The purpose of the study was to determine the causes of bicycle/motor-vehicle accidents and to use data on accident causation to identify potential countermeasure approaches. Data were collected by interviews and on-site investigations for 753 non-fatal accidents and 166 fatal accidents. The sampling areas, each consisting of several contiguous counties, were located in California, Colorado, Florida, and Michigan. In addition to an analysis of descriptive data, accident cases were classified into 'problem types' based upon traffic context, accident causes, and target groups. A total of 36 unique problem types were identified; the ten most frequent problem types accounted for 67% of the fatal cases and 64% of the non-fatal cases. The results of the analyses of descriptive data are discussed and the distinguishing characteristics of each problem type are described. Potential countermeasure approaches are suggested for each problem type.
Abstract