements. Education and legislative measures could help to curb the trend seen between high-powered motorcycles and crash responsibility.

Role of sensation seeking and attitudes as mediators between age of driver and risky driving of Powered Two Wheelers

INTRODUCTION

This study examines the effect of age of driver on risky driving of Powered Two-Wheelers (PTW) employing sensation seeking and safety attitudes as mediators.

METHODS

A survey was conducted with 1299 PTW drivers (1089 males and 210 females) within the age of 18 and 63years, living in the state of Kerala, India. The questionnaire consisted of 31 items to measure sensation seeking, safety attitude, and risky driving of the drivers.

RESULTS

Mediation models were examined using sensation seeking as mediator and secondly safety attitudes as mediators. The relationship between the driver's age and risky driving was fully mediated by all the three variables.

PRACTICAL APPLICATIONS

Results of this study suggest that safety strategies should be employed to reduce risky driving tendencies that could be achieved by shaping or adapting the mediators (reducing sensation seeking and enhancing safety attitudes). This goal could be reached by starting to educate children about this at an early stage when they are at school as well as by social learning and safety awareness campaigns.

Correlation between crash avoidance maneuvers and injury severity sustained by motorcyclists in single-vehicle crashes

OBJECTIVES

In order to improve motorcycle safety, this article examines the correlation between crash avoidance maneuvers and injury severity sustained by motorcyclists, under multiple precrash conditions.

METHOD

Ten-year crash data for single-vehicle motorcycle crashes from the General Estimates Systems (GES) were analyzed, using partial proportional odds models (i.e., generalized ordered logit models).

RESULTS

The modeling results show that "braking (no lock-up)" is associated with a higher probability of increased severity, whereas "braking (lock-up)" is associated with a higher probability of decreased severity, under all precrash conditions. "Steering" is associated with a higher probability of reduced injury severity when other vehicles are encroaching, whereas it is correlated with high injury severity under other conditions. "Braking and steering" is significantly associated with a higher probability of low severity under "animal encounter and object presence," whereas it is surprisingly correlated with high injury severity when motorcycles are traveling off the edge of the road. The results also show that a large number of motorcyclists did not perform any crash avoidance maneuvers or conducted crash avoidance maneuvers that are significantly associated with high injury severity.

CONCLUSIONS

In general, this study suggests that precrash maneuvers are an important factor associated with motorcyclists' injury severity. To improve motorcycle safety, training/educational programs should be considered to improve safety awareness and adjust driving habits of motorcyclists. Antilock brakes and such systems are also promising, because they could effectively prevent brake lock-up and assist motorcyclists in maneuvering during critical conditions. This study also provides valuable information for the design of motorcycle training curriculum.

A case study analysis to examine motorcycle crashes in Bogota, Colombia

INTRODUCTION

Contributory factors to motorcycle crashes vary among populations depending on several aspects such as the users' profiles, the composition and density of traffic, and the infrastructure features. A better understanding of local motorcycle crashes can be reached in those places where a comprehensive analysis is performed. This paper presents the results obtained from a case study analysis of 400 police records of accidents involving motorcycles in Bogota.

METHOD

To achieve a deeper level of understanding of how these accidents occur, we propose a systemic approach that uses available crash data. The methodology is inspired by accident prototypical scenarios, a tool for analysis developed in France.

RESULTS

When grouping cases we identified three categories: solo motorcycle accidents, motorcyclist and pedestrian accidents, and accidents involving a motorcycle and another vehicle. Within these categories we undertook in-depth analyses of 32 groups of accidents obtaining valuable information to better comprehend motorcyclists' road crashes in a local context. Recurrent contributory factors in the groups of accidents include: inexperienced motorcyclists, wide urban roads that incite speeding and risky overtaking maneuvers, flowing urban roads that encourage high speed and increased interaction between vehicles, and lack of infrastructure maintenance.

PRACTICAL APPLICATIONS

The results obtained are a valuable asset to define measures that will be conveniently adapted to the group of accident on which we want to act. The methodology exposed in this paper is applicable to the study of road crashes that involve all types of actors, not only the motorcyclists, and in contexts different than those presented in Bogota.