RESEARCH AND DATA COLLECTION EFFORTS
NHTSA’s FARS data provide information on who is involved in motorcycle crashes, but it does not provide information on why a motorcyclist becomes crash involved. Collecting and analyzing data on rider education and training, licensing, length of time riding a motorcycle and specific attributes of the motorcycle being operated, riding habits – alone or in a group, and other similar data are key to answering this fundamental question to assist in crash prevention. NHTSA’s research efforts will also try to resolve questions surrounding the medical outcomes of crash involved motorcyclists including short and long term effects and the costs of rehabilitation for injured operators.
NHTSA’s Research and Data Collection Efforts Program:
Conduct
Research to Determine Motorcycle Operator Characteristics. The agency
will undertake research to determine the characteristics of motorcycle
operators in today’s general rider population and, to the extent possible,
the characteristics, behaviors, and experiences associated with motorcyclists
who become involved in a crash. Data to be collected include biographic
and demographic characteristics, riding habits, rider training, and
licensing status. Ultimately, the collection and analysis of these data,
when combined with other information, should enable NHTSA to improve
the types of countermeasures developed for reducing the occurrence of
injury producing crashes. Targeted completion date – March 2004
Study
of Rehabilitation Costs Associated with Motorcycle Crash Related Injuries.
Data are needed on rehabilitation costs of injuries resulting from motorcycle
crashes. NHTSA is examining the rehabilitation costs associated with
injuries received as a result of motorcycle crashes to provide a more
complete picture of costs associated with motorcycle crashes. One of
the products of this project is a model for estimating rehabilitation
costs resulting from motorcycle crashes and adapting this model so that
it can be applied to all motor vehicle crashes. Targeted completion
date – December 2004
Study
Crash Risk. The current status of situational and behavioral errors
or factors associated with motorcycle crashes remains unknown. Also,
crash risk and riding behaviors for different target groups need to
be examined further. The findings from this study will be compared with
databases containing information for motorcyclists who are involved
in crashes, especially those who are 40 years of age and older, due
to their increasing involvement in crashes. Targeted completion date
– March 2005
Conduct
a Vehicle Crash Causation Study Including Motorcycle Crashes. NHTSA
is considering an update to its previous motor vehicle crash causation
study, the 1979 Indiana Tri-Level Causal Analyses study. The agency
plans to collect crash causation data on motorcycles as part of this
study. This research will assist NHTSA in addressing a number of critical
safety questions including "why" there has been a substantial increase
in motorcycle crashes and operator fatalities especially among riders
40 and over, as well as the growing popularity of larger motorcycles
and their increased involvement in crashes. An updated motor vehicle
crash causation study will aid NHTSA researchers in identifying and
creating new initiatives for their crash avoidance and countermeasures
programs. Targeted completion date – September 2009.