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Motorcycle accident cause factors and identification of countermeasures, Volume 1: Technical report
... That is, detailed data are needed for riders involved in crash and non-crash events. To the authors knowledge, no comprehensive, large-scale study of motorcycle crashes had been conducted in the U.S. since the commonly called Hurt Study (Hurt et al., 1981), which included an on-scene investigation of motorcycle crashes in Los Angeles between 1976 and 1980 (Hurt et al., 1981). Thus, due to non-availability of suitable data, meager evidence exists in published literature regarding relative risks of key behavioral and crash specific factors, and how such key-risk factors relate to motorcycle crash propensity (i.e., involvement of a motorcycle rider in an injury crash vs. a non-crash event). ...
... That is, detailed data are needed for riders involved in crash and non-crash events. To the authors knowledge, no comprehensive, large-scale study of motorcycle crashes had been conducted in the U.S. since the commonly called Hurt Study (Hurt et al., 1981), which included an on-scene investigation of motorcycle crashes in Los Angeles between 1976 and 1980 (Hurt et al., 1981). Thus, due to non-availability of suitable data, meager evidence exists in published literature regarding relative risks of key behavioral and crash specific factors, and how such key-risk factors relate to motorcycle crash propensity (i.e., involvement of a motorcycle rider in an injury crash vs. a non-crash event). ...
... One of the key finding of the famous Hurt Report was that "motorcycle riders with high conspicuity were less likely to have their right-of-way violated by other vehicles." (Hurt et al., 1981). After adjusting for observed and unobserved heterogeneity, our analysis suggests that riders with "red" upper body clothing are associated with a 297% increase in the odds of crash involvement. ...
The main objective of this study is to quantify how different policy-sensitive factors are associated with risk of motorcycle injury crashes, while controlling for rider-specific, psycho-physiological, and other observed/unobserved factors. The analysis utilizes data from a matched case-control design collected through the FHWA Motorcycle Crash Causation Study. In particular, 351 cases (motorcyclists involved in injury crashes) are analyzed vis-a-vis similarly-at-risk 702 matched controls (motorcyclists not involved in crashes). The paper presents a novel heterogeneity based statistical analysis that accounts for the possibility of both within and between matched case-control variations. Overall, the correlations between key risk factors and injury crash propensity exhibit significant observed and unobserved heterogeneity. The results of best-fit random parameters logit model with heterogeneity-in-means show that riders with partial helmet coverage have a significantly lower risk of injury crash involvement. Lack of motorcycle rider conspicuity captured by dark (red) upper body clothing is associated with significantly higher injury crash risk (odds ratio 3.87). Importantly, a rider motorcycle-oriented lower clothing significantly lowers the odds of injury crash involvement. Formal motorcycle driving training in recent years was associated with lower injury crash propensity. Finally, riders with less sleep prior to crash/interview exhibited 1.97 times higher odds of crash involvement. Methodologically, the correlations of several rider, exposure, apparel, and riding history related factors with crash risk do not only vary in magnitude but in direction as well. The study results indicate the need to develop appropriate countermeasures, such as refresher motorcycle training courses, prevention of sleep-deprived/fatigued riding, and riding under the influence of alcohol/drugs.
... motorcyclists use safety helmets in spite of their knowledge of the highway code while only 3.4% of motorcyclist use helmets in Kampala, Uganda, and 50% in USA. 7,[15][16][17] This disparity in helmet use in the developing countries has been noted by World Health Organisation (WHO) in developing countries and has been attributed to issues of law enforcement. 18 The low prevalence of helmet use noted in our study and other studies suggests that there are factors which influence the use or non-use of helmets. ...
... Similarly, in the USA 26% of the motorcyclists, a figure comparable with our 25.7% did not use helmets because they found them uncomfortable as in other studies. 7,11 These problems can be dealt with if the government will subsidize the selling cost of these imported helmets or better still set up a factory in Nigeria where standard helmets are produced and through safety education encourage its use despite the attendant discomfort. ...
... There is also the issue of blurring of vision with the use of helmets, a factor also noted in other studies but some studies have reported no limitation of pre-crash visual field or accident causation with use of helmets. 3,7 We believe that neither the helmets and face shields can blur the vision of the rider if he uses his rear view mirrors and freely moves his head as is the case with riders unless the shields are dusty (which may not be uncommon on our roads) or old with scratch marks causing glare under intense sunlight. At a prevalence of 0.000 and 0.001 respectively, marital status(currently married) and age(>40 years) were significantly associated with use of protective devices while formal education (P=0.901), which was mostly primary school level education(limited at its best in terms of exposure to safety issues in Nigeria) in 52.0% did not positively influence the use of safety devices. ...
__________________________________________________________ Background: Motorcycle crashes are common causes of morbidity and mortality for both riders and passengers. To prevent and reduce the severity of injuries sustained through road traffic accidents (RTA) many countries enforce the use of safety devices while riding. Certain factors including non-enforcement of the existing road safety laws have been implicated as causing the poor utilization of safety devices by motorcycle riders in the developing countries. This study seeks to determine the prevalence of use of safety devices, and the reasons for non-utilization of these devices among the commercial motorcyclists in south eastern Nigeria. Methodology: This was a cross sectional survey conducted among commercial motorcycle riders in the three local government areas in Enugu metropolis, the capital of Enugu State. Results: The prevalence of safety device use (goggles/helmets) in this study was 82.1% (505 motorcyclists). Four hundred and fifty three (73.7%) use goggles while 131 motorcyclists (21.3%) use helmets alone. The major determinants of non-utilization of helmets noted were cost among 52.1% of the riders and discomfort as 25.7% found the use of helmets uncomfortable. Age (>40 years) and marital status were significantly associated with use of safety devices while formal school education did not positively influence their use. Conclusion: The prevalence for use of safety helmets is low and the reasons for the poor utilization of this safety device are trivial when compared with the overall safety of the motorcyclists.
