Issue 138 : December 2004 - January 2005
NEC Bike Show
MAIDS
MZ 100S
Stormin' the Castle
XL 1200R Sportster
Milward in Africa
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NEC Bike Show
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MAIDSMotorcycle accident in depth study
The report has attracted criticism from some who fear it might be used to support daytime headlight use or further restrictions on machine modification, so are those fears justified ? The Secretary General of ACEM, Jacques Compagne, made time in a hectic schedule for an interview when he was in London recently. SB - How did you collect the information for the MAIDS report ? Jacques - We looked at 1000 motorcycle accidents and also conducted 1000 interviews with unrelated riders in locations close to the scenes of the accidents and close to the times those accidents occurred in order to have a control group for comparison. To do this we chose riders who we found in garage forecourts. SB - To what extent do you think the report has achieved its objectives ? Jacques - The main aim of the report was to get an overview of accident causation and to identify the role of the main contributing factors, vehicle, human and environmental. (the term 'environmental' includes infrastructure eg road surface and street furniture). SB - Do you think there are weak areas in the report ? Jacques - We could have gone into more depth of course but as much as it provides an over view it is credible. It is based on the same lines as the Hurt report in the USA. (Hurt - long-standing piece of research frequently quoted in road safety literature) SB - The one area where MAG UK has disagreed with industry in recent years is on hard wiring. Does the report reach any conclusions about the influence of daytime headlight use on accident rates ? Jacques - Unfortunately it does not. The riders we interviewed in petrol stations mostly had their headlamps shut off and we could not be certain whether the riders were giving us accurate answers about headlamp use. SB - Do you understand the attitude of resistance in the UK re hard wiring? Jacques - Everything should be balanced. In principle I sympathise with those who respect freedom of choice but we have to limit freedoms sometimes to achieve safety SB - Are you convinced then, that daytime headlight use is an aid to safety ? Jacques - We are really convinced from the findings of the MAIDS study that lack of conspicuity is the most important factor in the causation of motorcycle accidents. SB - You think its the biggest factor ? Jacques - It is the most important fault which must be placed on the shoulders of car drivers. Maybe there is no simple explanation but not having seen the motorcycle accounts for more than one third of the primary contributory factors. SB - Does the MAIDS report take information from car drivers ? Jacques - Where cars were involved then yes we took information from the drivers. SB - The report identifies modified motorcycles as being over represented, what kind of modifications feature in the data ? Jacques - This part of the report is incomplete we shall improve on this . SB - Critics of the report have referred to inconsistencies between the figures and the tables drawn from the figures, do you have any comment on that ? Jacques - There may well be such discrepancies but we have not misled readers as these discrepancies are very small and do not alter the findings of the research. SB - The report identified human error as the biggest factor, where does that blame mostly lie ? Jacques - The human error lies on the shoulders of the car drivers in about 51% of all accidents but if we look just at multi vehicle accidents then we find that the primary responsibility for causing the accident lies with the car driver in about 62% of cases. We have to find ways of improving conspicuity. SB - Do you think that the problem really is that the motorcycles are not conspicuous enough or are motorists simply saying that they didn't see the motorcycle as an excuse ? Jacques - I think the excuse of not seeing the motorcyclist is genuine, why do you ask that ? SB - Because I suspect the answer masks the truth, could it be that the motorcycle is not in the motorists' field of vision when he begins the manoeuvre that ends in an accident ? I describe here, the case of a rider emerging from around a bend or from behind a vehicle which has hidden the bike from the motorists' view. Jacques - Such accidents would not be classified as having been caused through a problem of inadequate conspicuity, these would be recorded as cases of visual obstruction. Sometimes the motorist may have seen the motorcycle at some point in the relationship between the vehicles but then the motorist forgets about the motorcycle. SB - Let's look beyond the report at possible solutions to the accident problem. In the UK we have a direct access option which adult novices can use to gain licenses. The British Department for Transport has considered delaying entitlement to this so that the minimum age at which riders can use the Direct Access route will be 29 as opposed to 21 as at present ? Jacques - Our view is that extending the age is not the answer to the problem. Experience is the important factor here not rider age. Our research has identified that the first six months of riding are the most dangerous for a rider, this group is over represented in the data, whereas after 98 months, accident involvement drops significantly, irrespective of the age of the rider. SB - MAG UK has speculated that extending the period of Direct Access training might be beneficial. Do you think new riders should be subject to a more thorough scheme rather like aircraft pilots, who must keep a log of hours flown over a minimum time period. Jacques - It might serve to develop an elite kind of 'club' of high level riders but in terms of safety I suspect it could be counter productive. If training provides novices with too much confidence they may ride with less caution or ride more ambitiously. SB - You feel confident so you take more chances ? Jacques - I may be describing a caricature but those who are not well trained and have less confidence will probably ride more carefully. I appreciate it's a controversial subject, I recognise that we have to train people properly but if riders are not aware of the dangers of over confidence it is not a good thing. SB - We have a strong sports culture in the UK and a recent statement from our Department of Transport has suggested that there may be safety benefits from steering riders toward more general purpose motorcycles rather than sports bikes. Would it be realistic for a body like yours to try and steer the market away from machines that are over represented in accident data ? Jacques - It's a difficult question - we have to acknowledge market forces and there may be no case for it, MAIDS reveals that there is no over representation of any one group as defined by machine style. SB - Does that hold up where you look just at single vehicle accidents ? Jacques - The study doesn't identify single vehicle accidents. SB - I mention this because in the UK some police forces have figures that show that in single vehicle sports bike accidents rider error is identified as the principle cause in 92% of cases. In light of this is it realistic to apply the MAIDS findings which are based on data from mainland European countries to the UK where the motorcycle culture is quite different ? Jacques - You could make the same point about any two other European countries, all have different cultures and different bike parc compositions. What we have endeavoured to do with the MAIDS research is to provide an overview. Conclusion:- there isn't one. Streetbiker may well return to the subject of the MAIDS report when we know more. Members comments, as always, are invited. |
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As anxiety over motorcycle accidents grows, the motorcycle industry, as represented in Europe by ACEM has conducted what promised to be a major in-depth research project to ascertain the causes of motorcycle accidents.