A behavioral comparison between motorcyclists and a matched group of non-motorcycling car drivers: factors influencing accident risk

A systematic review of risk factors associated with road traffic crashes and injuries among commercial motorcycle drivers

To effectively reduce road traffic crashes (RTCs) and injuries interventions should be based on firm evidence regarding risk factors of RTCs and injuries in that specific population. Therefore, we undertook a systematic review to determine risk factors of RTCs and injuries among commercial motorcycle drivers. Searches were performed from inception to May 2022 in Medline, Embase, Cochrane Library, Web of Science Core Collection, PsycINFO and Cinahl, along with registers and reference lists. Inclusion criteria were commercial motorcycle drivers, quantitative observational studies, and RTCs and injuries. The search resulted in 1546 articles, of which 20 met the relevance and quality criteria. Of the 20 articles, 17 were cross-sectional, 2 were case-control studies, and one was a cohort study. Close to half of all articles (9) came from sub-Saharan Africa. Risk factors with consistent association with RTCs and injuries were young age, low education level, alcohol consumption, speeding, mobile phone use, non-helmet use, risky driving behaviours and long working hours. There was inconclusive evidence for driver's training, work schedules, motorcycle ownership, experience, dependents number, and marital status. More robust designs such as case-control or longitudinal studies are required to gain a comprehensive understanding of the antecedents of RTCs among commercial motorcycle drivers.

THE EFFECT OF THE USE OF ALCOHOL AND DRUGS ON MOTORCYCLICAL TRAUMAS WITH SURGICAL TREATMENT FRACTURES: EPIDEMIOLOGY

ABSTRACT Objective: To verify the prevalence of patients who were victims of motorcycle trauma who were under the influence of alcohol and drugs. Methods: The study was observational and prospective, with patients hospitalized to the Orthopedics and Traumatology Ward of Hospital São Paulo (UNIFESP), from March 2015 to March 2016. The study included patients of all genders, over 18 years old, hospitalized due to motorcycle trauma and who needed orthopedic surgical treatment. Results: During the research, 282 patients were hospitalized, of which 23.8% were victims of motorcycle trauma. Of these, 49.3% motorcyclists reported the use of alcohol and drugs before the accident, while 50.7% denied their consumption. In the analysis of alcohol and drug consumption in patients with motorcycle injuries, the results showed that: 65% used only alcohol; 16% used both alcohol and drugs; and 19% used only illicit drugs. Conclusion: The incidence of patients who suffered motorcycle accidents under the influence of alcohol and drugs was 49.3%. Level of Evidence IV, Prospective Case Series.

Self-reported Motorcycle Riding Behavior in Southeast of Iran

Background: Motorcyclists are among the greatest vulnerable individuals of road accident victims. Their behavior has a significant correlation with increased injury and mortality rate. Determining the risky and unsafe behaviors of motorcycle drivers is necessary for preventing riders and other citizen from potential accident risks. Objectives: The aim of this study was to determine the risky driving behaviors of motorcyclists in Iran. Methods: A cross-sectional study was done in 2019 in Sistan and Baluchestan Province as the second widest province of Iran. Using randomized sampling method, we included 613 motorcyclists from the province. To collect data, the Persian version of Motorcycle Riding Behavior Questionnaire (MRBQ), as a standard questionnaire, was used. For data analysis, descriptive and analytical statistics such as one-way analysis of variance (ANOVA), t-test, and linear regression were used by SPSS software version 21. Results: The age range of 57% of the motor riders was 15 - 30 years, and 50% of them did not use any safety equipment. About 58% of the subjects had started motorcycle riding under 18 years old, and 73% of them did not have a motorcycle riding license. Moreover, more than 50% of motorcyclists used mobile phones while driving. The mean score of driving behavior (106 ± 22) was desirable. Based on multivariate analysis, job, average amount of riding, lacking a riding license, type of motor, alert from police, non-fasting helmet band, exceeding speed limits, fatigue, and hand-free riding were the main predictors of risky riding score (P < 0.05). Conclusions: According to our results, the riding behavior of motorcyclists was desirable; however, many people used motorcycles without a license and safety equipment, which increases high-risk behaviors. Considering the potential dangers of motor riders, it seems necessary to hold training courses to obtain motorcycle certification and how to use safety equipment.

The effect of motorcyclists' age on injury severities in single-motorcycle crashes with unobserved heterogeneity

INTRODUCTION

Due to the myriad of unique characteristics associated with motorcycle operation, motorcycle safety is a public health concern as complex as it is serious. National crash data suggest motorcyclists are 28 times more likely to be killed when compared to passenger car occupants. In the state of Florida, motorcycle crashes are 1.5 times more likely to result in the death of the rider, placing Florida among the top deadliest states for motorcyclists in the nation. Using police-reported data from 2016, this study addresses the complex and interconnected nature of the many characteristics associated with motorcycle operation by investigating the effect of age on motorcyclists' riding behavior as it relates to injury severity for single-motorcycle crashes in the state of Florida.

METHOD

To account for unobserved heterogeneity in the crash data, mixed logit models with heterogeneity in means and variances were estimated to model three injury severity outcomes (non-visible, severe, and fatal) for three age groups (under 30, 30-49, and 50 and above).

RESULTS

Model results indicate that age affects motorcyclists' safety perception and ability to assess risks, thereby influencing their involvement in risky behaviors. Characteristics unique to motorcycle operation-spatial characteristics, speed, motorcycle type, time of day, helmet usage, alcohol consumption, ejection from motorcycle, passenger presence, endorsement status, and lighting-are further complicated by their dependency on the characteristics of the individual motorcyclist. Age of motorcyclist indicates a relationship between motorcyclists' behavior and perceived safety.

CONCLUSION

The model results indicated that statistically significant parameters constituted different models and they were not equal across the age groups of motorcyclists: aged under 30, aged 30-49, and aged 50 and above. Through advanced econometric modeling, this study fills a gap in the existing literature and assists the safety professionals, motorcycle trainers, policymakers, law enforcement agencies, and roadway designers in developing countermeasures.

High-risk motor vehicle drivers engage in more risk behaviors than motorcyclists

Objective: The purpose of this study was to characterize and compare risk behaviors between motorcyclists and motor vehicle drivers who were involved in accidents and required hospitalization. The study focused on patients who were recently involved in motorcycle collisions (MCCs) and motor vehicle collisions (MVCs). Methods: We identified 63 patients involved in MCCs and 39 patients involved in MVCs who were admitted to our level-1 trauma center from April 2014 to September 2015. These 102 patients completed a questionnaire designed to evaluate risky driving behaviors. Pearson’s chi-squared tests and unpaired two-tailed t-tests were used to evaluate categorical and normally distributed continuous variables, respectively. Multivariable linear regression was used to analyze predictors of risk behavior. Significance was set at p < 0.05. Results: When compared to patients involved in an MCC, patients involved in MVCs were more likely to be female (p = 0.007), drive more frequently (p < 0.001), and never perceive the risk of an accident (p = 0.036). MVC patients were more likely to have admitted to substance use on the day of the accident (p = 0.030), historically drive under the influence of drugs (p = 0.031), drive while tired (p < 0.001), drive while text messaging (p < 0.001), and speed while overtaking vehicles (p = 0.011). Overall, MVC patients engaged in more risk behaviors (3.3 ± 1.3 vs. 2.0 ± 1.5; p < 0.001) and were more likely to engage in multiple risk behaviors (p < 0.001). MVCs were associated with increased risk behavior, even after controlling for protective behaviors, driving history, and demographics (p = 0.045). Conclusions: Within our cohort of trauma patients at our institution, motor vehicle drivers were more likely than motorcyclists to engage in any one risk behavior and engage in a higher number of risk behaviors. In addition, motor vehicle drivers perceived their risk of a potential accident as lower than riding a motorcycle. Education initiatives should focus on motor vehicle driver safety interventions that reduce risk behaviors.

