A survey of the crash characteristics of older motorcyclists

Motorcyclist fatalities and injuries are increasing in many developed countries as a result of an increase in crashes involving older riders (defined as aged 25 and over). Older riders can be categorised into three groups: continuing riders, returned riders and new riders. While there is widespread concern about the safety of returning riders, little is known about their crashes because returned and continuing riders cannot be separated in the mass crash data or the licensing data.

Therefore, an on-line survey of motorcycle riders aged 25 and over who have ridden in Australia in the last five years was undertaken. The survey compared the crash involvement of continuing, returned and new riders, assessed whether the factors contributing to these crashes differed and identified the implications for the content and effectiveness of rider training and other road safety measures.

The survey questionnaire collected information about riding patterns and crash involvement in the past five years and details of the most recent crash including: where and when it occurred, pre-crash factors, motorcycle characteristics and how the crash occurred. This paper focuses on the characteristics of crashes involving the three groups of older riders and their implications for rider training.