RISK FACTORS FOR BICYCLE-MOTOR VEHICLE COLLISIONS AT INTERSECTIONS

An estimated 650,000 people were treated in emergency rooms in 1992 for bicycle-related injuries, yet research into accident causes is very limited. This article describes a study of bicycle/motor vehicle collisions in Palo Alto, California. The study compares the personal characteristics/bicycling behavior of bicyclists involved in accidents and similar data for the general population of bicyclists traveling the same streets. Personal and behavioral variables include age, sex, direction of travel, and position on the road. Results reveal that bicyclists 18 years and older incur a greater risk of collision with motor vehicles than younger riders. No significant risk is associated with sex. Two other variables that incur greater risk is traveling against the direction of traffic and riding on a sidewalk or bike path. Also of note, intersections are the major point of conflict between bicycles and motor vehicles. The authors conclude that shared use of a well-designed road system leads to the fewest conflicts and accidents. Bicycles and motor vehicles should be integrated according to well-established and effective principles of traffic law and engineering.

• Availability:
  • Find a library where document is available. Order URL: http://worldcat.org/oclc/614107147
• Corporate Authors:

  Institute of Transportation Engineers (ITE)

  Washington, DC  United States 
• Authors:
  • Wachtel, A
  • Lewiston, D
• Publication Date: 1994-9

Language

• English

Media Info

• Features: References; Tables;
• Pagination: p. 30-35
• Serial:
  • ITE Journal
  • Volume: 64
  • Issue Number: 9
  • Publisher: Institute of Transportation Engineers (ITE)
  • ISSN: 0162-8178
  • Serial URL: https://www.ite.org/publications/ite-journal/

Subject/Index Terms

• TRT Terms: Age; Bicycle crashes; Crash causes; Crashes; Directional distribution; Gender; Intersections; Location; Position fixing; Psychological conflict; Research; Risk analysis; Statistics; Traffic crashes; Types of traffic
• Uncontrolled Terms: Motor vehicle accidents; Traffic direction
• Old TRIS Terms: Age factor in accidents; Collision statistics
• Subject Areas: Data and Information Technology; Highways; Operations and Traffic Management; Research; Safety and Human Factors; Society; I81: Accident Statistics;

Filing Info

• Accession Number: 00680667
• Record Type: Publication
• Files: TRIS, ATRI
• Created Date: Jun 28 1995 12:00AM