A Hybrid of Structural Equation Modeling and Artificial Neural Networks to Predict Motorcyclists' Injuries: A Conceptual Model in a Case-Control Study

Background:

To model, the predictors of injuries caused the hospitalization of motorcyclists using a hybrid structural equation modeling-artificial neural network (SEM-ANN) considering a conceptual model.

Methods:

In this case-control study, 300 cases and 156 controls were enrolled using a cluster random sampling. The cases were selected among injured motorcyclists in refereed to Imam Reza Hospital and Tabriz Shohada Hospital, Tabriz, Iran since Mar 2013. The predictability of injury by motorcycle-riding behavior questionnaire (MRBQ), Attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) along with its subscales and motorcycle related variables was modeled using SEM-ANN. By SEM, linear direct and indirect relationships were assessed. To improve the SEM, the ANN was utilized sequentially to account for the nonlinear and interaction effects that is not supported by SEM.

Results:

The predictors of injury were: MRBQ, ADHD, and its subscales, marital status, education level, riding for fun, engine volume, hyper active child, dark hour riding, cell phone answering, driving license (All P less than 0.05). In addition, the findings reveal the Mediating role of MRBQ for the relationship between underlying predictors and injury. Furthermore, ANN showed higher specificity (95.45 vs.77.88) and accuracy (90.76 vs.79.94) than usual SEM which lead us to introduce the second and third order effect of MRBQ into the modified SEM.

Conclusion:

The hybrid model provided results that are more accurate; considering the results of the modeling, having intervention programs on ADHD motorcyclists, those have the hyperactive child, and those who answer their cell phones while driving, and improving the motorcyclists’ goal is highly recommended.

Traffic offending and deterrence: An examination of recidivism amongst drivers in Victoria, Australia born prior to 1975

To deter the performance of illegal driving behaviours, traffic infringement notices may be issued. Whilst there is a substantial body of research that has examined rates of reoffending following a traffic infringement, there have been few studies examining the length of time to next traffic offence. Where this research has been conducted, the findings do not provide current understandings, given the substantial changes in traffic sanctioning over time. The aim of this study was to address this gap, by examining risk factors for recidivism following a driver receiving a traffic infringement notice, as well as the time to next traffic offence. Licensing and infringements data held in the Driver Licensing System (DLS), maintained by the road authority in Victoria, Australia were used. All drivers included in the study were born prior to 1975, and received their first Victorian drivers licence between 1994 and 2016. Data from 203,620 drivers were used. Cox proportional hazards modelling was undertaken to examine factors associated with recidivism within 12 months of receiving a traffic infringement. 131,691 (64.7%) drivers had received at least one traffic infringement in Victoria, Australia since receiving their Victorian driver's licence. Factors found to be associated with longer time to further traffic offending in the year that followed the first infringement included being female; receiving a first Victorian driver's licence when aged 45+ years; and being licenced 10+ years. Traffic infringements deter some groups of Victorian drivers, but not others. If drivers are to be deterred from further illegal driving behaviour, it is important other countermeasures are developed and trialled.

The development and validation of video-based measures of drivers' following distance and gap acceptance behaviours

The distance at which drivers follow other vehicles has been found to be linked to crash risk. Tailgating (i.e. driving at an unsafe following distance) is both endemic and a leading cause of rear-end crashes. Similarly, drivers' decisions about when to merge with a stream of traffic are likely to influence crash risk. Consistent with this, it has been shown that crashes are more common at intersections where drivers more frequently have to slow for vehicles pulling out into insufficient gaps. Therefore, the development of reliable and valid measures of both of these driving behaviours would facilitate further crash prevention research. Given the problems associated with assessing these behaviours during real driving, we developed new video-based measures. In our new following distance measure, participants view videos shot from the perspective of a driver who is following another vehicle at a range of distances across a variety of traffic environments. On each trial, participants report their own minimum comfortable following distance relative to the following distance depicted in the video. In our new test of gap acceptance behaviour, participants view a series of video clips and indicate when they would pull out into the approaching stream of traffic shown in each clip. The two new measures each yielded reliable data, and we found that young drivers made riskier choices than older drivers for both following distance and gap acceptance. These age-related differences are consistent with those found in observational studies of real driving, supporting the proposal that the new tests could potentially be used as proxies for these crash-related driving behaviours in both lab-based research and large-scale online studies.

Results of a Campaign for Motorcycle Helmets Advocacy in a City in Southwest of Iran; A Population-Based Intervention Study

Objective:

We conducted a triple phase project for motorcycle helmets advocacy in Darab, a city in southwest Iran. The aim of this study was to evaluate the effect of the project on decreasing the hazards of motorcycle accidents.

Methods:

Using a questionnaire, data for ICU admission rates, hospital costs for patients who required ICU admission, rate of helmet usage, mortality and the duration of ICU care for patients admitted to Darab hospital due to motorcycle accidents in Winter 2015 (before conducting the project) and Winter 2016 (after conducting the project) were gathered and compared. This feature was also separately done for patients younger than 17 years.

Results:

The rate of wearing helmets increased significantly in winter 2016 (from 3.4 % to 33%). Also ICU admission rate due to head trauma was significantly decreased after the project was done (from 14.5 % to 4%). However, hospital costs for patients required ICU admission were increased in winter 2016. This increase, though not significant, seems to be due to an increase in health service expenses in the year 2016 as compared with the year 2015. The mortality rate was not significantly changed between the two mentioned years results. For patients younger than 17 years, no ICU admissions were needed in winter 2016.

Conclusion:

Even a short period of intervention can have positive effects on increasing the safety of motorcycle drivers.

Compliance of commercial motorcyclists with road safety measures in a Nigerian metropolitan city

Objectives: Motorcycle crashes are the second most common cause of road traffic injuries in Nigeria, which can be prevented through compliance with road safety measures. Compliance is defined as a state of being in accordance with established guidelines or legislations. There is a dearth of information on compliance with these measures by motorcyclists in Ibadan. Commercial motorcyclists often ignore safety measures, making them prone to accidents with other road users. This study therefore assessed the knowledge and reported compliance of commercial motorcyclists in Ibadan North Local Government Area with road safety measures as well as the factors influencing compliance.Data and methods: A cross-sectional study was carried out among motorcyclists in all 5 motorcycle parks in the city of Ibadan. Participants were selected through a simple random sampling technique after a proportional allocation to the size of the motorcyclists in the parks was concluded. A total of 439 motorcyclists were interviewed. A pretested, semistructured, interviewer-administered questionnaire was used to collect information on sociodemographic characteristics, knowledge, reported compliance, and attitudes toward road safety measures (Nigeria Highway Code). A total of 34 items on traffic rules and regulations were used to assess compliance. Chi-square test and logistic regression were used for analysis at a 5% level of significance.Result: Respondents were aged 34.4 ± 7.8 years. All respondents were male and 15.2% had a tertiary education in a university or institution of higher learning. About 20.0% had no proper formal or informal training as motorcyclists. Ninety-four respondents (21.6%) self-reported ever being involved in a motorcycle crash, of which 32 (34.0%) occurred 6 months preceding the study. About half of respondents (51.9%) had good knowledge of road safety measures. About 50.6% of the respondents were compliant with road safety measures. Only 54.4% of respondents who had ever been involved in a motorcycle crash were wearing a crash helmet at the time of the crash. However, 71.8% of respondents had a crash helmet with them during the study. About 73.6% owned the motorcycles they rode. About two thirds (60.4%) of motorcycle owners were significantly more compliant compared to 23.3% of those who were not owners. Respondents who were motorcycle owners were almost 4 times more likely to be compliant with road safety measures than those who were not owners (odds ratio [OR] = 4.0; confidence interval [CI], 2.0-7).Conclusion: Commercial motorcycle ownership and training contributed to knowledge and compliance with road safety measures and consequently low reporting of motorcycle crash. There is therefore the need to encourage ownership, conduct training, and create stringent laws to guide road safety.

