MOTORCYCLE CRASHES : A LEVEL TWO STUDY

Trends in motorcycle crashes are briefly discussed, together with some of the characteristics of these crashes. Newly-licensed riders and riders of large motorcycles were involved in more crashes than might have been expected from population data. Amongst licensed rider-owners of motorcycles, there was no significant interaction between these two variables in describing the level of involvement. Daytime headlamp usage on motorcycles was strongly linked with greater safety in the crashes studied. Examination of multi-vehicle and single vehicle crashes indicated that the daytime headlamp usage per se was probably the main reason for the greater safety. Universal daytime headlamp usage is unlikely to be achieved through persuasion, but a law on this subject is likely to be well received by motorcyclists. /Author/TRRL/