Increasing road user conspicuity: Design and assessment of interventions to enhance rider safety
Keywords: Motorcyclists
ARSRPE
Submission Date: 2013
Abstract
The use of Powered Two Wheelers (PTW; motorcycles, scooters, mopeds) continues to steadily increase in both developing and developed countries. Increasing the visibility of PTWs to other road users will become a progressively important avenue for improving rider safety. The package of research presented in this paper was part of the European Commission’s 2-be-Safe project, involving 27 research organisations across Europe and Australia, a world first human factors approach to better understanding and improving PTW safety. A package of this research, involving 8 research groups across Europe and Australia, this paper presents the first collection of research that examines the influence of a wide range of factors on PTW rider detection by car drivers. The experimental studies presented here used driving simulation and still images to assess the efficacy of various treatments (clothing colour, lighting configuration, etc) on drivers’ interactions with PTWs. This paper focuses on the outcomes from the Australian research. This research provides detailed theoretical and practical guidance on the development and evaluation of measures designed to increase PTW visibility in traffic.