Towards Motorcycle Safety: Rationale Underlying a SafeRoads Motorcycle Safety Project 20078 and a Pr

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Towards Motorcycle SafetyRationale Underlying
a SafeRoads Motorcycle Safety Project 2007/8
and a Proposed Future Intervention

• Michael Hull
• Road Safety Coordinator, Hobsons Bay City Council
• Research Director, Pan Pacific Research Pty Ltd

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This Paper Aims

• To summarise research and statistics outlining
  state-wide motorcycle safety concerns
• To consider local characteristics of motorcycle
  concerns in the RoadSafe Westgate Area
• To summarise activities to date to address local
  motorcycle safety concerns

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Increasing Motorcycles By State
Source 9309.0 - Motor Vehicle Census, ABS,
Australia, 31 Mar 2006
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Increasing Popularity Increasing Casualties

• Motorcycle riding is rapidly increasing in
  popularity in Australia, attracting a much wider
  demographic of people than in decades past.
  Unfortunately, whilst the overall number of road
  deaths in Australia has generally been reducing,
  the proportion of motorcycle-related fatalities
  has been rising in recent years. Further, the
  proportion of motorcycle-related fatalities in
  Australia is unacceptably high compared with
  other OECD countries.

Watson, B Tunnicliff, D White, K Schofield, C
Wishart, D (2007), Psychological and social
factors influencing motorcycle rider intentions
and behaviour, Centre for Accident Research and
Road Safety, Brisbane, Queensland University of
Technology.
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Possible Reasons for Popularity?

• Escalating cost of fuel
• Increasing awareness of climate change
• Avoiding congestion
• Newer motorcycle designs attracting a broader
  demographic

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Disproportionate Serious Injuries

• In the financial year 2003 2004, the rate of
  serious injuries for motorcyclists in Australia
  was 34 times higher than the rate for car
  occupants.

Berry, J Harrison, J (2007), Serious Injury Due
to Land Transport Accidents Australia 2003-2004,
Canberra, Australian Institute of Health
Welfare.
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Australian Deaths per 10,000 vehicles
Motorcycles All Vehicles 2000 - 2005
Motorcycles
All Vehicles
Adapted from ----- (2007),The ATSB Answers
Questions on the Australian National Road Safety
2010 Strategy, Journal of the Australasian
College of Road Safety May
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Casualties In Victoria

• Motorcyclists are amongst the most vulnerable
  road users on Victorian roads, accounting for
  less than 1 of traffic volume, but representing
  approximately 14 of road fatalities and serious
  injuries. This equates to around 900 fatal and
  serious injury crashes annually. In addition to
  this, there are approximately 1000 minor injury
  crashes annually.

Brennan, C Beer K (2007), Motorcycle safety in
Victoria Black spot the difference, Road
Safety Conference. www.roadsafetyconference2007.c
om.au/Presentation/Brennan_Chris.pdf
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Motorcyclists Vulnerability

• Motorcyclists are more vulnerable to serious or
  fatal injury that other categories of road user
• They have limited protection
• They travel faster than other vulnerable road
  users (cyclists, pedestrians), thus exacerbating
  the potential for injury

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Proportion of Fatal Serious Injuries to Other
Injuries - Victoria July 2002 to June 2007
Pedestrians
Drivers
Motorcyclists
Cyclists
Adapted from CrashStats
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Age Group Fatal Serious Injury Proportion
Unlicensable
Licensable
0.5
0.4
Adapted from CrashStats
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Locations of Crashes

• Although there are some differences in crash
  locations between Melbourne metropolitan areas
  and non-metropolitan areas
• Overall motorcyclists are not over represented in
  crashes in high traffic conflict situations, like
  intersections
• Overall, motorcyclists are over represented in
  crashes not at intersections.

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Motorcycles Cars Crash Locations

Metropolitan Area July 2002 to June 2007
Non Metropolitan Victoria July 2002 to June 2007
Adapted from CrashStats
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Crash Types

• If we look at groupings of Definitions
  Classifying Accidents the same trend is evident
  for both metro and non-metro crashes.
• Throughout Victoria, motorcyclists are
  over-represented in single vehicle crashes
• Off Path on Straight
• Off Path on Curve
• In the metropolitan area motorcyclists are
  somewhat more likely than car drivers to be
  involved in head on crashes whilst overtaking.

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Motorcycle Car Crash DCA Groups Contribution
Metropolitan Area July 2002 to June 2006
Non Metropolitan Victoria July 2002 - June 2007
Adapted from CrashStats
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What does it all mean?

• These data suggest that
• Motorcyclists are not over-represented in areas
  where traffic conflict is probable
  intersections, etc.
• Motorcyclists are disproportionately involved in
  single vehicle crashes
• Road Safety advertising stressing to car drivers
  the need for motorcycle awareness may not be of
  greatest benefit

• To reduce motorcycle-related fatalities on
  Australian roads, there is an urgent need to
  consider motorcyclists as distinct from other
  road users. Watson, B Tunnicliff, D White, K
  Schofield, C Wishart, D (2007), Psychological
  and social factors influencing motorcycle rider
  intentions and behaviour, Centre for Accident
  Research and Road Safety, Brisbane, Queensland
  University of Technology.