Road user hazard perception tests: A systematic review of current methodologies

BACKGROUND

Poor hazard perception, or the ability to anticipate potentially dangerous road and traffic situations, has been linked to an increased crash risk. Novice and younger road users are typically poorer at hazard perception than experienced and older road users. Road traffic authorities have recognised the importance of hazard perception skills, with the inclusion of a hazard perception test in most Graduated Driver Licensing (GDL) systems.

OBJECTIVES

This review synthesises studies of hazard perception tests in order to determine best practice methodologies that discriminate between novice/younger and experienced/older road users.

DATA SOURCES

Published studies available on PsychInfo, Scopus and Medline as at April 2018 were included in the review. Studies included a hazard perception test methodology and compared non-clinical populations of road users (car drivers, motorcyclists, bicyclists and pedestrians), based on age and experience, or compared methodologies.

RESULTS

49 studies met the inclusion criteria. There was a high degree of heterogeneity in the studies. However all methodologies - video, static image, simulator and real-world test-drive were able to discriminate road user groups categorised by age and/or experience, on at least one measure of hazard perception.

CONCLUSIONS

Whilst there was a high level of heterogeneity of studies, video methodology utilising temporal responses (e.g. press a button when detecting the potential hazard) are a consistent measure of hazard perception across road user groups, whereas spatial measures (e.g. locate potential hazard in the scenario) were inconsistent. Staged footage was found to discriminate as well as unstaged footage, with static images also adding valuable information on hazard perception. There were considerable inconsistencies in the categorising of participants based on age and experience, limited application of theoretical frameworks, and a considerable lack of detail regarding post hoc amendments of hazardous scenarios. This research can guide further developments in hazard perception testing that may improve driver licensing and outcomes for road users.

Prevalence of Psychosocial and Behavioral Aspects in Victims of Motorcycle Accidents in Civil Hospital, Karachi

Introduction

Motorcycles are common in a developing nation like Pakistan. In addition to their benefits, motorcycles carry a high risk for accident and injury. Many factors can exacerbate the risk of motorcycle operation including the use of mobile phones while riding, a lack of knowledge of traffic rules, not following road rules or non-satisfactory vehicle health and road conditions. Along with these physical factors, some psychosocial aspects also impact risks, including aggressive behavior of drivers or variations in driving patterns associated with changes in driver mood.

Objective

We conducted this study to determine the association of rider/operator behavioral and psychosocial factors with motor vehicle crashes.

Methods

We conducted a cross-sectional study on the patients of Civil Hospital in Karachi, Pakistan aged between 15 to 65 years. Data were collected from 150 patients in the outpatient department and emergency room via a questionnaire assessing driver biodata, license details, socioeconomic status, and their behavioral and psychosocial conditions. Inclusion criteria were limited to patients with motorcycle accidents only; patients involved in accidents from any other form of vehicle were excluded.

Result

Of the 150 patients, 70% were reported varying their driving speed with fluctuating moods, 80% rode aggressively when they have any social or financial issue, and 57% became annoyed with another driver’s behavior-all of which highlight the influence of psychosocial factors in motorcycle crashes. Concerning behavioral factors, 88% of drivers were involved in unofficial races, 44% reported overtaking slower drivers, and 80% violated traffic signals on a regular basis. These results suggest that behavioral and psychosocial factors have a major influence on the victims of motorcycle accidents and are an important cause of injury due to crashes.

Conclusion

Psychosocial and behavior aspects play a critical role in motorcycle accidents. Riders experiencing family-related or social-related stress and those with an aggressive personality are more prone to have a motorcycle accident than riders who do not have those stressors. Additional measures should be taken to raise awareness regarding these important contributing factors, including stress management in driving education.

Analysis of the Relationship between Turning Signal Detection and Motorcycle Driver's Characteristics on Urban Roads; A Case Study

The investigations on the effectiveness of the turn signal in motorcyclists understanding of motorists’ potential intentions in potentially dangerous car–motorcycle interactions and on the relationships among some variables that could influence the perception of rear and front turn signal status are examined in this paper. The investigations have been based on data pooled from the answers of a survey of 136 motorcycle riders, with special regards to the correct detection of turning indicators. Experimental videos have been realized during in-situ simulations, both in urban and suburban areas, recording vehicular interactions in three-leg road intersections, able to potentially generate crash risks, through a 360-camera mounted on a motorcyclist’s helmet. The blinkers detection rate has been combined with other factors related to motorcyclist’s characteristics and test context (e.g., age, gender, location of the test site, presence of a car behind tester vehicles and if the motorcyclist are also habitual car or bicycle drivers) in a stepwise logistic regression that modelled the odds of detecting the turn signal turned on as a function of significant factors. Within the limits of the proposed methodology, the results highlight the low percentage of correct sighting of the turn indicators and confirm the existence of a relation between the detection of the turn indicators aspect and some of the variables considered (e.g., age, being habitual cyclist or car driver and the presence of a car occluding the views), suggesting the opportunity to further investigate the phenomenon through the use of ad-hoc simulations, in order to highlight connections among the factors that can influence the perception of turning indicators in potentially dangerous contexts for cars and motorcycles.

Effects of hazard types on drivers' risk rating and hazard response in a video-based hazard perception task

Hazard perception is crucial for identifying potential hazards on the road, and how quick drivers can respond to the hazard partially relies on their risk rating of the hazard after they detect it. Although many studies have attempted to reveal the relationship between drivers’ response latencies and their risk ratings, this relationship has not been extensively explored under different hazard types. The present study addresses this issue using a video-based hazard perception task. Forty novice drivers and 35 experienced drivers were recruited and 26 video clips containing either an overt hazard (continuous visibility) or a covert hazard (interrupted visibility) were shown to participants. Participants were asked to finish the hazard perception task first and then rated the risk level of the hazard when each video clip was replayed. Participants’ confidence in their answers for risk ratings was also determined. Results showed that experienced drivers responded to overt and covert hazards faster than did novice drivers. A negative and significant correlation was found between drivers’ risk ratings of covert hazards and their response latencies. Such a relationship was not found for overt hazards. More importantly, drivers rated the risk level of covert hazards higher than that of overt hazards, and higher risk ratings of covert hazards resulted in faster responses to these hazards. The findings of the present study indicate that hazard types not only influence drivers’ risk ratings and response latencies but also determine their relationships.

What can a hazard function teach us about drivers' perception of hazards?

OBJECTIVE

Hazard perception (HP) is typically defined as the ability to read the road and anticipate hazardous situations. Several studies have shown that HP is a driving skill that correlates with traffic crashes. Measuring HP differences between various groups of drivers typically involves a paradigm in which participants observe short videos of real-world traffic scenes taken from a driver's or a pedestrian's perspective and press a response button each time they identify a hazard. Young, inexperienced drivers are considered to have poor HP skills compared to experienced drivers, as evident by their slower response times (RTs) to road hazards. Nevertheless, though several studies report RT differences between young, inexperienced and experienced drivers, other studies did not find such differences. We have already suggested that these contradictory findings may be attributed to how cases of no response-that is, a situation where a participant did not respond to a hazard-are being treated. Specifically, we showed that though survival analysis handles cases of no response appropriately, common practices fail to do so. These methods often replace a case of no response with the mean RT of those who responded or any other central tendency parameters. The present work aims to show that treating cases of no response appropriately as well as selecting a distribution that fits the RT data is more than just a technical phase in the analysis.

METHOD

This work used simulation of predefined distributions and real-world data.

RESULTS

It was demonstrated that selecting the appropriate distribution and treating nonresponse cases appropriately affect the shape and characteristics of the density, survival, and hazard functions.

