After a review of the literature concerning motorcycle visibility and safety and also the effects of visibility enhancing devices, it seemed that much of the literature was inconclusive, and contradictory. To get a better basis for both the short- and long-term work on increased motorcycle safety, the Swedish Road Safety Office therefore commissioned a systematic study of motorcycle visibility. The study was carried out as an estimation experiment in an outdoor situation during summerlike daylight conditions. The factors treated in the study were of four different kinds: steady light, modulated light, motorcycle size and colour and colour of the rider. In all, more than a hundred conditions were studied. The results give an overview of advantages, as well as disadvantages of a wide range of visibility devices for motorcyclist. (A)
Abstract