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Neuropsychological Development Novice Riders
and Drivers

• An OECD ECMT Report (Transport Research Centre,
  2006) summarises more recent research indicating
  that the human brain is still developing and, at
  age 18, is still immature with deficits in
  frontal lobe executive functions such as
  planning, impulse control, reasoning, and
  integration of information. This research
  suggests that elevated crash risks amongst novice
  drivers and riders may not be so much a higher
  willingness to undertake risk behaviour, but a
  lack of capacity to appreciate the risk in the
  first place.

Transport Research Centre (2006), Young Drivers
The Road to Safety, Paris, Organisation for
Economic Cooperation Development (OECD)
European Conference of Ministers of Transport
(ECMT).
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What Does Hazard Perception Information Tell Us?

• Drivers riders with limited recent experience,
  need to use a high proportion of mental resources
  to control the vehicle
• Therefore they have less resources available for
  environment and traffic monitoring
• Some critical information simply cannot be
  processed in time

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Metro, Rest of Victoria RoadSafe Westgate Area
Motorcycle Casualties
Adapted from CrashStats
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Metro, Rest of Victoria RoadSafe Westgate Area
Motorcycle Casualties

• For both local and State roads, there is a minor
  casualty peak for younger riders
• For both local and State roads, by far the
  greatest number of motorcycle casualties occur
  amongst those aged between 30 and 50
• In non-metropolitan areas, local roads see more
  casualties than State roads
• On metropolitan roads and, more noticeably in the
  RoadSafe Westgate area, younger riders are more
  common casualties on local roads.

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Westgate Area Young Riders

• Unlicensed riders, often younger, may tend to
  restrict their riding to local roads and reserves
  that are less policed.

Adapted from CrashStats
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Westgate Older Riders

• Older riders
• having ridden decades ago may believe additional
  training is
• too expensive
• an admission of low ability level
• In lower socio-economic areas, they may perceive
  motorcycling as cheaper in operational and
  initial expense terms

Adapted from CrashStats
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Local Crash Types on State Local Roads

• Predictably, there are more crashes involving
  other vehicles on local roads where there are
  more intersections and less active controls
  (traffic lights)
• Run-off-road, off path on straight, single
  vehicle crashes remain the most common category
  overall and more of these crashes occur on State
  roads

Road Safe Westgate Area Accident Classification
Groups Motorcycle Casualties on Local State
Roads July 2005 to June 2007
Adapted from CrashStats
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Local Actions Younger Riders

• DETER unlicensed and under-age riding
• INFORM parents and carers, who may partly fund a
  first vehicle, that a car is a far safer vehicle
  in which to learn traffic sense
• PROMOTE accredited motorcycle training for those
  who choose to buy a motorcycle contrary to advice

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Local Actions Older Riders

• INFORM those who may consider a motorcycle for
  economic reasons of the safety risks and
  consequent economic consequences of injury
• PROMOTE accredited motorcycle training

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Local Actions All Riders

• Since all motorcyclists must process more
  information than car drivers in the same amount
  of time
• make road environments more predictable by
• high quality lane marking
• removal of debris, like gravel
• rolling SafeRoads motorcycle safety audits
• Incorporate actions for motorcycle safety in
  local Road Safety Strategies

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Statewide Actions All Riders

• Advocate universal compulsory pre-licence
  accredited training
• Encourage motorcycle speed enforcement
• Encourage application of State vehicle
  confiscation laws to hoon motorcyclists
• Oppose suggestions to allow motor-scooters to be
  operated on a car licence, a proposal
  periodically suggested by tourism promoters

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Education

• Copies of the SafeRoads, Westgate RoadSafe
  motorcycle pamphlet are available at the rear of
  this room

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Enforcement

• Deter unlicensed and unregistered motorcycle
  riding in local streets and public reserves
• This local law harmonises local procedures for
  dealing with a growing problem across
  neighbouring municipalities.
• Deter Hoon riding
• Section 50 of Community Local Law creates
  substantial on-the-spot fines for hoon riding
  offences and provides Police with an additional
  deterrent

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Road Environment

• SafeRoads
• Make Motorcycling Safer CD provides useful
  information for a new road environment assessment
  program

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Local Policy

• Hobsons Bay Road Safety Strategy
• Motorcycle section specifying key concerns and
  actions

HOBSONS BAY ROAD SAFETY STRATEGY 2008 - 2010
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RoadSafe WestgateProposed 2008/9 SafeRoads
Motorcycle Safety Project

• Identify black-spot and black-length
  motorcycle crash local and state road locations.
• Develop in-depth road environment evaluation
  protocol in consultation with Police
• Apply road environment evaluation results on
  selected local road black-spots and black lengths
• Cooperate with VicRoads on black areas on State
  roads
• Pursue education and enforcement options.

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Presentation Formal Paper

• An electronic version of this presentation is
  available.
• A formal printable, extended paper is available.
• Go to www.panpacificresearch.net and click on the
  motorcycle icon.