CONCLUSIONS

The suggested process has the ability to provide researchers with additional information regarding the nature of the traffic scenes that enables differentiating between various hazardous situations and between various users with different characteristics such as age or experience.

Riding the Adolescence: Personality Subtypes in Young Moped Riders and Their Association With Risky Driving Attitudes and Behaviors

The aim of the present study was to identify sub-types of moped riders based on a cluster analysis of specific personality characteristics (i.e., driving anger, anxiety, angry hostility, excitement-seeking, altruism, normlessness, and driving locus of control) within a large sample of Italian adolescents. The study had also the aim to compare the emerged sub-types of moped riders on measures of attitudes toward safe driving, risky driving behaviors (e.g., rule's violations and speeding, not using helmet, drinking and driving, etc.), and self-reported tickets and accident involvement. One thousand two hundred seventy-three Italian high school students aged from 13 to 19 years (mean_age = 15.43, SD = 0.98) with a valid driving license for moped participated to the study. Results revealed three sub-types of moped riders (namely risky, worried and careful moped riders), which differ significantly for risky driving behaviors, attitudes toward traffic safety, risk perception, and self-reported accident involvement. Importantly, the results of the present study showed that the personality and behavioral characteristics of the three sub-groups of moped riders substantially resembled those identified by previous studies with vehicle drivers of different ages; thus, empirically supporting the notion that certain combinations of personality characteristics are associated with risk driving tendencies and behaviors in both young moped riders and car drivers. Safe driving interventions can tackle risky driving beliefs and behavioral tendencies in young moped riders and car drivers by tailoring their messages according to the personality sub-types of the target groups.

Comparing car drivers' and motorcyclists' opinions about junction crashes

Motorcyclists are involved in a disproportionate number of crashes given the distance they travel, with a high proportion of these crashes occurring at junctions. Despite car drivers being solely responsible for many road crashes involving a motorcycle, previous research has mostly focussed on understanding motorcyclists' attitudes towards their own safety. We compared car drivers' (n = 102) and motorcyclists' (n = 579) opinions about junction crashes using a web-based questionnaire. Motorcyclists and car drivers were recruited in similar ways so that responses could be directly compared, accessing respondents through driver/rider forums and on social media. Car drivers' and motorcyclists' opinions were compared in relation to who they believe to be blameworthy in situations which varied in specificity, ranging from what road user they believe is most likely to cause a motorcyclist to have a road crash, to what road user is at fault in four specific scenarios involving a car and motorcycle at a junction. Two of these scenarios represented typical 'Right of way' (ROW) crashes with a motorcycle approaching from the left and right, and two scenarios involved a motorcycle overtaking another vehicle at the junction, known as 'Motorcycle Manoeuvrability Accidents' (MMA). Qualitative responses were analysed using LIWC software to detect objective differences in car drivers' and motorcyclists' language. Car drivers' and motorcyclists' opinions about the blameworthiness of accidents changed depending on how specific the situation was that was being presented. When respondents were asked about the cause of motorcycle crashes in a general abstract sense, car drivers' and motorcyclists' responses significantly differed, with motorcyclists more likely to blame car drivers, demonstrating an in-group bias. However, this in-group favouritism was reduced when asked about specific scenarios, especially in MMA situations which involve motorcyclists manoeuvring their motorcycles around cars at a junction. In the four specific scenarios, car drivers were more likely to blame the car driver, and motorcyclists were more likely to blame the motorcyclist. In the typical ROW scenarios, the responses given by both road users, as analysed by the LIWC, show that the law is taken into account, as well as a large emphasis on the lack of observation given around junctions, especially from car drivers. It is concluded that the perception of blameworthiness in crashes is very much dependent on the details of the crash, with a more specific situation eliciting a fairer evaluation by both car drivers and motorcyclists.

Risk factors for motorcycle loss-of-control crashes

OBJECTIVE

The present article identifies and assesses the effect of critical factors on the risk of motorcycle loss-of-control (LOC) crashes.

METHOD

Data come from a French project on road crashes, which include all fatal road crashes and a random sample of 1/20th of nonfatal crashes in France in 2011, based on police reports. A case-control study was carried out on a sample of 903 crashes for 444 LOC motorcycle riders (case) and 470 non-LOC and nonresponsible motorcycle riders (control). The sample was weighted due to the randomization of nonfatal crashes. Missing values were imputed using multiple imputation.

RESULTS

Road alignment and surface conditions, human factors, and motorcycle type played important roles in motorcycle LOC crashes. Riding in a curve was associated with a 3-fold greater risk of losing control of motorcycle than riding in a straight line. Poor road adhesion significantly increased the risk of losing control; the risk increased more than 20-fold when deteriorated road adhesion was encountered unexpectedly, due to loose gravel, ice, oil, bumps, road marking, metal plates, etc. For motorcyclists, riding with a positive blood alcohol concentration (over or equal to the legal limit of 0.5 g/L) was very dangerous, often resulting in losing control. The risk of LOC crash varied for different types of motorcycle: Riders of roadsters and sports bikes were more likely to have an LOC crash greater than that of riders of basic or touring motorcycles. In addition, LOC risk increased with speed; a model using the square of the traveling speed showed better fit than one using speed itself.

CONCLUSION

The LOC crash factors related to riders, vehicles, and road infrastructure identified here were expected but were rarely identified and taken simultaneously into account in previous studies. They could be targeted by countermeasures to improve motorcyclist safety.

Predictive ability of underlying factors of motorcycle rider behavior: an application of logistic quantile regression for bounded outcomes

Background: The human factors are of great importance, especially Motorcycle Rider Behavior Questionnaire (MRBQ) and attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) in motorbike riders in road traffic injuries. This study aimed to predict MRBQ score by ADHD score and the underlying predictors by the logistic quantile regression (LQR), as a new strategy.

Methods: In this cross-sectional study, 311 motorbike riders were randomly sampled by a clustering method in Bukan, northwest of Iran. The data were collected by MRBQ and ADHD standard surveys. To assess the relationship at all levels of MRBQ distribution, LQR in 5th, 25th, 50th, 75th and 95th quantiles of MRBQ score was utilized to assess the predictability of ADHDscore and its subscales in addition to the underlying predictors of MRBQ score. To do this, an unadjusted and as well as adjusted 4-step hierarchical modeling was used.

Results: Almost in all quantiles of MRBQ scores, direct and significant relationships were observed between MRBQ score and ADHD score and its subscales (coefficients: 0.02 to 0.10, all P < 0.05). Besides, the driving period (coefficients: -0.58 to -0.95, P < 0.05) and hour driving (coefficients: 0.42 to 0.52, P < 0.05) also came to be the significant predictors of MRBQ score.

Conclusion: ADHD score and driving parameters can be taken into the consideration when planning actions on the motorcycle rider behaviors at all levels of the MRBQ.

Mechanisms underlying cognitive conspicuity in the detection of cyclists by car drivers

OBJECTIVE

The aim of this study was to evaluate the visibility of cyclists for motorists in a simulated car driving task.

BACKGROUND

In several cases involving collisions between cars and cyclists, car drivers failed to detect the latter in time to avoid collision because of their low conspicuity.

METHOD

2 groups of motorists (29.2 years old), including 12 cyclist-motorists and 13 non-cyclist-motorists, performed a vulnerable road user detection task in a car-driving simulator. They had to detect cyclists and pedestrians in an urban setting and evaluate the realism of the cyclists, the traffic, the city, the infrastructure, the car driven and the situations. Cyclists appeared in critical situations derived from previous accounts given by injured cyclists and from cyclists' observations in real-life situations. Cyclist's levels of visibility for car drivers were either high or low in these situations according to the cyclists.

