This chapter considers how far social psychology can contribute to a theoretical understanding of motorcycle accidents and safety. The existing literature identifies two main approaches. The first, based on accident analysis, aimed to identify and control factors contributing to accident severity. The second analysed the process of motorcycle riding, paying special attention to skills testing, training evaluation, and perceived risk. A third approach emphasises riders as `active agents', and attempts to predict riding behaviour and thus accident involvement. The author's research is based on a national survey of motorcyclists, and attempts to address the main weaknesses of previous work. Its design is prospective, and aims to predict accident-related behaviour from beliefs and attitudes measured a year earlier. The structure of its measures and analyses was guided by theoretical models. The first stage of the research sent two questionnaires to its sample members a year apart, and found that the main predictor of accident involvement was the `Breaking Law and Rules' behavioural factor. The second stage found that youth played a much greater part than inexperience in accident involvement. The preliminary results of the third and last stage, to design a programme of rider training based on these findings, are promising.
Abstract