THE PRESENT STUDY WAS CONDUCTED TO ASSESS THE PREDICTIVE VALIDITY OF THE MOTORCYCLE OPERATOR SKILL TEST (MOST) DEVELOPED BY MCPHERSON AND MCKNIGHT (1976). IT WAS ANTICIPATED THAT AMONG LICENSED MOTORCYCLISTS THOSE SCORING HIGHER ON THIS OFF-ROAD SKILL TEST WOULD BE LESS LIKELY TO BECOME INVOLVED IN AN ACCIDENT THAN MOTORCYCLISTS SCORING LOWER. A SAMPLE OF MOTORCYCLE OPERATOR LICENCE APPLICANTS WAS ADMINISTERED THE "MOST" IN ADDITION TO THE REGULAR LICENSING TEST. THESE MOTORCYCLISTS WERE CONTACTED ABOUT A YEAR LATER AND QUERIED ABOUT THEIR RIDING EXPERIENCES INCLUDING MOTORCYCLE ACCIDENTS. DRIVER RECORDS WERE ALSO SEARCHED FOR SIX MONTHS AFTER THE MOTORCYCLIST WAS LICENSED. ALTHOUGH BIVARIATE ANALYSES INDICATED THAT HIGH SCORERS ON THE "MOST" WERE MORE LIKELY TO HAVE HAD AN ACCIDENT THAN LOW SCORERS, MULTIVARIATE ANALYSES REVEALED NO EFFECT OF TEST PERFORMANCE ON SUBSEQUENT ACCIDENT INVOLVEMENT. HOWEVER, ACCIDENT LIKELIHOOD WAS FOUND TO DECREASE AS A FUNCTION OF AGE AND INCREASE AS A FUNCTION OF VEHICLE DISTANCE TRAVELLED (I.E. EXPOSURE TO RISK).(Author/publisher).
Abstract