Motorcycle Use Research Articles

The impact of the Thai motorcycle transition on road traffic injury: Thai Cohort Study results.

ObjectivesThe aim of this study was to investigate the impact of motorcycle to car transitioning and urbanisation on traffic injury rates in Thailand.DesignAnalysis of two consecutive surveys of a large national cohort study.SettingThailand.ParticipantsThe data derived from 57,154 Thai Cohort Study (TCS) participants who provided relevant data on both the 2005 and 2009 surveys.Primary and secondary outcome measuresMotorcycle and car traffic crash injury self-reported in 2009, with twelve months’ recall.ResultsIn 2009, 5608(10%) participants reported a traffic crash injury. Most crashes involved a motorcycle (74%). Car access increased and motorcycle use decreased between 2005 and 2009. Among those who used a motorcycle at both time points, traffic injury incidence was 2.8 times greater compared to those who did not use a motorcycle at either time point. Multivariable logistic regression models were used to test longitudinal and cross sectional factors associated with traffic crash injury: in the adjusted model, cars were negatively and motorcycles positively associated with injury. Living in an urban area was not injury protective in the adjusted model of traffic crash injury.ConclusionsOngoing urbanisation in Thailand can be expected to lead to further reductions in road traffic injuries based on transition from motorcycles to cars in urban areas. Cities, however, do not provide an intrinsically safer traffic environment. To accommodate a safe transition to car use in Thailand, traffic infrastructural changes anticipating the growing car density in urban areas is warranted.

Motorcycle-Related Traumatic Brain Injuries: Helmet Use and Treatment Outcome.

Summary. With increasing use of motorcycle as means of transport in developing countries, traumatic brain injuries from motorcycle crashes have been increasing. The only single gadget that protects riders from traumatic brain injury is crash helmet. Objective. The objectives were to determine the treatment outcome among traumatic brain injury patients from motorcycle crashes and the rate of helmet use among them. Methods. It was a prospective, cross-sectional study of motorcycle-related traumatic brain injury patients managed in our center from 2010 to 2014. Patients were managed using our unit protocol for traumatic brain injuries. Data for the study were collected in accident and emergency, intensive care unit, wards, and outpatient clinic. The data were analyzed using Environmental Performance Index (EPI) info 7 software. Results. Ninety-six patients were studied. There were 87 males. Drivers were 65. Only one patient wore helmet. Majority of them were between 20 and 40 years. Fifty-three patients had mild head injuries. Favorable outcome among them was 84.35% while mortality was 12.5%. Severity of the injury affected the outcome significantly. Conclusion. Our study showed that the helmet use by motorcycle riders was close to zero despite the existing laws making its use compulsory in Nigeria. The outcome was related to severity of injuries.

Characteristics of Motorcycle Ownership and Use of University Students in Malaysian and Indonesian Cities

Motorcycle ownership and use increased rapidly in Indonesian cities in recent years. People could not cope with severe congestion due to unsatisfactory public transport and uncontrolled land use delopment. This led to motorcycle use for almost any trip. However, in Malaysia motorcycles were mainly used for local short distance travel. In this paper the characteristics of motorcycle ownership and use of university students in Malaysian and Indonesian cities were discussed. A total of 398 university students in eight cities were asked to fill the questionnaires. They consist of general questions regarding their socio-economic back-ground and travel habit along with 25 perceptional questions regarding affordability/ attractiveness of owning motorcycle and practicability/safety of motorcycle use. A variance based structural equation modelling called partial least square-path modelling (PLS-PM) was used for analysis. The results show that indicators explaining affordability and acceptability were exactly the same in Penang and combination of seven cities in Indonesia.

