2 BE SAFE
Current statistics show that while the total number of road deaths is falling in European countries, the proportion of motorcycle rider fatalities is increasing. As the number of motorcycles on the road is also increasing, this suggests that motorcyclist fatalities are likely to continue to increase as well. This makes motorcycle safety an important research area. |
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Recent studies have shown that human error is the primary factor in motorcycle crashes, and car drivers failing to see motorcycles is a frequent cause of accidents. The behavioural and ergonomic factors contributing to accidents involving four wheeled vehicles have been studied through laboratory and simulator research, observational studies and naturalistic driving studies, leading to countermeasures to reduce fatalities. There is no comparable research for powered two vehicles, and there is a lack of research tools, for example, motorcycle simulators to study motorcycle rider behaviour.
TRL has recently begun work on the 2 BE SAFE project which is led by INRETS and involves 25 international partners. The main objective of 2 BE SAFE is to examine behavioural and ergonomic factors contributing to motorcycle crashes.
The research will begin with an analysis on crash causes and human error, and will be followed by the world's first international naturalistic riding study involving instrumented motorcycles. Naturalistic studies examine how people behave in real life situations, rather than under experimental constraints, scenarios or manipulation. To this end, TRL will be equipping a motorcycle with sensors and recording equipment, and asking participants to use the motorcycle for some weeks in place of their own motorcycle.
This approach will be supplemented by experimental research on motorcycle rider risk awareness and perception, the development of innovative research tools to support future work on human factors and behavioural studies involving motorcyclists. There will also be a large-scale research program on the factors that underlie driver failures to see motorcycles and their riders, and the development of guidelines for practical countermeasures to enhance motorcycle rider safety deriving from all these activities.
The project began in January 2009 and will run for three years. TRL's contribution to the project is jointly funded by the European Commission's Directorate General for Research and the UK Department for Transport.
For more information on this project, please contact Dan Basacik on +44 (0)1344 770638 or dbasacik@trl.co.uk.
