Powered two-wheeler drivers’ risk of hitting a pedestrian in towns

Nicolas Clabaux (1) , Jean-Yves Fournier (1) , Jean Emmanuel Michel (1)

1 IFSTTAR/TS2/LMA - Laboratoire Mécanismes d'Accidents

Introduction: The risk of collision between pedestrians and powered two-wheelers is poorly understood today. Other than the study by Paulozzi (2005) which showed that, per kilometer covered in towns, the risk for powered two-wheeler drivers to fatally injure a pedestrian is 2.02 times (95% CI: 1.23; 3.30) greater than the risk for automobile drivers, no other scientific studies have dealt with this question as far as we know. The objective of this research is to determine the risk for powered two-wheeler drivers of hitting and injuring a pedestrian per kilometer driven in towns and to compare this risk with that run by four-wheeled vehicle drivers. Method: Using the bodily injury accidents recorded by the police on nine roads in the city of Marseille in 2011 and a campaign of observations of powered two-wheeler traffic, we estimated the risk per kilometer driven by powered two-wheeler drivers of hitting a pedestrian and compared it with the risk run by four-wheeled vehicle drivers. Results: The results show that the risk for powered two-wheeler drivers of hitting and injuring a pedestrian is significantly higher than the risk run by four-wheeled vehicle drivers. On the nine roads studied, it is on average 3.33 times higher (95% CI: 1.63 ; 6.78). Taking four more years into account made it possible to consolidate these results and to tighten the confidence interval. Conclusion: There does indeed seem to be problems in the interactions between pedestrians and powered two-wheeler users in urban traffic. These interaction problems lead to a higher risk of hitting and injuring a pedestrian for powered two-wheeler drivers than for four-wheeled vehicle drivers. The analysis of the police reports suggests that part of this increased risk comes from filtering maneuvers by powered two-wheelers. Practical Applications effective: Possible countermeasures deal with the urban street layout. Measures consisting in reducing the width and the number of traffic lanes to a strict minimum and installing medians or pedestrian islands, could be an effective way for the prevention of urban accidents between pedestrians and powered two-wheelers.

Mots clés: MOTOCYCLISTE; DEUX ROUES MOTORISE; PIETON; RISQUE ROUTIER; ACCIDENT DE LA ROUTE; DEUX ROUES A MOTEUR; ACCIDENT; RISQUE

Domaines: Santé publique et épidémiologie

Nicolas Clabaux, Jean-Yves Fournier, Jean Emmanuel Michel. Powered two-wheeler drivers’ risk of hitting a pedestrian in towns. Journal of Safety Research, 2014, 51, pp.1-5. ⟨hal-01062170⟩