RESULTS

Realism scores were similar and high in both groups. Cyclist-motorists had fewer collisions with cyclists and detected cyclists at a greater distance in all situations, irrespective of cyclist visibility. Several mechanisms underlying the cognitive conspicuity of cyclists for car drivers were considered.

CONCLUSION

The attentional selection of a cyclist in the road environment during car driving depends on top-down processing.

APPLICATION

We consider the practical implications of these results for the safety of vulnerable road users and future directions of research.

How do user experiences with different transport modes affect the risk of traffic accidents? From the viewpoint of licence possession status

Road accidents between different modes of transport-such as between automobiles and pedestrians, automobiles and bicycles, or automobiles and motorcycles-are frequent. In such cases, it is important to consider the other side's perspective. This involves the ability to correctly judge, for every given situation, how other people on the road perceive their surroundings and what they intend to do next. In this paper, we conduct two types of studies assuming that this kind of ability to consider perspectives is higher when the person is licenced to drive the mode of transport used by the other party. For Study 1, we analysed accidents involving senior citizens between the ages of 65 and 74 years, who collided with automobiles as pedestrians or cyclists (1656 and 3192 cases respectively), in terms of the accident category and type of road at the accident spot. The results indicate that possession or non-possession of a licence was irrelevant for accidents involving cyclists, but for accidents with pedestrians, senior citizens who did not possess a licence are likely to be involved in a greater number of accidents in places that require interaction with automobiles, such as while crossing at crosswalks or at intersections. For Study 2, we reviewed 875 ordinary first-class licence practical test examinees, categorised them according to their licence possession status (motorcycle licence, moped licence, or no licence), and made a category-wise comparison of the test instructor's assessment of their ability to make a left turn. The results showed that those who had a motorcycle or moped licence tended to make a left turn more safely. Thus, the results indicate that experience with different modes of transport is likely to reduce the risk of accidents. These findings may be used to popularise educational interventions encouraging users of various transport modes to consider the perspective of others (i.e. via perspective-taking).

Threat appeals in health communication: messages that elicit fear and enhance perceived efficacy positively impact on young male drivers

Background

Health communications often present graphic, threat-based representations of the potential consequences of health-risk behaviours. These ‘threat appeals’ feature prominently in public health campaigns, but their use is controversial, with studies investigating their efficacy reporting inconsistent, and often negative, findings. This research examined the impact of a threat-based road safety advertisement on the driving behaviour of young male drivers.

Methods

To address limitations of previous research, we first identified a road safety advertisement that objectively and subjectively elicited fear using physiological and subjective measures. Study 1 (n = 62) examined the effect of this advertisement, combined with a manipulation designed to increase perceived efficacy, on speed choice. Study 2 (n = 81) investigated whether a state emotion, anger, impacts on the effectiveness of the advertisement in changing four distinct driving behaviours. Both studies examined short-term effects only.

Results

Study 1 findings indicated that a high threat message, when combined with high perceived efficacy, can lead to a decrease in speed choice. Study 2 results suggested that increased levels of state anger may counteract the potential value of combining fear-arousing threats and efficacy-building messages.

Conclusions

Findings suggest that threat-based road safety communications that target affective (fear) and cognitive (perceived efficacy) mechanisms can positively affect driving behaviours. State emotions, such as anger, may negatively impact on the effectiveness of the message. Taken together, these findings provide additional support for the use of efficacy-building messages in threat-based communications, but highlight the need for further research into the complex array of affective influences on driving.

Electronic supplementary material

The online version of this article (doi:10.1186/s12889-016-3227-2) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.

Factors Influencing the Safety Behavior of German Equestrians: Attitudes towards Protective Equipment and Peer Behaviors

Simple Summary

The handling and riding of horses can be quite dangerous. Although the use of protective gear among equestrians is increasing, a high number of incidents occur and the voluntary use of safety equipment is described as inconsistent to low. Therefore, this study looks at the safety behavior of German equestrians and at factors influencing this behavior to decrease the high number of horse-related injuries. The results reveal that attitudes towards safety products as well as the protective behavior of other horse owners and riding pupils from the stable are key factors that might alter the safety behavior of equestrians.

Abstract

Human interactions with horses entail certain risks. Although the acceptance and use of protective gear is increasing, a high number of incidents and very low or inconsistent voluntary use of safety equipment are reported. While past studies have examined factors influencing the use of safety gear, they have explored neither their influence on the overall safety behavior, nor their relative influence in relation to each other. The aim of the present study is to fill this gap. We conducted an online survey with 2572 participants. By means of a subsequent multiple regression analysis, we explored 23 different variables in view of their influence on the protective behavior of equestrians. In total, we found 17 variables that exerted a significant influence. The results show that both having positive or negative attitudes towards safety products as well as the protective behavior of other horse owners or riding pupils from the stable have the strongest influence on the safety behavior of German equestrians. We consider such knowledge to be important for both scientists and practitioners, such as producers of protective gear or horse sport associations who might alter safety behavior in such a way that the number of horse-related injuries decreases in the long term.

Effects of oncoming vehicle size on overtaking judgments

During overtaking maneuvers on two-way highways drivers must temporarily cross into the opposite lane of traffic, and may face oncoming vehicles. To judge when it is safe to overtake, drivers must estimate the time-to-contact (TTC) of the oncoming vehicle. Information about an oncoming vehicle's TTC is available in the optical expansion pattern, but it is below threshold during high-speed overtaking maneuvers, which require a large passing distance. Consequently, we hypothesized that drivers would rely on perceived distance and velocity, and that their overtaking judgments would be influenced by oncoming vehicle size. A driving simulator was used to examine whether overtaking judgments are influenced by the size of an oncoming vehicle, and by whether a driver actively conducts the overtaking maneuver or passively judges whether it is safe to overtake. Oncoming motorcycles resulted in more accepted gaps and false alarms than larger cars or trucks. Results were due to vehicle size independently of vehicle type, and reflected shifts in response bias rather than sensitivity. Drivers may misjudge the distances of motorcycles due to their relatively small sizes, contributing to accidents due to right-of-way violations. Results have implications for traffic safety and the potential role of driver-assistance technologies.

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.

Critical power two wheeler driving patterns at the emergence of an incident

The paper proposes a methodology based on Bayesian Networks for identifying the power two wheeler (PTW) driving patterns that arise at the emergence of a critical incident based on high resolution driving data (100Hz) from a naturalistic PTW driving experiment. The proposed methodology aims at identifying the prevailing PTW drivers' actions at the beginning and during critical incidents and associating the critical incidents to specific PTW driving patterns. Results using data from one PTW driver reveal three prevailing driving actions for describing the onset of an incident and an equal number of actions that a PTW driver executes during the course of an incident to avoid a crash. Furthermore, the proposed methodology efficiently relates the observed sets of actions with different types of incidents occurring during overtaking or due to the interactions of the rider with moving or stationary obstacles and the opposing traffic. The observed interrelations define several driving patterns that are characterized by different initial actions, as well as by different likelihood of sequential actions during the incident. The proposed modeling may have significant implications to the efficient and less time consuming analysis of the naturalist data, as well as to the development of custom made PTW driver assistance systems.

Modeling offenses among motorcyclists involved in crashes in Spain

In relative terms, Spanish motorcyclists are more likely to be involved in crashes than other drivers and this tendency is constantly increasing. The objective of this study is to identify the factors that are related to being an offender in motorcycle accidents. A binary logit model is used to differentiate between offender and non-offender motorcyclists. A motorcyclist was considered to be offender when s/he had committed at least one traffic offense at the moment previous to the crash. The analysis is based on the official accident database of the Spanish general directorate of traffic (DGT) for the 2003-2008 time period. A number of explanatory variables including motorcyclist characteristics and environmental factors have been evaluated. The results suggest that inexperienced, older females, not using helmets, absent-minded and non-fatigued riders are more likely to be offenders. Moreover, riding during the night, on weekends, for leisure purposes and along roads in perfect condition, mainly on curves, predict offenses among motorcyclists. The findings of this study are expected to be useful in developing traffic policy decisions in order to improve motorcyclist safety.

