Use of Instrumented Motorcycle to Measure the Effectiveness of Malaysian Rider Training: A Pilot Study

A pilot study used an instrumented motorcycle to evaluate riding performances of Malaysian learner riders graduating from rider training and licensing program. 105 participants were asked to ride the instrumented motorcycle along a predefined route (mean 8 KM) in a mixed traffic environment. Period of turn signal activation and deactivation, maneuvering speed and deceleration of participants at unsignalized T junctions were measured as riding performances. Significant differences between male and female riders in responding to oncoming vehicles at the junctions were observed. Significant effects of age were also found in period of turn signal activation and maneuvering speed. Implications for current rider training are discussed

Evaluating the effect of lane width and roadside configurations on speed, lateral position and likelihood of comfortable overtaking in exclusive motorcycle lane

Construction of exclusive motorcycle lanes is one of the measures to reduce motorcycle fatalities. Previous studies highlighted the risk of crashes with roadside objects and the tendency of motorcyclists to ride with excessive speed on exclusive motorcycle lanes. However, the risk of same-direction crashes on exclusive motorcycle lanes was not explored in much detail, especially on the impact of lane geometry and roadside configurations. This study used naturalistic riding data to determine the effects of lane width and roadside configurations on overtaking speed, lateral position and likelihood of comfortable overtaking on tangential sections of an exclusive motorcycle lane. Twenty-nine recruited motorcyclists rode the instrumented motorcycles along a 20km stretch of an exclusive motorcycle lane along a major urban road. Results revealed that both the roadside configurations and lane width significantly affect the participants' lateral position, while the roadside configurations only affects the overtaking speed. Participants' overtaking speeds and the front motorcycles' lateral position contribute significantly to the likelihood of comfortable overtaking in exclusive motorcycle lanes. The findings highlight the importance of micro-level behavior indicators in improving the design and overall safety of the exclusive motorcycle facility

Statistical Analysis of Accident Patterns and The Causes at A State Road in Perlis

Data from the World Health Organization have stated that each year, approximately 1.3 million road users are at high risk of a road traffic accident. Therefore, this study aims to evaluate the accident patterns and causes at a state road of Kangar to Alor Setar. The methods used to evaluate the accident patterns are the chi-squared test (CST) and level of service (LOS) survey. The Pearson CST shows that the significant factors for accidents are the age of the drivers, in which people below 30 years old are likely to be involved in accidents ( = 0.037), and type of vehicles used, in which motorcycles are more prone to be involved in accidents ( = 0.000). However, gender shows an equal risk for accident involvement ( = 0.911). The LOS E is observed on evenings of Monday and Friday, indicating the unstable flows of traffic during those periods. Partial least squares structural equation modelling is used to evaluate the causes of accidents from the road user’s perspective via a questionnaire. Before distribution, the questionnaire underwent a pilot study to ensure its validity and reliability. Four hypotheses were developed with the following independent variables: human factors, vehicle factors, environment factors and road condition factors. Results show that the majority of the road users (33.3%) travelled 1 to 3 times per week and 23.1% of them were involved in accidents while travelling on this road. The validity test via the structural model shows that the most significant factors affecting the relationships to the accidents are the road factors (t = 6.166, p = 0.000), the vehicle factors (t = 4.3399, p = 0.000) and the human factors (t = 2.893, p = 0.005). Thus, the factors are significant to the causes of accidents on this road. Countermeasures that emphasise these factors are very important to be considered by authorities to reduce accidents on this road

Statistical Analysis of Accident Patterns and The Causes at A State Road in Perlis

Data from the World Health Organization have stated that each year, approximately 1.3 million road users are at high risk of a road traffic accident. Therefore, this study aims to evaluate the accident patterns and causes at a state road of Kangar to Alor Setar. The methods used to evaluate the accident patterns are the chi-squared test (CST) and level of service (LOS) survey. The Pearson CST shows that the significant factors for accidents are the age of the drivers, in which people below 30 years old are likely to be involved in accidents ( = 0.037), and type of vehicles used, in which motorcycles are more prone to be involved in accidents ( = 0.000). However, gender shows an equal risk for accident involvement ( = 0.911). The LOS E is observed on evenings of Monday and Friday, indicating the unstable flows of traffic during those periods. Partial least squares structural equation modelling is used to evaluate the causes of accidents from the road user’s perspective via a questionnaire. Before distribution, the questionnaire underwent a pilot study to ensure its validity and reliability. Four hypotheses were developed with the following independent variables: human factors, vehicle factors, environment factors and road condition factors. Results show that the majority of the road users (33.3%) travelled 1 to 3 times per week and 23.1% of them were involved in accidents while travelling on this road. The validity test via the structural model shows that the most significant factors affecting the relationships to the accidents are the road factors (t = 6.166, p = 0.000), the vehicle factors (t = 4.3399, p = 0.000) and the human factors (t = 2.893, p = 0.005). Thus, the factors are significant to the causes of accidents on this road. Countermeasures that emphasise these factors are very important to be considered by authorities to reduce accidents on this road

Effects of motorcycle lane geometry on speed variation using GPS-based naturalistic motorcycle riding

Exclusive motorcycle lane is a facility that can completely segregate a motorcyclist from the traffic mix to reduce the risk of collision with other motorists. In Malaysia, the introduction of an exclusive motorcycle lane along the Federal Highway Route 2 (F02) in the state of Selangor has been proven to reduce the number of motorcycle crashes along the route significantly. However, despite its proven success in reducing the number of crashes, previous studies have indicated that the initial construction of the lane was lacking motorcycle-specific design standards. In addition, review of the available literature yields a limited answer on the level of safety of exclusive motorcycle lanes especially on the impact of lane geometry and speed variation. On the other hand, there were reports of an increase in numbers of motorcycle crashes on the lanes, including run-off-road crashes and crashes involving fixed roadside objects. This study used a dataset generated by modified 100 cc motorcycles installed with Global Positioning System (GPS) unit and other devices to determine the effects of geometric designs of an exclusive motorcycle lane on speed variation and overall riding behaviors of motorcyclists riding on the lane. Twenty-nine participants rode the instrumented motorcycles on a 20 km predefined sections of the exclusive motorcycle lane along the Federal Highway Route 2 (F02). The speed profiles collected in this study indicated a high overall distribution of speeds on tangential sections of the exclusive motorcycle lane. Participants were also found to frequently change their operating speeds either by sudden (i.e., braking) and gradual deceleration or acceleration. The most frequent speed changes occurred when participants traveled from tangent to horizontal left curves. It was also found that participants could hardly achieve their cruising speeds and were not able to maintain them over a long period due to frequent changes in road alignment. This study found a wide variance of speeds across different horizontal curves with some extreme cases of speed reduction in certain individual curves, suggesting low operating speed uniformity. The results also show that cross-section elements including lane width and length of preceding tangents, roadside elements including guardrails, curb and grass, had significant effects on speed variation during tangent to horizontal curve transitions. Overall, the findings of this study highlighted the risk of a crash due to high approach speeds and large speed reduction, especially during frequent transitions between tangential sections and horizontal curves. The findings also underlined the need for better understanding of riding behaviors and road design factors that can contribute to the risk of crashes. The GPS-based naturalistic data collection methodology used in this study has paved the way for better understanding of motorcyclists’ riding behaviors on exclusive motorcycle lanes. The results can be used as a baseline and reference for speed management and ultimately for identification and treatment of design inconsistency on exclusive motorcycle lanes