... Motorcycle accidents are mostly caused by other road users' inability to detect an oncoming motorcycle; this indicates a lack of visual conspicuity in motorcycles 5,10,11) . Besides the technical problem, unsafe behavior, such as poor speed-spacing judgment and risk perception, are other major causes of motorcycle accidents 12) . ...
... Existing literature has identified a range of factors that influence motorcycle crash severity. These include rider experience, helmet use, motorcycle type, roadway characteristics, and the presence of alcohol or drugs [9,11]. Rider age and gender have also been shown to influence crash dynamics, with younger and less experienced riders often exhibiting higher crash rates and older riders being more susceptible to severe injuries [12,15]. ...
This study investigates the factors affecting the severity of motorcycle crashes in California. Data from 20,672 California motorcycle crashes were extracted from the Highway Safety Information System (HSIS) database. These data were divided into 20 groups based on combinations of time-of-day (5 levels: 0-6, 6-10, 10-16, 16-20, and 20-24 hours) and season (4 levels: spring, summer, autumn, and winter). This segmentation allowed for a more granular analysis of traffic variations across different times and seasons. A logistic regression model of crash severity (Property Damage Only (PDO) vs. injuries or fatalities (NotPDO)) was fitted for each group. Twenty logistic regression models were constructed for 20 different scenarios of time-of-day and seasonal combinations, and each model identified the variables with statistical significance. The model for the 12:01 AM to 6:00 AM time frame in winter exhibits the strongest performance, evidenced by its highest AUC value (0.815). The results showed that variables did not have a uniformly significant role in crash severity across different situations. The findings of this study provide valuable insights for policymakers and road safety officials, enabling them to refine existing policies and programs, implement targeted safety interventions, and enhance road infrastructure to effectively reduce crashes and mitigate injury risks.
... This peculiarity applies especially to the fuel tank and the handlebar with which the rider interacts the most; hence they were the fourth and the fifth critical components in a frontal collision. During the crash, the handlebars typically show signs of rider contact, such as bending or forward rotation in the clamps [69]. This behaviour was hardly replicable in the simulation since it largely depends on the exact geometry of the tight fit with which the handlebar is held inside the bolted clamps on the upper fork mount, Figure 4. ...
... With 1.3 million deaths and 30 million injuries occurring yearly worldwide, road traffic accidents are the main cause of death for people aged 15-29, and represent a cost to governments of, on average, 3% of national GDPs [1]. A high proportion of those accidents occur during manoeuvres such as changing lanes and turning [2]. Advanced Driver Assistance Systems (ADAS) aim at increasing road safety by taking partial control of the car or by providing the driver with extra information when such manoeuvres could be dangerous [3]. ...
Through deep learning and computer vision techniques, driving manoeuvres can be predicted accurately a few seconds in advance. Even though adapting a learned model to new drivers and different vehicles is key for robust driver-assistance systems, this problem has received little attention so far. This work proposes to tackle this challenge through domain adaptation, a technique closely related to transfer learning. A proof of concept for the application of a Domain-Adversarial Recurrent Neural Network (DA-RNN) to multi-modal time series driving data is presented, in which domain-invariant features are learned by maximizing the loss of an auxiliary domain classifier. Our implementation is evaluated using a leave-one-driver-out approach on individual drivers from the Brain4Cars dataset, as well as using a new dataset acquired through driving simulations, yielding an average increase in performance of 30% and 114% respectively compared to no adaptation. We also show the importance of fine-tuning sections of the network to optimise the extraction of domain-independent features. The results demonstrate the applicability of the approach to driver-assistance systems as well as training and simulation environments.
... The same can be explained by the fact that helmets, though they increase the mass of the head and neck, assist in echoing the forces resulting from the impact over the larger area of the skull and cervical spine in order to minimize the risks for serious cervical spine trauma. The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) has always supported the use of helmets, by proving survey which shows a dramatic result in the case of head and neck injuries for users [14,15]. It therefore supports these recommendations while underlining that future Study, legal integration and enforcement must focus on the efficiency of helmet legislation in raising protective measures among riders. ...
Due to their high fatality rate, motorcycles, often referred to as "donorcycles" in the U.S., present unique safety challenges. In Hungary, motorcycle safety remains a critical issue despite a relatively low per capita rate of motor vehicle deaths, largely due to limited ownership and recognition. This study examines historical trends in motorcycle use in Hungary and the economic factors influencing their current prevalence. By emphasizing the crucial role of helmets and safety gear, road conditions, and environmental factors, this paper provides actionable recommendations to improve motorcycle safety in Győr and the surrounding regions. Implementing these recommendations stands to significantly reduce accidents and save lives, ensuring safer roads for all.
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