Road user’s perceptions towards motorcycle safety with regards to conspicuity in Malaysia Road Traffic

Motorcycles are the top contributor in road crashes in Malaysia with more than 60% of fatal road crashes involved motorcyclists. Conspicuity issue has been one of the major factors of motorcycle crashes especially when travelling at night in rural road areas. Nevertheless, conspicuity issues also contribute to motorcycle crashes in urban road areas where road and vehicle lightings affect the alertness of other road users towards motorcycle presence in the traffic. This study aims to assess road users’ perception of motorcycle safety levels in terms of its conspicuity, at different riding or driving situations at night in the rural and urban areas. A set of questionnaires was developed with experts’ validation, pilot-tested for its reliability and distributed to road users who commute between Klang Valley and Melaka areas. Preliminary analysis from 78 collected data shows that respondents were able to observe better and be more alert of motorcycle presence in road situations when driving in the urban areas compared to the rural areas. Over 80% believe that wearing bright-coloured attires and helmet can enhance motorcycle’s conspicuity and alertness towards other road users. In addition, more than 80% of the respondents agreed that using reflective tapes on the side body of a motorcycle can improve motorcycle visibility, especially at road junctions. These findings could be used as a future initiative by responsible parties in order to reduce motorcycle conspicuity related crashes in Malaysia

Motorcycle Conspicuity Issues and Intervention: A Systematic Review

Background: Conspicuity has been one of the key factors in motorcycle road crashes around the world. The inability and difficulty of other road users in detecting motorcycles either at day or at night have contributed to conspicuity related motorcycle crashes. This literature review attempts to understand the motorcycle conspicuity issues in road traffic. The review also analyses relevant types of conspicuity intervention in terms of its effectiveness in enhancing motorcycle conspicuity that had been discussed in past studies. Methods: Using specific keywords and search terms, relevant articles were screened, identified and analyzed systematically using Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA) guidelines. Results: Twenty-seven final articles were reviewed and found that almost every part of motorcycle and motorcyclist’s conspicuity intervention have been covered in past studies. In terms of conspicuity aids, the majority of past studies discussed conspicuity enhancement in the frontal area, particularly on motorcycle daytime running headlight (DRH) color and configurations. Few other studies have discussed in other areas, particularly on rear running and brake light and motorcycle color. There were also numerous studies looking at motorcyclists’ appearances in terms of their attire and helmet color. Conclusion: Motorcycle and motorcyclist’s appearances are highly associated with the risk of motorcycle crashes. The most important part of enhancing motorcycle conspicuity is to ensure motorcycle appearance is always in contrast with the road traffic environment

Motorcycle positioning in queues at signalized intersections in city of Klang Valley

For the past years, motorcycle fatalities have risen in Klang Valley with the overall constitution had passed 60% of total road traffic accident (RTA). Many motorcycle fatalities occurred within intersections after a driver failed to see a motorcyclist. However, little is known about the behavior of motorcyclists when they negotiate an intersection. This study was undertaken to analyze the behavior of motorcyclist in queues at signalized 3-leg and 4-leg intersections along state road of Klang Valley. An observational data was gathered based on microscopic data collected from video images that were taken from a research vehicle instrumented with on-board video camera. The research vehicle made routine trip through out Klang Valley for 10 weeks during peak and off-peak hour period. Twenty-seven (27) intersections with traffic light captured by the research vehicle were selected and observed. The preliminary findings shown three-ways of motorcycle approached the signalized intersection (SI), i.e. (1) approaching the SI with Weaving/Lane Splitting, (2) approaching the SI from center of the lane, and (3) approaching the SI from the left side/the shoulder. 87% of the motorcycle tend to maneuver in a queue during a red-light period, to avoid obstruction and tend to move forward for a wide and clear field of vision closest to the stop line. It is recommended that an exclusive motorcycle stopping space is provided for motorcyclist to enhance motorcycling safety and road safety in the country

Turn signal use among motorcyclists in Klang Valley, Malaysia: a case study

Road crashes are serious concerns globally as they claim and cause more than 1.35 million fatalities and up to 50 million resulted injuries each year, respectively. Previous studies showed that the causes of road crashes are multifactorial, with human error contributed to approximately more than two-thirds of all road crashes, particularly in developing countries. One of the primary causes of vehicle crashes is failure to use turn signals by motorists. Although several studies have explored the use of turn signal among motorists in developed countries, limited studies have examined such risky behavior in developing countries, especially Malaysia. This paper aims to investigate the prevalence and characteristics of turn signal use among motorcyclists especially when changing lanes and turning at intersections, in Klang Valley, Malaysia. Video data of motorcycles in road traffic were recorded via instrumented research vehicle which made routine trips along selected driving routes in Klang Valley. The driving routes encompassed expressway, mixed with urban and interurban roads, as well as rural roads. The results reveal a significantly low overall percentage usage rate of turn signal among the observed motorcyclists at 41.1%. Furthermore, 60.9% of motorcyclists failed to signal when changing lanes, and 56.5% disregarded them while turning at intersections. The findings provide vital information to the authority to develop proper policy and propose measures to increase compliance of turn signal use among motorcycle motorcyclists such as more targeted enforcement, widespread road safety campaigns and mandated utilization of technology-based solutions