Reasons underlying behaviour of motorcyclists disregarding traffic regulations in urban areas of Indonesia

Over the last decade, motorcycle use has been rapidly increasing in Indonesia as have violations of traffic rules committed by motorcyclists. This study aims to explore the impacts of motorcyclists’ attitudes, habits, preferences, and travel patterns on their behaviour in disregarding traffic regulations in three cities in Indonesia. The theory of planned behaviour and structural equation modelling are employed to explore these relationships. Consistent with results from previous studies in developed countries, an individual’s beliefs and attitudes, social norms and perceived behaviour control significantly influence behaviour in disregarding traffic rules. Young adults and students are found to be more likely to frequently violate traffic regulations. However, unlike previous findings from developed countries, in Indonesia, males are less likely to disregard traffic rules than females. Overall, pushing the motorcycle through a (very) narrow gap, speeding, driving recklessly, and overtaking on the wrong side are the most frequent traffic violations that make up repetitive violation behaviour among urban motorcyclists in Indonesia. The results highlight the need to revisit Indonesian National Traffic Law traffic violation classification and penalties and separate violations that are likely to cause fatal results, thus requiring tougher law enforcement, from violations that are unlikely to have fatal consequences.

Unlicensed motorcycling of high school adolescents in Dehaghan county (Isfahan Province of Iran)

BackgroundUnlicensed motorcycling increases the chances of accidents in adolescents. There are many behavioral and non-behavioral factors involved in adolescents’ unlicensed motorcycling which were not addressed in research yet completely. MethodsThe cross-sectional study aimed to determine prevalence and related factors of unlicensed motorcycling on 500 unlicensed male high school adolescents in Dehaghan, who entered in the study by census. Demographic and motorcycling information were collected via self-report questionnaire, and its content validity was approved by a panel of experts. The statistical analyses of the data included Pearson Correlation Coefficient, chi-square, independent samples t-test and ANOVA with Tukey post hoc test. ResultsThe prevalence of unlicensed motorcycling among participants was 74.2% and mean age at first motorcycling experience was 11.97±1.97 years ranged from 8 to 17. Of the motorcyclist participants, 59.6% owned their personal motorcycle. Most motorcycle passengers (62.8%) were adolescent’s friends, and the most frequently expressed reason for use of motorcycle was fun and entertainment (54.2%). Age at first motorcycling experience was lower among rural adolescents than urban adolescents. However, unlicensed motorcycling was more prevalent among urban adolescents than rural ones. The relationship between living status, father’s job, mother’s job and age at first motorcycling experience was insignificant (P>0.05). However, mean age at first motorcycling experience among students of humanities, technical disciplines, and general first year was lower than that among students of natural sciences and math. ConclusionHigh prevalence of unlicensed motorcycling and significant role of family and social environments on adolescents’ high-risk motorcycling without license, is indicative of the need for interventions at all levels of peers, family, and schools and also establishing new driving regulations in Iran.

Motorcycle Use in the United States: Crash Experiences, Safety Perspectives, and Countermeasures

Motorcycles are an important form of personal transportation used by many Americans. They provide an enjoyable recreational opportunity for many and a convenient, functional mode of transportation for others. However, U.S. motorcycle crash rates are 68% higher (per vehicle-mile traveled [VMT]) than those for other vehicles, and their fatal crash rates are more than 28 times higher. This investigation examines the riding and crash experiences and safety perceptions and recommendations of 238 U.S. motorcyclists. Top rider recommendations to other motorcyclists are to wear a helmet, to avoid riding under the influence (of alcohol or drugs), and to obtain motorcycle training. Ordered probit model results for helmet-use prediction suggest that those who ride on a daily or weekly basis and have received formal motorcycle training are more likely to wear a helmet. Other results show that rider training is most common among those who wear a helmet, ride on a weekly or monthly basis, and ride to and from work, school, and/or errands. Negative binomial model results for crash count experiences suggest that long-distance riders and those with criminal convictions are at greater risk of crashing than others, whereas those who have not received motorcycle training are less likely to have been involved in a crash at some point in their riding history.

Empirical analysis of heterogeneous traffic flow and calibration of porous flow model

