EFFECT OF DAYTIME MOTORCYCLE HEADLIGHT LAWS ON MOTORCYCLE ACCIDENTS

THIS PAPER DESCRIBES THE RESULTS OF AN ANLAYSIS OF THE MOTORCYCLE ACCIDENT RECORDS OF FOUR STATES WITH DAYTIME MOTORCYCLE HEADLIGHT LAWS-INDIANA, MONTANA, OREGON, AND WISCONSIN-AND OF FOUR CONTROL STATES. THIS ANALYSIS WAS CONDUCTED TO DETERMINE THE EFFECT OF DAYTIME MOTORCYCLE HEADLIGHT LAWS ON MOTORCYCLE ACCIDENTS. MOTORCYCLE ACCIDENTS (A) INVOLVING ANOTHER MOTOR VEHICLE, (B) AT INTERSECTIONS, AND (C) IN URBAN AREAS ARE MORE FREQUENT AND ARE REDUCED MORE BY DAYTIME MOTORCYCLE HEADLIGHT LAWS THAN SINGLE-VEHICLE, NONINTERSECTIONAL, OR RURAL MOTORCYCLE ACCIDENTS. ANGLE AND OPPOSITE DIRECTION MOTORCYCLE ACCIDENTS ARE THE MOST FREQUENT INVOLVING TWO MOTOR VEHICLES AND ARE REDUCED THE GREATEST AMOUNT BY DAYTIME MOTORCYCLE HEADLIGHT OPERATION. MOTORCYCLE ACCIDENTS IN WHICH THE MOTORCYCLE HEADLIGHT IS IN THE FIELD OF VIEW OF THE DRIVER OF AN OPPOSING VEHICLE ARE REDUCED MORE THAN MOTORCYCLE ACCIDENTS IN WHICH THE TAILLIGHT IS IN THE FIELD OF VIEW OF THE DRIVER OF A FOLLOWING VEHICLE. TOTAL DAYLIGHT MOTORCYCLE ACCIDENTS IN THE FOUR STATES WITH DAYTIME HEADLIGHT LAWS WERE REDUCED 41.3 PERCENT; NIGHTIME ACCIDENTS WERE REDUCED 37.5 PERCENT. THIS DIFFERENCE OF 3.8 PERCENT, WHICH INDICATES THE EFFECT OF DAYLIGHT HEAD-LAMP OPERATION, IS SIGNIFICANT AT THE 0.1 LEVEL. IF THE 3.8 PERCENT FIGURE IS APPLIED TO THE TOTAL DAYTIME MOTORCYCLE ACCIDENT INVOLVEMENTS IN THE UNITED STATES, A REDUCTION OF 7,140 CAN BE ACHIEVED. IF DAYTIME MOTORCYCLE HEADLIGHT LAWS WERE ADOPTED ON A NATIONWIDE BASIS, THE TOTAL YEARLY SAVINGS IN REDUCED MOTORCYCLE ACCIDENT INVOLVEMENTS WOULD BE APPROXIMATELY $15.7 MILLION TO $22.8 MILLION, OR APPROXIMATELY $7.50 TO $10.90 PER MOTORCYCLE PER YEAR. /AUTHOR/

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    • Sponsored by Committee on Visibility and presented at the 50th Annual Meeting. Distribution, posting, or copying of this PDF is strictly prohibited without written permission of the Transportation Research Board of the National Academy of Sciences. Unless otherwise indicated, all materials in this PDF are copyrighted by the National Academy of Sciences. Copyright © National Academy of Sciences. All rights reserved.
  • Authors:
    • Janoff, Michael S
    • Cassel, Arno
  • Publication Date: 1971

Media Info

  • Media Type: Digital/other
  • Features: References; Tables;
  • Pagination: p. 53-63
  • Monograph Title: Visibility
  • Serial:

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Filing Info

  • Accession Number: 00221658
  • Record Type: Publication
  • ISBN: 0309019923
  • Report/Paper Numbers: HS-011 999
  • Files: TRIS, TRB
  • Created Date: May 22 1972 12:00AM