PROFILE OF THE ACCIDENT INVOLVED MOTORCYCLIST IN CANADA

Abstract

In a study which provides both accident and exposure information from the same sample of individuals, a random sample of 2277 motorcyclists in Ontario, Canada were interviewed concerning their travel patterns, accident history, and personal characteristics. Results show that, relative to exposure, accidents occurred more frequently when a rider was traveling alone, without his headlight on, and on a trip in the city. A discriminant function analysis was conducted to identify the variables which differentiated accident-involved from accident-free riders. After miles traveled had been controlled as a contributing factor, age, the report of riding after consuming alcohol, the number of months licensed, and marital status were the discriminating variables. In the high-accident group (15-19 year old, single, individuals who reported riding after drinking and had held a license less than two years) 53% of the respondents had been involved in an accident in the last four years, and 20% had been injured. In the lowest accident group (26 years old or older, married, never rides after drinking, licensed for more than five years), only 14.8% had been in an accident in the last four years and only 1.6% had been in an injury accident. When exposure (km. ridden) is taken into account, these differences increase dramatically, with the high-risk group having an accident rate 18 times greater than the low-risk group. Possible countermeasures suggested include raising the licensing age and an alcohol interlock on motorcycles.