Motorcycling experience and hazard perception

Studies of hazard perception skills in car drivers suggest that the ability to spot hazards improves with driving experience. Is this the case with motorcyclists? Sixty-one motorcyclists, split across three groups (novice, experienced and advanced riders) were tested on a hazard perception test containing video clips filmed from the perspective of a motorcyclist. Response times to hazards revealed that the advanced riders (who had completed an advanced riding course) were the fastest, and the experienced riders were the slowest to respond to hazards, with novice riders falling in-between. Advanced riders were also found to make more internal attributions regarding the causes of the hazards than novice riders (though on a general measure of Locus of Control there was no difference between groups). The results demonstrate a link between advanced training and motorcycling hazard perception skill, but raise important concerns about the effects of mere experience on rider safety. This challenges previous conceptions that simply extrapolated from our understanding of the hazard perception skills of car drivers to this particularly vulnerable group of road users.

Risk of death in crashes on Ontario's highways

BACKGROUND

Motor vehicle collisions (MVCs) that result in one or more fatalities on the 400-series Highways represent a serious public health problem in Ontario, and were estimated to have cost $11 billion in 2004. To date, no studies have examined risk factors for fatal MVCs on Ontario's 400 series highways.The investigate how demographic and environmental risk factors are associated with fatal MVCs on Ontario's 400-Series Highways.

METHODS

Data were provided from the Ontario Ministry of Transport database, and included driver demographics, vehicle information, environmental descriptors, structural descriptors, as well as collision information (date and time), and severity of the collision. Multivariate analysis was used to identify factors significantly associated with the odds of dying in a collision.

RESULTS

There were 53,526 vehicles involved in collisions from 2001 to 2006 included in our analysis. Results from the multivariate analysis suggest that collisions with older age and male drivers were associated with an increased risk of involving a fatality. Highway 405 and an undivided 2-way design proved to be the most fatal structural configurations. Collisions in the summer, Fridays, between 12 am-4 am, and in drifting snow conditions during the wintertime were also shown to have a significantly increased risk of fatality.

CONCLUSION

Our results suggest that interventions to reduce deaths as a result of MVCs should focus on both driver-related and road-related modifications.

Risk factors for injury accidents among moped and motorcycle riders

OBJECTIVE

To study and quantify the effect of factors related to the riders of powered two-wheelers on the risk of injury accident involvement.

METHODOLOGY

Based on national data held by the police from 1996 to 2005, we conducted a case-control study with responsibility for the accident as the event of interest. We estimated the odds ratios for accident responsibility. Making the hypothesis that the non-responsible riders in the study are representative of all the riders on the road, we thus identified risk factors for being responsible for injury accidents. The studied factors are age, gender, helmet wearing, alcohol consumption, validity of the subject's driving licence and for how long it has been held, the trip purpose and the presence of a passenger on the vehicle. Moped and motorcycle riders are analyzed separately, adjusting for the main characteristics of the accident.

RESULTS

For both moped and motorcycle riders, being male, not wearing a helmet, exceeding the legal limit for alcohol and travelling for leisure purposes increased the risk of accident involvement. The youngest and oldest users had a greater risk of accident involvement. The largest risk factor was alcohol, and we identified a dose-effect relationship between alcohol consumption and accident risk, with an estimated odds ratio of over 10 for motorcycle and moped riders with a BAC of 2 g/l or over. Among motorcycle users, riders without a licence had twice the risk of being involved in an accident than those holding a valid licence. However, the number of years the rider had held a licence reduced the risk of accident involvement. One difference between moped and motorcycle riders involved the presence of a passenger on the vehicle: while carrying a passenger increased the risk of being responsible for the accident among moped riders, it protected against this risk among motorcycle riders.

CONCLUSION

This analysis of responsibility has identified the major factors contributing to excess risk of injury accidents, some of which could be targeted by prevention programmes.

Overview of critical risk factors in Power-Two-Wheeler safety

Power-Two-Wheelers (PTWs) constitute a vulnerable class of road users with increased frequency and severity of accidents. The present paper focuses of the PTW accident risk factors and reviews existing literature with regard to the PTW drivers' interactions with the automobile drivers, as well as interactions with infrastructure elements and weather conditions. Several critical risk factors are revealed with different levels of influence to PTW accident likelihood and severity. A broad classification based on the magnitude and the need for further research for each risk factor is proposed. The paper concludes by discussing the importance of dealing with accident configurations, the data quality and availability, methods implemented to model risk and exposure and risk identification which are critical for a thorough understanding of the determinants of PTW safety.

The kinematic features of motorcycles in congested urban networks

The aim of this paper is to compare the kinematic features of motorcycles with those of passenger cars in urban traffic. The hypothesis that motorcycles' capability to swerve in urban traffic contributes to their seemingly assertive behaviour is examined. Data for this study were collected in afternoon peak hours at Central London using video recorders. Detailed information on the trajectories of 2109 vehicles (including 477 motorcycles and 1293 passenger cars) was extracted from the video images and the observable kinematic features were analysed. In addition, a model describing the longitudinal following behaviour of motorcycles was employed to analyse the impacts of motorcycles' swerving behaviour. The model was calibrated using Markov Chain Monte Carlo (MCMC) numerical methods. The observable kinematic features show that in comparison to passenger cars, motorcycles have shorter safety gaps, higher speeds and severer acceleration and deceleration rates reflecting their generally much higher power to weight ratios and usage of available braking power. However, the data also support the hypothesis that motorcyclists maintain a considerable safety margin as they have the ability to avoid a collision by swerving away.

Understanding the factors influencing safe and unsafe motorcycle rider intentions

The increasing popularity of motorcycles in Australia is a significant concern as motorcycle riders represent 15% of all road fatalities and an even greater proportion of serious injuries. This study assessed the psychosocial factors influencing motorcycle riders' intentions to perform both safe and risky riding behaviours. Using an extended theory of planned behaviour (TPB), motorcycle riders (n=229) from Queensland, Australia were surveyed to assess their riding attitudes, subjective norm (general and specific), perceived behavioural control (PBC), group norm, self-identity, sensation seeking, and aggression, as well as their intentions, in relation to three safe (e.g., handle my motorcycle skilfully) and three risky (e.g., bend road rules to get through traffic) riding behaviours. Although there was variability in the predictors of intention across the behaviours, results revealed that safer rider intentions were most consistently predicted by PBC, while riskier intentions were predicted by attitudes and sensation seeking. The TPB was able to explain a greater proportion of the variance for intentions to perform risky behaviours. Overall, this study has provided insight into the complexity of factors contributing to rider intentions and suggests that different practical strategies need to be adopted to facilitate safer and reduce risky rider decisions.

Examination of factors determining fault in two-vehicle motorcycle crashes

Motorcycle crashes frequently involve a combination of high-risk behaviors by the motorcyclist or the other crash-involved driver. Such behaviors may include riding or driving without appropriate licensure or while under the influence of alcohol, as well as deciding not to use a safety device such as a helmet or safety belt. Given that these factors frequently occur in combination with one another, it is difficult to untangle the specific effects of individual factors leading up to the crash outcome. This study assesses how various rider-, driver-, and other crash-specific factors contribute to at-fault status in two-vehicle motorcycle crashes, as well as how these same factors affect the propensity for other high-risk behaviors. Furthermore, the interrelationships among fault status and these other behaviors are also examined using a multivariate probit model. This model is developed using police-reported crash data for the years 2006-2010 from the State of Ohio. The results show that younger motorcyclists are more likely to be at-fault in the event of a collision, as are riders who are under the influence of alcohol, riding without insurance, or not wearing a helmet. Similarly, motorcyclists were less likely to be at-fault when the other driver was of younger age or was driving under the influence of alcohol, without insurance, or not wearing their safety belt. Crash-involved parties who engaged in one high-risk behavior were more likely to engage in other such behaviors, as well, and this finding was consistent for both motorcyclists and drivers. The results of this study suggest that educational and enforcement strategies aimed at addressing any one of these behaviors are likely to have tangential impacts on the other behaviors, as well.