Heterogeneous traffic flow, characterized by a free inter-lane exchange, has become an important issue in addressing congestion in urban areas. It is of particular interest in many developing countries, that experience a strong increase in motorcycle use. New approaches to the heterogeneous non-lane-based flow have been proposed. However insufficient empirical verification has been made to estimate vehicle interaction, that is necessary for an accurate representation of mixed-flow conditions. In this paper, we focus on the porous flow approach to capture the complex interactions. The parameters from this approach are estimated from empirical observations. Video data was recorded and processed to capture vehicle interactions at a number of road sections in Surabaya City, Indonesia. The specific behavior of each vehicle in the traffic flow was captured by developing the pore size–density distributions, analyzing the class-specific critical pore sizes, and producing the class specific speed–density and flow–density diagrams. The results reveal how critical pore sizes are based on pore size–density distributions, the flow diagram for each vehicle class, and how traffic flow relationships for motorcyclists and the other vehicles exhibit significant differences. It is concluded that the proposed approach can represent the specific behavior of the motorcyclist in heterogeneous traffic flow, in both the situations of with- and without an exclusive lane for motorcycles, can clarify motorcyclist’s behavior in terms of passenger car unit of motorcycle, and can therefore support policy making on the improvement of urban transport.

Bikes and Movies: A Brief History Of Motorcycle In Cinema

Bikers, gangs, heroes and villains, cops, races... after an exhaustive compilation and categorization fo more than 2.500 movies, this article explores the biker image on films through the most representatives.This is a brief review of the motorcycle use from the Early Cinema to the end of the 20th century, highlighting the fifties and seventies. Some movies of those years marked the biker genre and the biker and gang aesthetics, both in costume and in the way they relate to the world. Also the presence of "soft motorbikes", the scooter and the European image of the motorcycle is reviewed.

The prevalence of motorcycle helmet use from serial observations in three Mexican cities

Motorcycle use as a functional and recreational means of transportation is increasing in Mexico; the associated mortality rate has also increased. Appropriate helmet use can reduce a motorcyclist's risk of death or serious injury. This study quantified the prevalence of motorcycle helmet use in three Mexican cities (Cuernavaca, Guadalajara-Zapopan, and León) within the context of several ongoing road safety initiatives. Four rounds of roadside observations were conducted between November 2010 and April 2012. The overall prevalence of helmet use was 73.8% among all users; helmet use was much lower among females (55.3%). Drivers tended to use helmets more frequently than passengers (76.3% vs. 51.6%). The prevalence was higher in León (85.9%, 95% CI = 84.8–87.0) than Cuernavaca (71.5%, 95% CI = 69.3–73.6) and Guadalajara-Zapopan (62.7%, 95% CI = 61.1–64.2). Helmet use decreased in León (p = 0.003) but increased in Guadalajara-Zapopan (p = 0.000) during this period. Motorcycle helmet use could be improved in all three cities. Since motorcycle use is increasing, interventions targeting motorcycle users and greater enforcement of helmet use are necessary to reduce crashes and non-fatal and fatal injuries.

Can We Reduce the Access by Motorcycles to Mass Transit Systems in Future Hanoi?

Whether or not the number of short-distance trips by motorcycles can be reduced still remains as an ill-answered question, especially in motorcycle dependent cities. Introducing mass transit systems in such cities may reduce long-distance trips by motorcycles on one hand, but may create short access trips by motorcycles on the other. Therefore, this paper aims to clarify the possibility of reducing the use of motorcycles for access trips. Based on subjective expectation data collected in Hanoi in 2009, we found significant disparity in the modal shares of future access modes to/from different stations between motorcycle and non- motorcycle users, suggesting potential influences of state dependence and spatial differences on why people ride motorcycles. For the purpose of this study, we apply a multi-level modeling approach. Estimation results revealed the causal link between current main travel mode and future access mode choices. Current walkers and cyclists tend to choose walking and bicycle modes as future access modes, but they are less likely to choose motorcycles. If current bus users mostly walk from their homes to bus stops, they do not tend to ride motorcycles to access to/from urban railway stations in future. Additionally, people may dislike riding motorcycles from their homes to stations if they request the improvement of sidewalk and pedestrian facilities for better accessibility. Inversely, those selecting measures to improve parking facilities prefer motorcycles than other access modes. Moreover, it is empirically confirmed the significant influences of spatial variations and inter-household variations on choices of future access modes. The findings of this study suggest the importance of incorporating state dependence, spatial variations and inter-household variations in future studies of access mode choice behavior.

