Prototypical Accident Scenarios Involving Powered Two-Wheelers in Urban Areas in France and Prospects for Countermeasures

Drivers of powered two wheelers (motorcycles and mopeds) are among those road users especially vulnerable to accidents resulting in injuries. In France, increased use of such vehicles in urban settings and proportionate increases in accidents resulting in injury from them have created a need for in-depth research in order to develop countermeasures, especially in road engineering. The author discusses the principal prototypical accident scenes drawn from a group of 25 used to illustrate how certain engineering choices affected powered two wheeler accident rates. The larger prototype group represents approximately 80% of a representative sampling of 278 police reports on urban accidents involving powered two wheelers. Engineering countermeasures based on the prototypical scenes discussed are also presented.