Low conspicuity of motorcycles for car drivers: dominant role of bottom-up control of visual attention or deficit of top-down control?

OBJECTIVE

The aim of this study was to evaluate whether the low visibility of motorcycles is the result of their low cognitive conspicuity and/or their low sensory conspicuity for car drivers.

BACKGROUND

In several cases of collision between a car and a motorcycle, the car driver failed to detect the motorcyclist in time to avoid the collision.

METHOD

To test the low cognitive conspicuity hypothesis, 42 car drivers (32.02 years old) including 21 motorcyclist motorists and 21 non-motorcyclist motorists carried out a motorcycle detection task in a car-driving simulator.To test the low sensory conspicuity hypothesis, the authors studied the effect of the color contrast between motorcycles and the road surface on the ability of car drivers to detect motorcycles when they appear from different parts of the road.

RESULTS

A high level of color contrast enhanced the visibility of motorcycles when they appeared in front of the participants. Moreover, when motorcyclists appeared from behind the participants,the motorcyclist motorists detected oncoming motorcycles at a greater distance than did the non-motorcyclist motorists. Motorcyclist motorists carry out more saccades and rapidly capture information (on their rearview mirrors and on the road in front of them).

CONCLUSION

The results related to the sensory conspicuity and cognitive conspicuity of motorcycles for car drivers are discussed from the viewpoint of visual attention theories.

APPLICATION

The practical implications of these results and future lines of research related to training methods for car drivers are considered.

Powered two wheelers in a changing world-challenges and opportunities

Powered two wheelers (PTWs) come in diverse forms and are used for a range of purposes in very different parts of the world. In many parts of the world, the forms and uses of PTWs are changing, influenced by social, economic and demographic changes. Most of the challenges associated with PTWs relate to safety, while the majority of the opportunities relate to mobility. The challenges for improving safety relate to the PTW user, other road users, the road environment, the vehicle, data and research, and socio-political dimensions. The relative importance of particular challenges varies between developed and developing countries, and among developing countries according to whether PTWs are largely used for recreation or for transport. PTWs present a range of psychological, transport, economic and environmental opportunities to individuals and societies. The fun and excitement of riding PTWs is a major motivator for their purchase and use for recreational purposes, both off-road and on-road. The transport and economic advantages to the individual also need to be considered. At a societal level, research has examined the potential for increasing PTW volumes to reduce fossil fuel use and traffic congestion in busy cities. The future of PTWs may differ greatly between countries and environmental and technological changes are leading to an evolution in the form of PTWs to encompass new modes of personal transportation.

Attending overtaking cars and motorcycles through the mirrors before changing lanes

Right of way violation crashes are the most common type of accidents that motorcyclists face. This study assessed right of way decisions in scenarios which require noticing whether there is traffic from behind that is about to overtake. A test was created which presents participants clips with a wide field of vision (from a driver's perspective in a moving vehicle), with mirror information inset that allows either cars or motorcycles that are about to overtake, to be attended. Novice and experienced car drivers, and dual drivers (with both car and motorcycle experience), watched these clips while their eye movements were monitored. The results indicated that in the rear-view and the right-side mirrors, and in the right hand lane, conflicting motorcycles garnered more attention than conflicting cars. This pattern however was particularly driven by the dual drivers group. Additionally, novice drivers and dual drivers made more use of the right side mirror than the experienced drivers. Dual drivers also made more use of the rear view mirror than experienced drivers. Finally, significant positive correlations that were found between percentages of safe manoeuvres and measures of visual search provide direct evidence demonstrating that the frequency of risky manoeuvres was indeed larger in those cases where less time was spent gazing at the mirrors, indicating that the additional attention devoted to process conflicting vehicles contributes to reduce risky manoeuvres. The general pattern of results also provides some indirect support that non-motorcyclists drivers are more likely to have Look But Fail To See errors with conflicting motorcycles than motorcyclist drivers.

A contribution to situation awareness analysis: understanding how mismatched expectations affect road safety

OBJECTIVE

The aim of the study was to clarify how knowledge elaborated by specific experience may lead to erroneous expectations during interactions between drivers and riders.

BACKGROUND

Situation awareness is partly determined by prior knowledge. Unshared knowledge may cause difficulties in managing driving interactions, but there is still an important gap in the literature devoted to this field of research.

METHOD

There were 226 participants, distinguished according to their vehicle use (for drivers, type of vehicle driven and whether they were exclusive or dual drivers; for motorcycle and scooter riders, the type of powered two-wheeler [PTW] used and its engine size) and their driving experience. Focusing on the most vulnerable users, we studied prior representations to interactions using a series of closed questions on drivers' performance relating to different stages of the interaction process from the perspective both of drivers' self-reflection and of riders' expectations.

RESULTS

Although most drivers are self-confident, their abilities tend to be questioned by riders. Owners of medium or large motorbikes feel that drivers do not assess their approach speed accurately. Similarly, scooter riders doubt drivers' ability to assess the distance that separates them from PTWs. Riders who use medium or large motorbikes are more likely to question drivers' skills in relation to crossing situations. Scooter riders do so more often for overtaking situations.

CONCLUSION

The development of shared prior knowledge is essential to prevent accidents and incidents between drivers and riders.

APPLICATION

To help improve effectiveness, we recommend specific ways of embedding each type of road user profile in training, prevention, and research.

Equine road user safety: public attitudes, understandings and beliefs from a qualitative study in the United Kingdom

Horse riders represent a significant group of vulnerable road user and are involved in a number of accidents and near misses on the road. Despite this horse riders have received little attention both in terms of academic research and transport policy. Based on literature on vulnerable road user safety, including attitudes to road user safety and behaviour of drivers and their relationship with cyclists and motorcyclists, this paper examines the attitudes and reported behaviour of drivers and horse riders. A total of 46 participants took part in six focus groups divided into four groups of drivers with little or no horse riding experience and two groups of frequent horse riders. Each group investigated five key topic areas stemming from the literature review on vulnerable road users including hazard perception, risk perception, emotion, attitudes to sharing the road and empathy. It was found that drivers and horse riders are not always aware of the same hazards in the road and that this may lead drivers to under-estimate the risk when encountering horses. Drivers often had good intentions to overtake horses safely, but were unaware of how vulnerable passing very wide and slow made them feel until they had begun the manoeuvre and hence quickly reduced such feelings either by speeding up or cutting in too soon. However, other than this, drivers had good skills when encountering horses. But these skills could be impeded by frustration when encountering a slow moving horse which was further compounded by a feeling, mainly by younger drivers, that horse riding was for leisure and as such should not get in the way of necessary work journeys. There is a need for drivers to be more aware of the potential hazards a horse rider faces on the road and these could be achieved through inducing empathy amongst drivers for horse riders, creating nudges for drivers in the environment and better education for drivers.

Mopeds and scooters: crash outcomes in a high traffic state

BACKGROUND

Moped and scooter crash outcomes in the United States were last reported more than 20 years ago. These vehicles have experienced resurgence in popularity with sales that have increased up to 60% in recent years. The purpose of this study is to identify risk factors between severe and nonsevere driver-related injuries and to identify modifiable risk factors.

METHODS

The Florida Traffic Crash Records Database (FTCRD) was used to identify all crashes involving mopeds and scooters occurring between 2002 and 2008. A total of 5,660 moped crashes were evaluated. Multivariate logistic regression was used to determine the strength of association of severe injury for each risk factor.

