This survey looks at a sample of 450 injured motorcyclists involved in 425 accidents over a period of one year (1974). a comparison of several aspects of the accident situation between the sample and national accident data indicated that the detailed information gained from the survey is representative of motorcycle accidents reported nationally by the police. The study examines the accident situation, causes of injury to riders, crash helmet performance, and the motorcycles involved. Some of the main findings are:- (i) the high incidence of accidents where other road users fail to see the motorcyclist whilst negotiating a junction. Thus the motorcycle is usually travelling at between 20-30 mile/h just prior to the accident. (ii) other vehicles were the main cause of serious injuries to motorcyclists. Riders' legs were particularly prone to severe injury. (iii) there was some evidence that helmets conforming to the higher British standards slightly reduced the likelihood of head injury below that for lower standard helmets. The use of full face helmets was shown to reduce the chance of facial injury. (Author/publisher)
Abstract