REVIEW

The Report to be reviewed is “Improving Safety for Motorcycle, Scooter and Moped Drivers”.
This Research Report has been published by OECD publishing, Paris under the responsibility of the Secretary-
General of the OECD. The International Transport Forum at the OECD which is an intergovernmental
organisation with 57 member countries had set up a Working Group on the Safety of Powered Two Wheelers in
2010 to review the trends in powered two wheeler crashes and examine the factors and severity of these
crashes. The International Transport Forum acts with the objective to shape the transport policy agenda at
global level and also ensures that it contributes to economic growth, environmental protection, social
inclusion and the preservation of human life and well- being..
This report very clearly explains the different categories of powered two wheelers(PTWs)which have been
considered. Mopeds as per the Report are lower-powered, two or three wheelers with engine displacement
less or equal to 50cm3 .Typically speed is 45-50 km/h for the mopeds and a maximum speed less or equal to
45km/h for Electric mopeds. The report also classifies the motorcycles into two main types –one with
displacement less or equal to 125cm3 and the other with more than 125cm3.The various subcategories of these
PTWs has been clearly shown in Figure 2.1

The fleet of PTWs is steadily increasing globally because of a number of advantages , some of them are as
follows:
 In urban areas, relative quick and reliable travel is possible.
 In rural areas, where public transport is non -existent and individuals not owning cars offer mobility
options
 PTWs provide no constraints on departure and destination locations.
 Cheap mode of travel in terms of initial buying cost to maintenance, fuel cost and tolls and parking fees
are free or reduced.
However a number of drawbacks of using PTWs are :
 20 times riskier travel mode than cars.
 PTWs emit pollution as well as a lot of noise.
 Comfort is not the same as in cars
Licensing system for different countries have been given in detail in this Research Report. There is an effort for
regional harmonisation of the licensing systems for PTWs but there is still differences regarding the minimum
age to ride PTW.PTWs have become an important component of the transport system but still many countries
do not have national transport policies(given in detail for various countries) for PTWs although at local level
measures have been taken.
 PTW riders are at a greater risk of themselves getting severely injured but have a lesser risk to the other road
users due to lesser aggressivity of PTWs as compared to cars and trucks. Compared to mopeds, passenger cars
and pedestrians, motorcycle fatalities has shown an increasing trend globally. This trend has been shown very
clearly graphically in the Report. In most countries, the number of fatalities among females and 40 -60 year old
riders has shown a sharp increase. Motorcycle crashes increase in summer and weekends with the mopeds
and scooters not showing this pattern. In most of OECD countries most of the PTWs fatalities occur in urban
areas with the exception of South America countries. Powerful PTWs are not directly linked to crashes but act
as a motivation to purchase and usage by different age groups .Motorcyclists who are mostly young, are at a
greater risk of sustaining major handicap thus leading to many years lost or with lessened capacities. A large
number of single vehicle crashes occur on rural roads which are mostly under reported. A large number of PTW
fatalities occur at junctions as compared to the other road users and thus measures to improve junctions are
required.
The factors responsible for PTWs crashes and their severity have been explained in detail in this Report. These
have been explained with the interaction between PTW riders and other road users, road environment and the
vehicle factors. Factors such as speeding, impaired riding, non- respect of traffic rules and lack of experience
are the main human related factors in PTW crashes. Respecting traffic rules is correlated to the characteristics
such as age, experience engine power and social influence. Speeding is a bigger problem for PTW crashes
compared to the other modes. A large number of crashes occur due to the problem of perception by the other
vehicle operator. This problem is considered to be because of small size of PTWs, obstructed visibility, PTW
rider behaviour and low familiarity of PTW by most of the car drivers. Road environment can have a strong
impact on the crash severity but generally they are not the primary cause of crashes. The road design elements
such as the bends with low radius , junctions, road surface and the roadside effects how a road user interacts
with the roadway. Vehicle defects are mostly common in motorcycle crashes. Risks are mostly correlated and
sometimes interdependent.
Different countermeasures have been explained in detail which are as follows:
 Counter measures addressing road user behaviour: Road users behaviour can be influenced by education,
training and licensing; enforcement and communication measures. Different countries have different licensing
systems with EU giving a push for harmonisation .Graduated licensing system adopted by many countries
which has been researched to be effective for cars would be more successful for motorcycles as compared to
the system based upon power and engine size. Licensing, training and education are very important for
improving road safety. Use of PTWs should be gradual. Even more than driving a car ,riding a PTW requires
technical skills. Thus training should not only focus on basic manoeuvring skills and mastering traffic situations
but also look into the issues of mobility as well as safety. The training should also focus on risk awareness, their
vulnerability and crash patterns. Thus it is required that the examiner should also have minimum examiner’s
competence. Enforcement measures to control speeding, drink-driving and non-respect of traffic rules should
be applied to all motor vehicle operators. However, communication measures and publicity should be
complementary measures along with enforcement should be provided for a long term impact. Speeding can be
controlled by the use of automated rear camera and point to point enforcement and whereas unpredictable
random breath testing can bring about reduction in the prevalence of drunk driving. Strict enforcement for
helmet wearing should be aimed at. Communication campaigns combined with enforcement campaigns
should be aimed to promote harmonious car-PTW co-existence and safe behaviour by all road users. These
campaigns will be effective only if the motorcyclists are involved themselves.
 Counter measures promoting the use of personal protective equipment: Helmet is one of the primary
protective equipment. While developing the helmet standards various climates and affordability should be
considered. In order to increase the wearing rate, other than making helmet wear mandatory, communication
campaigns and publicity should be put in force. Protective clothing has significant benefits but if made
mandatory then the global standards would impose a cost on the riders, thus opposed by the community will
have to be looked into by increasing rider awareness. The research report also talks about the airbag jackets
which work on the same principles as the vehicle mounted airbags which minimises injury to the rider. But
 their effectiveness is to be evaluated. High visible clothing with bright clothing for day time and reflective parts
incorporated in the jackets for night time will be helpful to reduce conspicuity related crashes.
 Counter measures targeting vehicles: This involves two aspects- first is vehicle maintenance and the second is
vehicle technologies. Periodical vehicle inspection would ensure that vehicles are in good condition and safe for
use on road. Anti- tempering measures should be put in place to prevent young people from tampering their
mopeds. To improve the safety of motor cyclists ,various vehicle technologies based on their functions have
been given in Table 7.1 which gives a very clear picture.