RESULTS

More than 90% of drivers involved in moped or scooter crashes were uninsured. Only 17% of all drivers wore helmets. Alcohol and drug use was a significant risk factor of severe and lethal crashes (odds ratio [OR], 2.09; 95% confidence interval [CI], 1.64, 2.66). Risk factors amenable for state intervention and associated with increased severe or lethal injury were unpaved roads (OR, 1.57; 95% CI, 1.30, 1.88); driving speeds >20 mph (OR, 2.02; 95% CI, 1.73, 2.36); posted speed limits >30 mph (OR, 1.40; 95% CI, 1.22, 1.62); major roadways with four or more lanes (OR, 1.83; 95% CI, 1.04, 3.21); and poor lighting conditions (OR, 1.69; 95% CI, 1.23, 2.32).

CONCLUSIONS

These results suggest that most of the traffic infrastructure does not accommodate the safety of moped and scooter drivers. Focused interventions and further investigation into statewide traffic rules may improve moped crash outcomes.

Hazard perception of motorcyclists and car drivers

The current study compares hazard perception (HP) performance of 50 male drivers with and without a motorcycle license in order to generalize results. A video-based HP test, measuring reaction times to traffic scenes, was administered to these two groups of drivers. Participants with a motorcycle license performed better than participants without a motorcycle license. ANOVA indicated that learning improved linearly for participants with a motorcycle license but not for participants without a motorcycle license. No evidence that HP was predicted by age was found. HP scores for drivers who reported previous involvement in an accident were lower than for those who reported not being involved in an accident. The results are discussed in the context of sensitivity and response bias models.

Attitudes towards current and lowered speed limits in Australia

The present study was concerned with gaining a greater understanding of the Australian community's attitudes towards both the current and proposed lower speed limits. An online survey was administered in four states (Victoria, South Australia, Western Australia, and Tasmania), with a total of 4100 respondents recruited. The survey focussed on attitudes towards speed limits for four different road types, and the sample was stratified according to age, gender, and area of residence. It was found that most respondents were able to correctly identify the speed limit for local residential streets and major urban arterials, although their knowledge of rural speed limits was considerably lower. The majority of respondents were in favour of the proposed lower speed limits on 100 km/h two-lane undivided rural roads and on rural gravel roads, but only about one-third supported lower limits in urban areas. A cluster analysis revealed that there were varying characteristics between respondents who were more or less likely to support speed limit reductions, across a number of demographic, socio-economic status, and driving behavior variables. These results provided important guidance regarding groups that could potentially be targeted in speed-related interventions, as well as highlighting the potential for lowering speed limits in Australia, particularly on rural roads.

The development and validation of two complementary measures of drivers' hazard perception ability

Hazard perception in driving involves a number of different processes. This paper reports the development of two measures designed to separate these processes. A Hazard Perception Test was developed to measure how quickly drivers could anticipate hazards overall, incorporating detection, trajectory prediction, and hazard classification judgements. A Hazard Change Detection Task was developed to measure how quickly drivers can detect a hazard in a static image regardless of whether they consider it hazardous or not. For the Hazard Perception Test, young novices were slower than mid-age experienced drivers, consistent with differences in crash risk, and test performance correlated with scores in pre-existing Hazard Perception Tests. For drivers aged 65 and over, scores on the Hazard Perception Test declined with age and correlated with both contrast sensitivity and a Useful Field of View measure. For the Hazard Change Detection Task, novices responded quicker than the experienced drivers, contrary to crash risk trends, and test performance did not correlate with measures of overall hazard perception. However for drivers aged 65 and over, test performance declined with age and correlated with both hazard perception and Useful Field of View. Overall we concluded that there was support for the validity of the Hazard Perception Test for all ages but the Hazard Change Detection Task might only be appropriate for use with older drivers.

Predicting motorcyclists' intentions to speed: effects of selected cognitions from the theory of planned behaviour, self-identity and social identity

This study sought to identify cognitive predictors of motorcyclists' intentions to speed using a model that comprised selected constructs from the theory of planned behaviour (TPB), supplemented with constructs from identity theory and social identity theory. Participants (N=110) were sampled from motorcycle clubs in Scotland and they completed web-based questionnaire measures of all cognitive variables, operationalized with respect to speeding on both 30 mph urban roads and 70 mph dual carriageways and motorways. In support of the TPB element of the model, affective attitude and perceived controllability accounted for significant variance in intention to speed on each road type. The identity constructs accounted for additional variance in intentions to speed on 70 mph roads. The significant independent predictors of speeding intentions on 30 mph roads were affective attitude and perceived controllability. For 70 mph roads, the independent predictors of intention were affective attitude, self-identity, perceived group norm, group identification, and an interaction between perceived group norm and group identification. Consistent with predictions derived from social identity theory, decomposition of the interaction showed that perceived group norm had an increasing effect on intention with increases in group identification. Implications for theory development and safety interventions are discussed.

The visual search patterns and hazard responses of experienced and inexperienced motorcycle riders

Hazard perception is a critical skill for road users. In this study, an open-loop motorcycle simulator was used to examine the effects of motorcycle riding and car driving experience on hazard perception and visual scanning patterns. Three groups of participants were tested: experienced motorcycle riders who were experienced drivers (EM-ED), inexperienced riders/experienced drivers (IM-ED), and inexperienced riders/inexperienced drivers (IM-ID). Participants were asked to search for hazards in simulated scenarios, and click a response button when a hazard was identified. The results revealed a significant monotonic decrease in hazard response times as experience increased from IM-ID to IM-ED to EM-ED. Compared to the IM-ID group, both the EM-ED and IM-ED groups exhibited more flexible visual scanning patterns that were sensitive to the presence of hazards. These results point to the potential benefit of training hazard perception and visual scanning in motorcycle riders, as has been successfully demonstrated in previous studies with car drivers.

Hazard perception in novice and experienced drivers: the effects of sleepiness

One driver skill that has been found to correlate with crash risk is hazard perception ability. The purpose of this study was to investigate how hazard perception latencies change between high and low sleepiness for a high risk group (novice drivers) and a lower risk group (experienced drivers). Thirty-two novice drivers (aged 17-24 years) and 30 experienced drivers (aged 28-36) completed a validated video-based hazard perception test, in which participants were asked to anticipate genuine traffic conflicts in footage filmed from the driver's perspective, with separate groups tested at either 10a.m. (lower sleepiness) or at 3a.m. (higher sleepiness). We found a significant interaction between sleepiness and experience, indicating that the hazard perception skills of the more experienced drivers were relatively unaffected by mild increases in sleepiness while the inexperienced drivers were significantly slowed. The findings suggest that the disproportionate sleepiness-related accident involvement of young, inexperienced drivers could be partly due to a slowing of their ability to anticipate traffic hazards.

Heat loss variations of full-face motorcycle helmets

Heat loss of 27 full-face motorcycle helmets was studied using a thermal manikin headform. The headform was electrically heated and positioned at the exit of a wind tunnel, so that the air stream flowed onto its front side. All helmets were measured in three sessions in which all the vents were opened or closed consecutively in random order. Average heat loss was calculated from a steady state period, under controlled environmental conditions of 22+/-0.05 degrees C, 50+/-1% RH and 50.4+/-1.1 km h(-1) (14.0+/-0.3 ms(-1)) wind speed. The results show large variations in heat loss among the different helmets, ranging from 0 to 4 W for the scalp section of the headform and 8 to 18 W for the face section of the headform. Opening all the vents showed an increase in heat loss of more than 1 W (2 W) for four (two) helmets in the scalp section and six (one) helmets in the face section. These levels of heat transfer have been shown to be the thresholds for human sensitivity in scalp and face sections. Furthermore, helmet construction features which could be identified as important for heat loss of motorcycle helmets were identified.