This report presents statistics to indicate the primary and secondary causes of 9617 moped and motorcycle accidents in the London metropolitan area (excluding Central London). The data used is taken from the STATS 19 computer printout based on original data collected by the police. Contributory factors such as road user behaviour, weather, and time of day (darkness or daylight) are grouped into 13 general categories. Area groupings are adjusted so that the numbers are not too small in any one area for statistical verification. The data show that 62% of accidents involving motorcycles, mopeds and scooters were primarily caused by other road users (50% by car drivers, 10% by pedestrians). Other causes, such as loose animals, cause 3% of the accidents, and 35% of accidents were caused by motorcyclists themselves. Of the 87 fatalities, 45 (52%) were caused by the motorcycle riders themselves. Two thirds of all accidents where the car driver was at fault were due to some failure to anticipate other traffic.
Abstract