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Citation |
Plotkin W, Komornick Jr. A. Transp. Res. Rec. 1984; 959: 62-73. |
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Copyright |
(Copyright © 1984, Transportation Research Board, National Research Council, National Academy of Sciences USA, Publisher SAGE Publishing) |
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DOI |
unavailable |
PMID |
unavailable |
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Abstract |
The Metropolitan Area Planning Council, the regional planning agency for the Boston metropolitan area, studied bicycle-motor vehicle accidents occurring within Route 128, a major beltway encircling 35 communities. A sample of one of every four accidents reported to the Massachusetts Registry of Motor Vehicles in 1979 and 1980 was chosen for review. Data were collected by a paid intern and by six volunteers who reviewed bicycle accidents occurring within their individual communities. This sampling technique resulted in a distribution of accidents by month and location statistically almost identical with the distribution for all accidents in the study area. The accidents were classified by using a modified version of the classification system developed by Kenneth Cross. The accident class with the highest frequency involved a motorist turning right or left at an intersection and hitting a bicyclist coming from behind or from the opposite leg of the intersection. Virtually as frequent was the accident in which a motorist entered an intersection and struck a cyclist emerging from the orthogonal leg. These accidents occurred primarily among cyclists more than 18 years of age. Accidents in which the cyclist entered the road at a midblock location (bicycle ride-out) also occurred with some frequency, particularly among children younger than 11. Frequencies of key variables such as time of accident were also obtained. Recommendations include publicity of the study results, education of bicyclists and motorists, increased enforcement of traffic laws, and improved record keeping for ongoing classification of bicycle-motor vehicle accidents. Language: en |
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Keywords |
ROADS AND STREETS; STATISTICAL METHODS; BICYCLES; HIGHWAY ACCIDENTS - Analysis |