Rider Behavior
Motorcyclists’ riding behavior and choices significantly impact rider crash risk and injury risk in the event of a crash. This section contains research with a primary focus on rider behavior and choices. By being aware of these factors and taking proactive measures to mitigate risks, motorcyclists can enhance their safety and reduce the likelihood of crashes.
Rider behavior is often identified as the most common and most critical factor affecting rider risk. Rider behavior can be defined as concepts related to a rider’s riding/driving mannerisms and actions. Knowing, analyzing and understanding rider behavior is the key factor in preventing or reducing motorcyclist crashes. Motorcyclist safety advocates, state motorcyclist safety program managers, policy decision makers and elected officials can use this research information to implement countermeasures.
The literature, however, on motorcyclist riding behavior reveal issues, problems, challenges, and research gaps.
Here are a few rider behaviors or choices that impact crash risk:
- Speeding: Exceeding speed limits or traveling too fast for road conditions increases the risk of losing control and contributing to a crash.
- Alcohol and Drug Use: The use of alcohol and drugs can impair a motorcyclist’s ability to ride safely and can lead to reckless behavior and poor decision making.
- Helmet -Failure to Use: Wearing a helmet is crucial for protecting against head and brain injury in the event of a crash.
- Using full personal protective equipment (PPE): Motorcyclist specific PPE in addition to wearing a helmet
- Defensive riding: Riding with a strategy such as Search, Evaluate, Execute or SEE recommended by the Motorcycle Safety Foundation. Also being aware of other road users and maintaining a safe following distance, following all traffic regulations, etc.
- Stunting, aggressive riding, anger
Rider Behavior Studies
2022 – “A Comprehensive Review on the Behaviour of Motorcyclists: Motivations, Issues, Challenges, Substantial Analysis and Recommendations”
This review of 174 articles systematically investigates the literature on motorcyclist driving behaviour to present many findings related to the issues, problems, challenges, and research gaps that have existed over the last 10 years (2011–2021). The final number of articles was divided into three main groups: reviews (7/174), experimental studies (41/174), and social studies-based articles (126/174). Recommendation topics and research gaps are identified.
2020 – “A Review of Behavioural Issues Contribution to Motorcycle Safety”
The objectives of this paper are to unveil and analyse certain behavioural patterns of riders influencing the motorcycle mishaps through literature reviews on various aspects of riding behaviours including the lack of visibility and alertness, and speeding issues. This is important for a comprehensive and broad understanding of the riders' behavioural and performance traits associated with speeding, visibility, and alertness issues. Thus, collisions due to these issues may be avoided. This study summarizes 104 selected articles.
2019 – “Impact of Riders’ Lifestyle on Their Risky Behavior and Road Traffic Accident Risk”
The main aim of the study was to determine how lifestyle dimensions of male motorcyclists influence the risky behavior of motorcyclists and their involvement in traffic accidents. Life style variables such as Motorcycle as a hobby, Aggressiveness, Motorcycle addiction, and Alcohol and drugs were positively correlated with Rule violations and speeding. Similar relations we found with second factor of Risky behavior, i.e., Self-assertiveness, which was significantly positively correlated with Aggressiveness, Motorcycle addiction, and Alcohol and drugs.
2015 – “Relationships Between Motorcyclists’ Behavioural Perceptions and Their Actual Behaviour”
The paper deals with studying the relationships between the motorcyclists’ thinking about proper behaviour and their actual behaviour in the traffic. The impact of some control variables, such as riders’ age, experience, driving history, and engine cubature, on actual behaviour, is also addressed here. The results show that the higher awareness about alcohol danger and benefits of protective equipment and helmet can noticeably contribute to the bigger traffic safety. Besides, from the results is evident that the control variables are in most cases also significantly interrelated with the actual behaviour factors.