In the Netherlands an in-depth study into motorcycle accidents shows that in more than half of the crashes, a collision with another road user resulted in the most serious injury. The crash opponent was most often a passenger car.

The aim of this in-depth study by SWOV Institute for Road Safety Research was to contribute to promoting the road safety of motorcyclists by providing qualitative insight into the factors that play a role in the occurrence and outcome of motorcycle accidents.

In this report, the following four research questions are answered:
1. Which crash patterns or sub-types of motorcycle crashes can be distinguished?
2. Which crash and injury factors contribute to the occurrence of these crashes?
3. Do these factors differ from those reported in previous crash studies and, if so, in what way?
4. What are promising measures to prevent serious motorcycle crashes or mitigate the severity of their outcome?

The study distinguished five crash types:
Type 1: Motorcyclist loses control over the vehicle on a bend, due to a slippery road surface.
Type 2: Motorcyclist brakes and falls when approaching a red traffic light.
Type 3: Due to excessive speed, the motorcyclist cannot react in time.
Type 4: Motorcyclist crashes into the tail end of a traffic jam or into a vehicle ahead which brakes unexpectedly.
Type 5: Motorcyclist is overlooked by another road user.

The motorcyclists involved in Type 1 crashes (loss of control on bend) appear older than the motorcyclists of the other four crash types. Five of the six motorcyclists involved in Type 1 crashes were aged 50 or over, their age possibly relating to their loss of balance. The same may apply for motorcycle type: three of the six motorcycles involved in this type of crash were motor scooters, while only six motor scooters were involved in the entire set of 50 studied crashes. The smaller wheels of this type of motorcycle and the position of both legs side by side and not clamped on either side of the motorcycle probably make it harder to maintain balance on a bend.

The Type 2 motorcyclists (falling while braking for a red traffic light) were all using old motorcycles without ABS, while only half of the motorcycles in the entire set of studied crashes did not have ABS. The absence of ABS seems to be related to this crash type.

While the motorcyclists involved in Type 1 crashes were almost all over 50, Type 3 crashes (Excessive speed preventing a timely reaction) were mostly young motorcyclists: 10 of the 12 were younger than 40.

‘The condition of the motorcycle rarely played a role in causing the accident. The introduction of a mandatory periodical technical inspection for motorcycles in the Netherlands therefore does not seem to contribute much to the prevention of accidents.’

In more than half of the crashes, a collision with another road user resulted in the most serious injury. The crash opponent was most often a passenger car. Thirteen motorcyclists crashed with an obstacle, either preceded by a fall or not, and seven motorcyclists fell without colliding with an obstacle or other road user. Most crashes occurred during daylight and in dry weather conditions. The crashes were almost evenly spread over urban and rural areas. In urban areas, almost all crashes occurred on 50km/h roads, and in rural areas just as often on 60, 80, and 100km/h roads. Seventeen crashes occurred at an intersection or roundabout and eleven crashes occurred on a bend.

The findings from the study are consistent with those from previous international in-depth studies of motorcycle crashes, such as the European MAIDS and SaferWheels study. In broad terms, the studies paint a similar picture of motorcyclists involved in crashes (they are mostly male), of the nature of the crashes (60-80% collided with another road user), and of the injuries sustained. There were also a few differences: the motorcyclists in the current study are somewhat older (more over-50s), and they rode heavier motorcycles than was the case in the international studies. In addition, the share of crashes in urban areas was lower than in most studies.

Unlike passenger cars, in the Netherlands motorcycles are not subject to a general periodic inspection. In theory, therefore, a motorcycle could participate in traffic in poor condition. However, the study showed that the condition of the motorcycle rarely played a role in causing the accident. The introduction of a mandatory periodical technical inspection (PTI) for motorcycles in the Netherlands therefore does not seem to contribute much to the prevention of accidents.

For advanced rider training, the greatest challenge is to reach those motorcyclists who overestimate their own skills and exhibit risky behaviour. By including higher-order skills such as hazard perception and risk awareness and risk management in the basic motorcyclist training as well, all new motorcyclists would be reached.

Given the diversity of the identified crash types, not one single measure but a range of measures will be needed to reduce the number of serious and fatal motorcycle crashes. The study proposes the following set of measures:

• Periodic inspection of the quality of the road surface.
• Focus on the methods and materials used to repair the road surface.
• Combined enforcement on red-light negation and speed.
• Promoting ABS for motorcycles.
• Enforcing safe speeds through physical traffic calming measures.
• Limiting the speed of motorcycles by means of Intelligent Speed Assistance, at least in urban areas.
• Adhering to guidelines for stopping sight distance and unobstructed views by removing or relocating obstacles.
• Promoting AEBS (Advanced Emergency Braking System), FCW (Forward Collision Warning) and ACC (Adaptive Cruise Control) for motorcycles.
• Promote participation in advanced rider training.
• Making rider training pay more attention to higher-order skills such as hazard perception and risk awareness.

Should a crash nevertheless occur, the study recommends the following measures to reduce injuries:

• Creating a safe location and design of roadside furniture such as edging kerbs, light columns, and road signs, keeping the vulnerability of motorcyclists and other users of two-wheelers in mind.
• Applying motorcycle-friendly shielding provisions, at least on tight bends of (connectors to) motorways and other locations with a higher crash risk, and maintaining the prescribed distance of these provisions to the edge marking.
• Developing means of protection to prevent leg injuries, on the fuel tank and the sides of the motorcycle.
• Public communication on the importance of protective motorcycle clothing, including airbag vests, and on the correct way to wear helmets.

Source: SWOV

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