Roadway Characteristics Associated with Motorcycle Crashes into Longitudinal Barriers and the Influence on Rider Injury

Motorcycle impacts into longitudinal traffic barriers such as w-beam guardrails frequently result in severe or fatal rider injury. Although special traffic barriers and barrier retrofit devices are available to mitigate the injury consequences of these crashes, research suggests that these countermeasures are cost-effective only at locations susceptible to this crash type. Unfortunately, little information is available on specific roadway characteristics of these crashes, such as horizontal curve radius, to help designers identify high risk locations. The objective of this study was to (1) determine specific roadway and roadway alignment characteristics associated with motorcycle to barrier crashes and (2) investigate the influence of these characteristics on resulting rider injury. Data included police reported motorcycle crashes coupled with detailed roadway data from two states, Washington and Ohio. A total of 1,511 motorcycle impacts to traffic barriers were analyzed and used to develop binary logistic regression models to predict rider injury severity. Motorcycle impacts with barriers were found to be overrepresented on horizontal curves, ramp sections, and on sections with grade in excess of 3 percent. Based on the available curvature data, the sole recommendation for placing motorcycle-to-barrier crash countermeasures on curves with radius less than 820 feet may not be prudent in US states as less than 40 percent of these crashes occur on these curves. Rider characteristics, such as helmet usage and alcohol involvement, were found to have a larger influence on injury severity in comparison to associated roadway characteristics. The developed models suggest that horizontal curves, vertical grades less than 3 percent, posted speed limits greater than 45 mph, and traffic volumes less than 10,000 vehicles per day increase rider injury risk, although these results were not statistically significant.

• Supplemental Notes:
  • This paper was sponsored by TRB committee AFB20 Roadside Safety Design. Alternate title: Roadway Characteristics Associated with Motorcycle Crashes into Longitudinal Barriers and Their Influence on Rider Injury.
• Corporate Authors:

  Transportation Research Board

  500 Fifth Street, NW
  Washington, DC  United States  20001
• Authors:
  • Gabauer, Douglas J
• Conference:
  • Transportation Research Board 93rd Annual Meeting
  • Location: Washington DC
  • Date: 2014-1-12 to 2014-1-16
• Date: 2014

Language

• English

Media Info

• Media Type: Digital/other
• Features: Figures; References; Tables;
• Pagination: 15p
• Monograph Title: TRB 93rd Annual Meeting Compendium of Papers

Subject/Index Terms

• TRT Terms: Alignment; Guardrails; Highway curves; Injury severity; Logistic regression analysis; Motorcycle crashes
• Uncontrolled Terms: Horizontal curvature; Vertical grade
• Geographic Terms: Ohio; Washington (State)
• Subject Areas: Design; Highways; Safety and Human Factors; I20: Design and Planning of Transport Infrastructure; I82: Accidents and Transport Infrastructure; I84: Personal Injuries;

Filing Info

• Accession Number: 01514479
• Record Type: Publication
• Report/Paper Numbers: 14-0752
• Files: TRIS, TRB, ATRI
• Created Date: Feb 18 2014 5:21PM