Motorcycle and scooter speeds approaching urban intersections

Classifying safe following distance for motorcycles to prevent rear-end collisions

This study aims to classify motorcycle (MC) following distance based on trajectory traffic data and identify the risks associated with MC following distances to prevent rear-end collisions. A total of 8,223 events of a MC following a vehicle were investigated in Pathum Thani, Thailand, and 41 cases of MC rear-end crashes were analyzed between 2017 and 2021. Time headway (TH), safe stopping distance (SSD) and time to collision (TTC) were applied to the proposed concept to determine safe following distance (SFD). Speed and following distance for actual rear-end crashes were applied to validate SFD. Results showed that the proposed SFD model identified the causes of MC rear-end collision events as mostly due to longitudinal critical area (38 cases, 92.68%), implying insufficient MC rider reaction and decision time for evasive action. The longitudinal warning area had relatively few chances for rear-end collisions to occur, with only 3 cases recorded. VDO clip extracts from MC rear-end crashes illustrated 11 cases (26.83%) of rider fatality. The study findings revealed that the SFD concept can help to prevent MC rear-end collision events by developing reminder systems when the rider reached the following distances of both warning and critical areas.

Analyzing traffic conflicts and the behavior of motorcyclists at unsignalized three-legged and four-legged intersections in Cartagena, Colombia

INTRODUCTION

The global motorcycle market has grown significantly, with over 770 million vehicles estimated to be in use worldwide. Motorcycle-related road traffic deaths in low and middle-income countries (LMICs) like Colombia are concerning, comprising 30% of all reported fatalities. Cartagena has an average of 70 motorcycle-related deaths annually between 2019 and 2022, making it a high-risk area for motorcyclists.

OBJECTIVE

The study aimed to identify factors associated with motorcyclist safety at unsignalized three-legged and four-legged intersections in Cartagena by observing the behavior of the motorcyclists and the analysis of the potential traffic conflicts. The observational analysis focused on the access of motorcyclists from a secondary road to a main road since it is the behavior offered by the most significant road interaction and the potential risk of traffic conflicts due to crossing.

METHODS

The observational process was consolidated at ten three-legged intersections and seven four-legged intersections. Thirty-six hours of videos were collected considering different time slots and weekdays randomly distributed during September 2019 and March 2020. The selection of the intersections included different vehicular flows and road safety conditions. The variables considered in the study were: interaction with other road users, motorcyclist behavior, vehicle handling, potential distractors, and safety elements. The study used the Swedish Traffic Conflict Technique to analyze conflict analysis, incorporating the Post Encroachment Time (PET) measurement. The analysis was developed with descriptive and inferential statistical techniques. The collected variables were analyzed individually (frequency analysis), and contrasts were conducted with the PET values. The study evaluated associations between motorcycles and other motorized road actors at intersections about behaviors and crossroads.

RESULTS

In the Records, 10,281 motorcycle accesses at three and four-Legged Intersections were interactions with other road users, where 2417 and 1903 resulted in potential traffic conflicts, respectively. Average potential conflicts per hour were 115 and 127 at three and four-legged intersections. At the two intersections, the average PET values in motorcycles were between 2.09 and 2.10 s, while in the other motorized road users, it averaged around 2.67 to 2.71 s. In the road conditions, it was identified that intersections with a traffic flow of<10,000 vehicles/day and poor visibility to the left of the intersection lead to more unsafe conditions for motorcyclists. Motorcycle taxi drivers were the user group most frequently involved in traffic conflicts. Actions on the part of motorcyclists, such as risky behaviors, not using helmets, not using turn signals, and not waiting patiently for access, showed a relationship with the potential for traffic conflicts. Finally, turns to the left, particularly the indirect turn to the left on the opposite road, showed a greater risk of traffic conflicts.

CONCLUSIONS

The study found that motorcycles exhibit more severe traffic conflicts than motorized vehicles at intersections. Infrastructure conditions significantly impact the risk of intersection conflicts. Individual behaviors such as not stopping at intersections and driving recklessly increased the risk of traffic conflicts. The study recommends improving infrastructure such as visibility and signaling and implementing separators to reduce travel speed and traffic conflicts for motorcycles.

Motorcycle safety after-dark: The factors associated with greater risk of road-traffic collisions

The effect of ambient light level on road traffic collisions (RTCs) involving a motorcycle was investigated. Data were drawn from the STATS19 database of UK reported RTCs for the period 2005-2015. To isolate the effect of ambient light (daylight vs darkness) an odds ratio was used to compare RTCs at specific times of day in the weeks either side of the Spring and Autumn clock changes. This work extended previous studies by using a more precise method for distinguishing between RTCs in daylight and after dark, thus avoiding the ambiguity of twilight. Data for four-wheel motor vehicle (FWMV) RTCs were also investigated to provide a datum. As expected, the risk of an RTC occurring was significantly higher after dark compared to daylight for both motorcycles and FWMVs. Investigation of contextual factors suggests that risk after dark is significantly higher for motorcycles compared to FWMVs for RTCs with two-vehicles, on roads with low speed limits (≤30 mph), at T-junctions, and junctions controlled by a give way sign. These are the situations where visual aids for increasing conspicuity after dark have the greater potential for reducing motorcycle RTCs.

The relationship between the travelling speed and motorcycle styles in urban settings: a case study in Belgrade

This report examines the difference in the distribution of the speeds of different motorcycle styles and the difference in the distribution of speeds of particular motorcycle styles and cars. The relationship between the speed of motorcycles that possess and those that do not possess vehicle registration plates was also explored. The speed was measured at six different locations on main roads in the city of Belgrade, Serbia. The study confirmed that, on average, motorcyclists drive faster than drivers of cars, but extreme speeding is recorded 2.3 times more often by motorcyclists than by car drivers. In this research, the styles of motorcycles were divided into three different groups according to their average speeds. The first group consists of sport motorcycles, which were faster than the other styles. The second group consists of scooter motorcycles, which were slower. The third group consists of conventional, touring, enduro, and chopper motorcycles with speeds that were statistically not significantly different. According to the differences of the mean speed of motorcyclists who use and do not use vehicle registration plates, the use of the registration plates can be considered a significant indicator of traffic safety. By classifying motorcycles in the three different groups, the issue of "generalizing" motorcyclists as a unique group is avoided and can be taken into consideration for future studies of motorcyclist safety.

A review of powered-two-wheeler behaviour and safety

Powered-two-wheelers (PTWs) constitute a very vulnerable type of road users. The notable increase in their share in traffic and the high risk of severe accident occurrence raise the need for further research. However, current research on PTW safety is not as extensive as for other road users (passenger cars, etc.). Consequently, the objective of this research is to provide a critical review of research on Power-Two-Wheeler behaviour and safety with regard to data collection, methods of analysis and contributory factors, and discuss the needs for further research. Both macroscopic analyses (accident frequency, accident rates and severity) and microscopic analyses (PTW rider behaviour, interaction with other motorised traffic) are examined and discussed in this paper. The research gaps and the needs for future research are identified, discussed and put in a broad framework. When the interactions between behaviour, accident frequency/rates and severity are co-considered and co-investigated with the various contributory factors (riders, other users, road and traffic environment, vehicles), the accident and injury causes as well as the related solutions are better identified.