Investigating risk and hazard perception skills in motorcyclists

Overview

Project ID: S3 4

Motorcyclists are over-represented in collision statistics. Though they make up only 1% of traffic on UK roads, they account for around 20% of UK road fatalities every year. This is not just due to their vulnerability to injury; it also reflects a genuine increase in the number of collisions that they are involved in.

What causes motorcycle collisions? Other road users often report failing to see motorcycles, though it is likely that riders’ behaviour contributes to collisions (especially in single-vehicle collisions). Riders’ inappropriate behaviour may be due to skill deficits such as in hazard perception (e.g., Cheng, et al., 2011; Hosking et al., 2010; Wong and Wong, 2022) or due to risk-taking tendencies (e.g., Konkor, et al., 2019; Haworth, et al., 2009).

At NTU we have created a range of skill-based and risk-taking assessments that record car drivers’ responses to events that occur in video clips (e.g., hazard perception, amber-light running, etc.). Using this approach, this project will explore the varying contributions of risk and skill to motorcycle collisions. The project may focus on different types of riders (leisure, commuters, gig economy riders) in an attempt to identify risky riders before they have a collision, and to develop interventions to improve riders’ skills and attitudes as required.

The successful applicant will have the opportunity to

• work with leading experts in transport psychology, both in academia and in applied practice
• contribute to the knowledge about predictors of motorcycle crash risk with a strong cognitive-theoretical basis and develop innovative testing and training methods.
• Work with stakeholders to ensure that the research has the potential for application in the real world.

Supervisory Team:

Prof David Crundall

Dr Andrew Mackenzie

Dr. Cris Burgess

External stakeholders:

Dr. Victoria Kroll (Esitu Solutions): Expertise in applying hazard perception research to professional drivers in the fleet market.

Heidi Duffy MBE (National Young Rider Forum): Head of the NYRF, bringing evidence and education to bear on the young rider problem.

References:

Cheng, A. S. K., Ng, T. C. K., and Lee, H. C., (2011). A comparison of the hazard perception ability of accident-involved and accident-free motorcycle riders. Accident Analysis and Prevention, 43, 1464-1471.

Haworth, N., Grieg, K., and Nielson, A., (2009). Comparison of risk taking in moped and motorcycle crashes. Transportation resarch Record, 2140, 182-187.

Hosking, S. G., Liu, C. C., and Bayly, M., (2010). The visual search patterns and hazard responses of experienced and inexperienced motorcycle riders. Accident Analysis and Prevention, 42, 196-202.

Konkor, I., Kasanga, M., Sano, Y., Atuoye, K., and Luginaah, I., (2019). Risk-taking behaviours and timing to first motorcycle collision in the Upper West Region of Ghana. Journal fo transport and health, 12, 105-114.

Wong, G., and Wong, Y. D., (2022). Young motorcycle rider perception response times to abrupt- and gradual-onset hazards. Accident Analysis and Prevention, 165, 106519.