No right to the street: Motorcycle taxis, discourse production and the regulation of unruly mobility

This article investigates the state regulation of motorcycle taxis in Guangzhou, China. Motorcycle taxis play an important role in sustaining the livelihood of a subgroup of urban migrants. However, this urban informality has become the object of strict state regulation after the use of motorcycle was outlawed by the Guangzhou Municipal Government. This article examines how dominant representations and discourses of motorcycle mobility are implicated in the right to urban streets. On the one hand it argues that both motorcycle mobility and the motorcycle taxi are socially-produced categories made visible and intelligible through the state-led programmes to ground them in a terrain of constructed knowledge. On the other hand, it is contended that the production of ideologically charged representations and knowledge catalyzes and constitutes the spatialisation of state regulatory power. In particular, this article examines the street-level regulatory practices and how these practices restructure both social relations and state power. It indicates that the local police’s regulation of motorcycle taxis cannot be sufficiently explained merely in terms of state domination and oppression. Instead, it is anchored in the highly moralised imperative of defending the ‘good’, the ‘ordered’ and the ‘respectable’.

The Level of Compliance of Commercial Motorcyclists to Traffic Rules on Urban Roads in South Western Nigeria

The occurrence of traffic accidents involving commercial motorcyclists now characterizes urban transport in many developing countries and has become a major public concern. Yet the use of motorcycles as a means of urban transport continues to attract increasing patrons because of its flexibility and fastness in reaching less accessible parts of the cities of the third world countries. This paper examines the characteristics and the level of safety awareness of commercial motorcyclists in three major urban centres in South-Western Nigeria. Primary and secondary sources of data were used for this research. One hundred and twenty (120) well-structured questionnaires were administered on systematically selected commercial motorcyclists operating from major road junctions and motor parks in Ilesa, Iwo and Osogbo. Both descriptive and inferential statistics used in analyzing the data. The findings reveals that the “care free attitudes” of most commercial motorcyclists towards their own safety as well as their passengers is hinged on lack of adequate training and the value illegal possession of driving licenses by this category of urban transport operators. The paper advocates for policies to control, enforce and regulate the activities of commercial motorcyclists by relevant government security agencies such as the Federal Roads Safety Corps. DOI: 10.5901/jesr.2014.v4n3p345

A Study of Potential Electric Motorcycle Use to Support a Low Carbon Society: Case of a Developing Asian City

The objective of this study is to explore the potential for electric motorcycles to support a developing Asian city to be a low carbon society. The study surveyed the attitudes of motorcyclists to determine the proportion of motorcyclists willing to use an electric motorcycle and also estimated the reduction of CO2 emission from the transport sector in Khon Kaen city, Thailand. The approach Bottom-Up2 by road network with the transport demand forecasting model and emission factors by vehicle type were used to calculate CO2 emissions for each road link. 16% of motorcyclists currently using gasoline motorcycles would be willing to use electric motorcycles in the near future. To evaluate CO2 emission reduction, the future condition with introduced electric motorcycles was compared to the future do-nothing condition in the same future year. The evaluation result reveals that the electric motorcycle introduction could reduce 2.4% of CO2 emitted by the transport sector from the future do-nothing condition.

The health benefits of walking: a Nigerian reflection

A ban on the use of motorcycles for public transportation in major cities in Nigeria along with the increased awareness of the contributions of leisure activity to health is prompting many citizens to engage in walking. This paper provides a foundation for establishing the health benefits of walking as leisure and uses exploratory data to examine the perceptions that Nigerians have about walking. The majority of the participants claim that walking for leisure contributes to physical health, reduces the risk of chronic obesity and improves their immune system. They also agree that leisure walking enhances mental or psychological health by relieving stress and enhancing self-esteem and positive image. Although walking is sometimes a necessity, it also can be enjoyable and can promote people's general well-being in Nigeria, just as it can in other countries.

Factors affecting public transportation, car, and motorcycle usage

This study established a hypothesis model based on the seemingly unrelated regression equations (SURE) model to investigate the relationship between public transportation, car, and motorcycle use in various townships in Taiwan and to analyse important factors that affect the usage of these modes. The SURE model was adopted because of the lack of a significant correlation between the dependent variables. The pairwise covariance analysis for any two of the three transportation modes revealed that the transportation modes could substitute for one another. Factors related to modal and demographic characteristics had different impacts on the usage of the three modes. The calculation of elasticity using different population densities and public transportation usage showed that when the ‘number of city bus routes’ was increased by 50% in areas with high population density and high public transportation usage, car usage decreased by 1.4%, which corresponds to 300,000 vehicles, and total CO2 emissions reduced by 0.0204%. When the ‘total length of city bus routes’ was increased by 50%, the number of motorcycles used decreased by 83 million, and total CO2 emissions reduced by 1.119%, which corresponds to 1.4 million tonnes of CO2 emission. These findings suggest that these different factors had varying impacts on car and motorcycle usage in different areas. We therefore recommended that future transportation policies consider the varying transportation usage trends in different areas.