In half of PTW serious casualty crashes other vehicles are involved. New technologies such as forward collision
warning, blind spot information, lane departure warning, vulnerable road user detection systems would help
prevent collisions with PTW riders, pedestrians and cyclists. Successful implementation of Intelligent
transportation system for motorcyclists is required .
 Counter measures targeting infrastructure and traffic management: Roads should be readable , sufficiently
visible and forgivable so that the road users are able to identify the trajectory as well as hazards if present on
the road and compensates human errors. To prevent risky situations regarding infrastructure , measures such
as good paving material providing durable skid resistance, appropriate road markings ,good road design and
regular road maintenance and otherwise warning signs should be provided. Round abouts , clear zones and
vehicle restraint system need to be provided .Regular safety audits with PTWs considered would be useful.
For traffic calming measures such as 30km/h zones in urban areas, electronic signage to detect motorcycle
speed, specific lanes for PTWs, advanced stop lines for PTWs with careful consideration to traffic signalling
calibration would be useful.
This research report has dedicated one complete chapter to the specific issues of PTWs in low and middle
income countries(LMICs).Unless urgent and effective action is taken, road traffic injuries will take the fifth
leading cause of death in the world. The death of a working man in LMICs not only reduces the income of the
household but also leads to direct and indirect economic losses to the country. LMICs faces a number of
challenges for PTW safety which can be counter measured by focussing on legislation and capacity building,
improving user behaviour, increase the use and quality of helmets and other protective equipment, improving
the safety of vehicles and road infrastructure. As for the developed countries, adoption of Safe system Approach
should be considered. All the crash and use data for PTWs should be gathered and after identifying the priority
issues, short, long and medium term actions should be identified and worked upon.
A strategic approach for PTWs safety is needed so as to integrate effort and guide the allocation of resources
toward initiatives that proven benefits. However, planning and further commitment to undertake the strategy
development is very important. Planning a strategy involves identifications of the lead agency, its role and
responsibilities and those of other agencies and non-government stakeholders such as motorcycle industry and
equipment suppliers and retailers so that all the key and emerging issues are addressed and are accepted by all
parties who will share the responsibility for its implementation and success. The development process will
involve problem definition, objective setting, agreement to strategies and actions and finally implementation
mechanisms. Safe system has a single core principle that people will make mistakes and the system
accommodates these errors so that no individual road user is exposed to crashes resulting in death or serious
injury. In the development of road safety strategy, a shared commitment is important to assist in subsequent
determination of actions. Road safety strategy would include safer behaviour of all the users, safer infrastructure
and vehicles with enhanced safety features. To improve the safety of PTW riders, measures for the specific
challenges of PTWs, and the variety of PTWs users must be considered .For the success of a strategy,
accountability for implementation is an important factor. Key performance indicators should be developed to
ensure the performance monitoring. To provide flexibility in implementation –a safety performance framework
including responsibilities, monitoring, measuring reporting and accountabilities is required. In addition to regular
monitoring, check should be taken to know whether the strategy is proceeding on schedule and whether
strategy is to be adjusted based on the experience gained, emerging trends and technological developments
Addressing the safety issues of powered two wheelers should be seen as a priority to improve the overall road
safety. It is one of the main challenges in terms of the UN Decade of Action for Road Safety. Additional Research
is needed to understand the present challenges related to PTW mobility and safety problems. Operational
Research and development is required to get a traffic system which better integrates and protects PTWs in a cost
efficient manner. More research and development on Intelligent transport systems capacity is required to
prevent PTW crashes.
Our Course –Transportation Safety and Environment deals with the multidisciplinary approach to planning traffic
safety. In this Research report, the Working Group on the Safety of Powered Two-wheelers in 2010 was set up by
the International Transport Forum to look into the trends in powered two wheeler crashes and examine the
factors responsible for these crashes and their severity. This report not only describes the counter measures but
also explains the planning ,developing implementing and monitoring the motorcycle strategies in terms of Safe
System Approach. Thus this report does not only talks about road safety but in particular for powered two
wheelers and thereby giving a detailed insight to the factors and counter measures of traffic fatalities of PTWs.It
has been a great eye opener.