Impact direction in fatal motorcycle accidents '08

[scissors]

Post this stuff on the other forum:

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2008 fatal single-vehicle motorcycle accidents (principal impact point):
Front - 1,320 (75%)
Left - 141 (8%)
Right - 180 (10%)
Rear - 17 (1%)
Top - 31 (2%)
Bottom - 78 (4%)
Total of known impact points - 1,767

2008 fatal multiple-vehicle motorcycle accidents (principal impact point):
Front - 1,954 (79%)
Left - 190 (8%)
Right - 155 (6%)
Rear - 134 (5%)
Top - 16 (1%)
Bottom - 9 (<1%)
Total of known impact points - 2,458

Of the 4,225 accidents in which someone on a motorcycle died and for which a principal impact point was recorded, 42% were single-vehicle accidents and 58% were multi-vehicle.

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2008 fatal single-vehicle motorcycle accidents (initial impact point):
Front - 1,353 (76%)
Left - 128 (7%)
Right - 173 (10%)
Rear - 17 (1%)
Top - 10 (1%)
Bottom - 109 (6%)
Total of known impact points - 1,790

2008 fatal multiple-vehicle motorcycle accidents (initial impact point):
Front - 1,993 (80%)
Left - 185 (7%)
Right - 147 (6%)
Rear - 138 (6%)
Top - 4 (<1%)
Bottom - 10 (<1%)
Total of known impact points - 2,477

Of the 4,267 accidents in which someone on a motorcycle died and for which a initial impact point was recorded, 42% were single-vehicle accidents and 58% were multi-vehicle.

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Other information:
IMPACT POINT-INITIAL: The area on the vehicle that produced the first instance of injury or property damage involving this vehicle.

IMPACT POINT-PRINCIPAL: The area on the vehicle that produced the most severe instance of injury or property damage involving this vehicle.

Totals percents may be off by up to 1% due to rounding.

One point of interest is that single-vehicle accidents (in the context of this thread) are more likely to have a right-side initial or principal impact point whereas multi-vehicle accidents are more likely to have a left-side impact point.

In the case of the former, this is likely because a left-hand curve does not give the rider an additional lane of asphalt on the right side as a buffer.

Also, out of curiosity, I looked at 2008 fatal motorcycle accidents in which the front of the motorcycle impacted another vehicle, and at what angle. Here is what I found:

Front-to-Rear - 327 (17%)
Front-to-Front - 377 (20%)
Front-to-Side (angled with same direction of travel) - 94 (5%)
Front-to-Side (angled with opposite direction of travel) - 223 (12%)
Front-to-Side (right angle) - 803 (43%)
Front-to-Side (unknown angle) - 31 (2%)
Sideswipe, same travel direction - 24 (1%)
Rear-to-Side - 3 (<1%)
Other - 2 (<1%)
Unknown - 3 (<1%)
Total - 1887

Sideswipe, opposite travel direction - 21

[bizarro]

Interesting.

[john]

it shows a couple of interesting things, if I am reading the data correctly.

1. Front to front impacts are well represented
2. Blind spot accidents seem to happen on both right and left with almost equal frequency
3. turning right in front of the motorcyclist is still pretty well represented.
4. rear ending by the motorcyclist is far more common than is often preached.

[bizarro]

IOW, don't be a fucktard and chances are you'll be okay.

[arozanski]

Jan 20, 2010 22:43:45 GMT -5 @bizarro said:

IOW, don't be a fucktard and chances are you'll be okay.

I make myself play 'games' when riding: what will I do if that person pulls out? Which way are the tires on that truck pointed? Where can I put the bike if someone comes into my lane? Stuff like that, for each scenario I encounter.

It has become a running dialog, mainly when in traffic, and I find it keeps my awareness up and helps me stay proactive, rather than reactive.

[bizarro]

Yep, that's basically what I do though at this point it's become sort of subconscious unless traffic is really hairy.

[john]

Jan 20, 2010 22:43:45 GMT -5 @bizarro said:

IOW, don't be a fucktard and chances are you'll be okay.

I think it's more than that.

Front to front could be intersection related, wrong side of the road, many factors.

Blind spots speak for themselves, people don't look for riders, but riders can do a better job of keeping themselves out of blind spots and making themselves seen

Turning right in front of us is something we all fear. I had a car hit me. The impact was side to side, when she came out of her lane. The impact point was my knee against the front of her rear wheel well. I got the ticket from the cop BTW. She never looked for me and just turned out.

Read ending is rider training IMHO.

[bizarro]

Well, paying attention to these scenarios is 'not being a fucktard' in my book. If you don't pay attention you're much more likely to get caught out and if you don't have a strategy for riding the streets, well, you're a fuck-tard. That's not to say shit doesn't happen, it does, but if you're on your game the chances of being taken out by someone else (and certainly by your own inattention) fall dramatically.

[rocky4948]

Jan 21, 2010 7:29:03 GMT -5 arozanski said:

Jan 20, 2010 22:43:45 GMT -5 @bizarro said:

IOW, don't be a fucktard and chances are you'll be okay.

I make myself play 'games' when riding: what will I do if that person pulls out? Which way are the tires on that truck pointed? Where can I put the bike if someone comes into my lane? Stuff like that, for each scenario I encounter.

It has become a running dialog, mainly when in traffic, and I find it keeps my awareness up and helps me stay proactive, rather than reactive.

I do the same exact thing. I also try to memorize were gravel can accumulate in a curve, or were Bambi has a tendency to cross, things like this helps me remain up-right for the most part.

[fathawk]

Jan 21, 2010 7:29:03 GMT -5 arozanski said:

Jan 20, 2010 22:43:45 GMT -5 @bizarro said:

IOW, don't be a fucktard and chances are you'll be okay.

I make myself play 'games' when riding: what will I do if that person pulls out? Which way are the tires on that truck pointed? Where can I put the bike if someone comes into my lane? Stuff like that, for each scenario I encounter.

It has become a running dialog, mainly when in traffic, and I find it keeps my awareness up and helps me stay proactive, rather than reactive.

I practice this on a second to second basis.

Some people (me) refer to it as "situational awareness".

[will]

I almost got pegged by a woman pulling out of a side street. I was watching her, because I got a feeling she would do something stupid. She slowed, didn't look, and pulled out. Sure enough. You don't see what you don't look at, especially if you don't look anywhere near the direction you should be looking. She wouldn't have seen the van if I had been driving it, but it would have done her a whole lot more damage than the bike, if I were as inattentive as she was.

It's the ongoing internal dialogue, and the sixth sense you get after a long conversation with yourself about these things.

[jimschmidt]

In Maryland, we used to be all fired up about accidents between cars and bikes that happened at stoplights. When we got better data we figured out most of them involved bikes running into the back of cars. We'd always assumed it was the other way around.

[jimschmidt]

And what's the source, please?