The Challenges Facing Informal Occupation in Nigeria: A Study of Some Selected Commercial Motorcycles in Edo State

This study examined the challenges of commercial motorcycles in Edo State, Nigeria. A descriptive survey design was adopted. Data were collected through questionnaires and in-depth interviews (IDIs) among selected motorcyclists, police officers and road safety officials in Etsako West Local Government Area, Edo State. A total of 255 questionnaires were administered and 10 in-depth interviews were conducted. Data analyses involved univariate and content analyses. The finding revealed that social stigmatization due to the use of motorcycles for criminal activities, lack of protection and adequate clothing for riders, reckless driving, impatient, over speeding and non-compliance of traffic rules, ban and arrest of innocent motorcyclists, and payment of incessant levies are the major challenges of commercial motorcyclists in Nigeria. The findings were discussed with reference to relevant empirical literatures, and with recommendations both for practice and future research highlighted.

Motorcycle accidents: morbidity and associated factors in a city of northeast of Brazil.

Motorcycle accidents are becoming a public health problem in developing world. The objective of this paper was to assess the factors related to morbidity and mortality among victims of motorcycle accidents in a trauma center. An analysis of 9,734 medical records of patients hospitalized for external causes at the Regional Emergency and Trauma Hospital of Campina Grande, Paraiba, Brazil, from January to December 2009 was done. The cases of accidents with motorcycles accounted for 20.8% of all hospital care, mostly affecting men (85.8%) aged 21-29 years old (33.9%). Legs and feet (55.2%) and arms and hands (26.9%) were the most affected parts of the body. There was significant association between the occurrence of motorcycle accident and injuries on the face (p = 0.001), the chest (p < 0.001), arms and hands (p = 0.004) and legs and feet (p < 0.001). Multiple lesions were present in 40.4% of the cases; and the majority (80.6%) involved fractures. Amputation and functional impairment were observed in 15.3% and 4.3% of the victims, respectively. Vascular lesions in the lower limbs had a 3.5 times higher chance of occurrence among injured motorcyclists. Fatal accidents accounted for 1.3% of the injured victims. In conclusion, motorcycle accidents affect men, predominantly, most of them being young, causing fractures and multiple lesions, mainly in the lower limbs. There is need for greater incentive to actions concerning traffic safety education focusing on motorcyclists, as well as greater control by competent authorities as regards to the use of motorcycles in the country.

Predisposing Influence of Home Factors, Negative Self Component and Peer Orientation on Substance Abuse among Okada Riders in Ibadan

The use of motor-cycles (Okada) for carrying passengers from one destination to another for commercial purposes has crept into Nigerian’s transportation activities and gradually becoming the most popular, possibly because it is faster especially when there is terrible holdups and can also drop an individual at his door step. Nevertheless, it has added greatly to the incidence of road accidents whereby special orthopedic departments are created in Nigerian hospitals to attend to the victims. The recklessness and misbehaviours of the Okada riders has been traced to substance abuse. This study, therefore, investigated the predisposing influence of Home factors, Negative self component and Peer orientation on substance abuse among Okada riders in Ibadan. Descriptive survey research design was adopted. A total of 300 participants were randomly selected from 10 Okada parks in Ibadan metropolis. Their ages ranged from 1635 with a mean of 24.7. They responded to four validated instruments, namely: Animasahun [16] Crime Behaviour Factor Battery; Negative self component of Animasahun [49] Academic success barrier battery; Peer orientation scale of Gasa [50] and Miller [51] Substance Abuse scale. Three research questions were raised and the Original Research Article British Journal of Applied Science & Technology, 4(9): 1320-1333, 2014 1321 results showed that each of the independent variables has a significant positive correlation with substance abuse, while they jointly contributed a total of 58.4% to the prediction of substance abuse among Okada riders in Ibadan. Based on this, it was recommended that public lecture and sensitization programmes should be put in place to teach the young Okada riders about the evils of substance abuse, and also exposed to assertiveness training to boost their self component and to make them difficult to be influenced by bad friends. The intervention is believed to help in reducing the excesses of the Okada riders in the society.

