Motorcycle Crashes:

1
Motorcycle Crashes Recent Changes in Michigan
Lidia P. Kostyniuk, Ph.D., P.E. Michigan Traffic
Safety Summit 2007
2
Background Changes in the US motorcycle crash
picture

• Motorcycle registrations 51 (1997-2004)
• Injuries in motorcycle crashes 64 (1997-2005)
• Deaths in motorcycle crashes 115 (1997-2005)
• Motorcycle fatalities as of all vehicle-crash
  fatalities
• 5 in 1997
• 10 in 2005
• Motorcyclists age 40 as of all motorcyclists
  killed
• 24 in 1995
• 47 in 2005

3
Examine recent changes in motorcycle crash
experience in Michigan baby boomer effects

• Registrations and motorcycle endorsements
• Crashes and crash rates
• Deaths and injuries
• Hazardous actions
• Drinking
• Helmet use
• Summary
• Data 1997-2005 Michigan crash data files,
  Michigan vehicle registration and licensing
  records

4
Motorcycle registrations and license endorsements
5
Motorcycle endorsements by age
6
Motorcycle crashes 1997-2005

7
Crashes by motorcyclist age
8
Distribution of crash severity, 2005
N 3,504
N 350,838
9
Persons injured in motorcycle crashes
10
Motorcyclists injured in crash by age
11
Persons killed in motorcycle crashes
12
Motorcyclist fatalities by age
13
Motorcycle crash rates
14
Crashes/1000 licensed motorcyclists by age
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Proportion of crash-involved motorcyclists with
motorcycle endorsement in 2005
Age Group With motorcycle endorsement on drivers license
lt 19 34
19-29 54
30-44 60
45-64 71
65 72
All 62
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Single and multi-vehicle crashes

• About half motorcycle crashes are single vehicle
  crashes
• Little difference by month, day of week, weather,
  road type, road condition
• More single vehicle crashes at night
• Slightly more single vehicle crashes involve
  drinking driver
• Proportions of drivers over age 45 involved in
  single and in multi-vehicle crashes are almost
  the same.

17
Hazardous actions, 2005
None
Fail to Yield
Clear Distance
Reckless/ Careless
Speed


18
Motorcycle hazardous actionsSingle vehicle
crashes by motorcyclist age
None
Reckless/ Careless
Speed
Clear Distance
Fail to Yield


19
Motorcycle hazardous actions2005 Multi vehicle
crashes by motorcyclist age
None
Fail to Yield
Speed
Clear Distance
Reckless/ Careless


20
Citations for hazardous actionin motorcycle
crash, 2005


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Had Been Drinking (HBD) motorcycle crashes

• Proportion of all motorcycle crashes
• 1997 10
• 2005 7
• Proportion of all motorcycle fatalities
• 1997 47
• 2005 29
• Proportion of all motorcycle injuries
• 1997 14
• 2005 7

22
Number of HBD motorcycle crashes
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HBD crashes by motorcyclist age
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Percent of age groups motorcycle crashes that
involved drinking
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Helmet use

• Helmet use rate
• 94 in 1997
• 98 in 2005
• 21 of fatalities not helmeted in 2005
• Severity in crashes
• with helmet
• 22-25 killed or severely injured
• without helmet
• 27-52 killed or severely injured

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Summary - Michigan

• Motorcycles and motorcyclists, 1997-2005
• 73 registrations
• 13 in motorcycle endorsements
• Crashes, 1997-2005
• 38 increase in crashes
• 91 increase in fatalities
• 36 increase in injuries
• 4 ? 11 of all vehicle-crash fatalities
• Older (age 45) motorcyclists
• Licenses - 44 in 1997 ? 64 in 2005
• Deaths - 14 in 2001 ? 41 in 2005
• Lower crash rate
• More likely to have mc endorsement
• Fewer hazardous actions
• Less likely to speed, less likely to drive
  recklessly
• Fewer citations
• Less likely to be in HBD crash
• Helmet use is high lower severity in crashes
  with helmet

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Questions

• Who is the older motorcyclist?
• Just younger motorcyclists getting older?
• Returning to motorcycling?
• New to motorcycling?
• What are the skill levels of older motorcyclists?
• How does ability to handle motorcycle change with
  age?
• How does risk of injury and death, given a crash,
  change with age?
• Data needs
• Better estimates of number of motorcyclists
  (including unlicensed)
• Better estimates of exposure motorcycle VMT
• Use of different types and sizes of motorcycles

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Thank You