Anthony Durbin IOE 437: Automotive Human Factors Crash Data Analysis September 10th, 2011 Questions to Address:

How do fatal motorcycle crashes within the United States vary as a function of motorcycle helmet legislation? Additionally, what kind of traffic engineering changes should be considered to reduce the rate at which motorcycle fatalities are increasing? Analysis: In comparison to cars, motorcycles are a much more dangerous form of travel. This results from less stability in an emergency, less visibility, and a lack of an enclosed structure. When motorcyclists are in an accident, they are more susceptible to crash injuries because of their increased risk of colliding with road surfaces, fixed structures, or other vehicles. One of the most important choices that a motorcyclist can make is to wear a helmet. Currently, there are only 20 states that require helmets to be worn by all riders. The five states that experienced the highest number of fatal motorcycle injuries in 2009 were: Texas, Florida, California, Pennsylvania, and Ohio. Conversely, the five states with the lowest number of fatal motorcycle injuries in 2009 were: Alabama, Alaska, North Dakota, Vermont, and Delaware. However, one cannot reasonably draw conclusions solely from the total number of fatal injuries without also considering the number of registered motorcycles per state. More relevant are the states with the highest and lowest number of fatal injuries per number of registered motorcycles. Table 1 denotes the fatal injuries as a percentage of total registered motorcycles for the top and bottom five states as well as the helmet law enforced. Table 1. Top and Bottom Five U.S. States for Percentage of Motorcycle Fatalities State # of Fatalities/# Registered Rank 1 2 3 4 5 46 47 48 49 50 # of Fatal Injuries 46 100 81 139 422 7 81 7 25 49 # of Registered Motorcycles 28085 71094 68251 128048 439145 29177 365311 32313 125848 251379 Percentage Fatal Injury 0.164% 0.141% 0.119% 0.109% 0.096% 0.024% 0.022% 0.022% 0.020% 0.019% Helmet Law All riders All riders Under 21 All riders Under 21 Under 18 Under 18 Under 18 Under 18 Under 18

Mississippi Louisiana Kentucky North Carolina Texas Alaska Wisconsin North Dakota Montana Minnesota

The data shows an inverse relationship between helmet laws and fatal injuries. The five states with the highest percentages had stricter helmet laws than the five bottom states. This is very counterintuitive, and the results from 2009 may be an isolated incident. The differences in the percentages of fatal motorcycle crashes might stem from a combination of different factors including road maintenance or lack thereof, a higher number of motor vehicles on the road, vehicle speeds, or weather. Although wearing a helmet has been proven by different studies to reduce the risk of injury in crashes, traffic engineering as well as motorcycle design must be improved to reverse the rate of motorcycle fatalities. Figure 2 displays a startling trend that contrasts the pattern of motorcyclist death with passenger car death over a ten year period from 1999 to 2009. 22,500 20,000 17,500 Person Deaths 15,000 12,500 Motorcyle 10,000 7,500 5,000 2,500 0 1999 2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 Year Figure 2. Motorcycle and Passenger Car Death Trends As shown in figure 2, fatal injuries from cars have been decreasing steadily for the past 10 years, but motorcyclist deaths have doubled in the same time. As fuel prices continue to rise and the economy strengthens, I expect motorcycle sales to continue to climb. Engineers must focus on preventive measures to decrease chances of injury. Because motorcycles lack an enclosed passenger cabin, it is essential for traffic engineers to implement devices in all vehicles to communicate the position of motorcycles relative to nearby cars. Additionally, motorcycles may utilize a sort of automated braking system that slows a motorcycle that is determined to be entering a curve at too fast a speed. Car

References: Administration, N. H. (n.d.). Query FARS Data. Retrieved October 7, 2011, from http://wwwfars.nhtsa.dot.gov/QueryTool/QuerySection/SelectYear.aspx Safety, I. i. (n.d.). Helmet Use. Retrieved October 7, 2011, from Highway Saftey Research and Communications: http://www.iihs.org/research/qanda/helmet_use.html U.S. Department of Transportation, F. H. (n.d.). Policy Information. Retrieved October 7, 2011, from Highway Statistics 2009, State Motor-Vehicle Registrations - 2009: http://www.fhwa.dot.gov/policyinformation/statistics/2009/mv1.cfm