What's new in emergencies, trauma and shock? Studying the injury patterns in Nigeria.

Injury is a leading health problem in Nigeria as well as a leading cause of death and disability. Injury takes a major toll with its associated morbidity, disability, socio-economic losses and disability adjusted life year losses. The epidemiology and pattern of injury in Nigeria consistently show road traffic accidents as the leading cause. Mortality rates as high as 79% have been reported in association with road traffic accidents where simple measures such as seat belt use were ignored. Many road users are not properly licensed to operate the vehicles they drive. Violation of speed limits and neglect of road signs, as well as poorly designed and poorly maintained road networks contribute to the high incidence of road traffic accidents. The morbidity, mortality and economic losses resulting from injuries are largely preventable. The development of effective injury prevention efforts must however be hinged on reliable and detailed information on the incidence and pattern of injuries. This data is usually available from vital statistics registers and health care records in the developed countries of the world. In Nigeria, such records are not readily available. Furthermore, many injured victims do not attend orthodox medical facilities and many deaths are not reported. Hospital based data is thus best complemented with community derived data in sourcing information for focused national planning for injury prevention. The use of motorcycles for commercial in city transportation is attended with a high incidence of preventable injuries and death. Often adopted by some as a means of livelihood, the attendant morbidity, deaths and economic losses from a preponderance of motorcycle accidents mean that this practice must be reviewed and fortunately the last 24 months have seen a prohibition of the use of motorcycles for in city commercial transportation in several major cities in the country. Anecdotal reports on remarkable declines in injuries call for further analysis. The recurrent communal clashes, insurgency and nascent terrorist activity have also compounded the situation with increasing complexity and severity of encountered injuries. Gunshot injuries are now commonly seen. A concerted effort is required to reduce this menace that threatens the whole population but mainly the young and active males who are often the breadwinners with many dependents. There is a need for intervention by initiation and sustenance of conflict management programs and protocols, as well as robust enhancement and improvement of legislation and regulation, with regard to practices on the roads and highways, to break the vicious cycle of poverty and ignorance, as well as ill-advised economic measures, intertwining to worsen the injury profile in Nigeria. It has become pertinent to encourage the practice of developing detailed trauma registries to enhance surveillance and planning. The training of staff and provision of equipment to improve immediate and subsequent care of victims of trauma is also brought into focus. Language: en

Motorcycle Taxis in Public Transportation Services within the Accra Metropolis

The Road Traffic Act (Act 683) passed in 2004 by the Parliament of Ghana precludes the use of motorcycles to carry fare-paying passengers, yet motorcycle taxi services are gradually gaining root within the public transportation sector in the Accra Metropolis, Ghana. Even though the services are not yet operated city-wide, they have begun raising public concern. This study looked at the operation and management of motorcycle taxi services in Accra and surveyed the opinions of operators, users and non-users on the services. It was established that motorcycle taxi services in the Accra Metropolis are patronized mostly by short-distance urban commuters, particularly during peak periods of traffic flow when there is heavy congestion. Patronage is gender- and age-biased as majority of patrons are male and young. Due to lack of regulation, the services tend to be concentrated along only a few routes perceived by the operators as profitable. Public opinion and acceptance of this form of public transportation are mixed. Of the 201 non-users interviewed, a slight majority (56%) thought that the ban implicit in the Road Traffic Act on such forms of public transportation must be enforced. Most (68%) of the patrons interviewed considered the services convenient for beating traffic congestion and safe due to the short trip lengths. Commuters who shy away from the services cited safety (46%) and illegality of services (34%) as their major concerns; only 4% cited the fear of falling into the hands of criminals as a concern. For the service providers, most of whom are no more than high school graduates, the taxis offer subsistence in a country where employment is hard to come by.