Excessive or inadequate speed for the existing conditions, alcohol consumption and the age are the most influential factors on mortal accidents with motorcycles or mopeds, according to a study developed by scientists of the Universidad de Granada. The work analyses all the collisions registered by the State Traffic Office from 1997 to 2002 and will be completed with the assessment of the influence of the environmental elements on the seriousness of the accident.
The sample only considers the data of the accidents with injured persons or deceased and has taken as a reference the commission or not of offences by the riders. They have considered “the collisions between two vehicles in which only one of the two riders has committed an offence, considering him as responsible for the collision; they have compared the characteristics of the riders who have committed the offence with those who have not and have analysed the factors that increase the collision risk”, explains the supervisor of the research work and professor of the Universidad de Granada, Pablo Lardelli Claret.
The more experience, the less risk
After carrying out an exhaustive study, the first results, which have been recently published in the scientific journal “Injury Prevention” point out that, besides speeding, alcohol consumption and extreme ages (under 19 and over 64 years old), there are other factors such as the seniority of the driving licence (the more experience, the less risk), or the use of the crash helmet, whose association with a lower collision risk suggests that such use is probably connected with a more “prudent and responsible“ driving style, according to the researcher.
But the research work, which started on year ago, will not only be focused on accident risk factors, but will also analyse the incidence of individual and environmental factors to reduce the seriousness of the accidents in the next two years.
The importance of this research work resides, according to professor Lardelli, in the fact that Spain is a country where “people uses motorcycles and mopeds as means of transport very often and, however, there are hardly studies to assess the risks of this mean of transport and the measures available to avoid them”.
Therefore, once the study is finished the scientists will contribute through a wide study to that riders avoid certain conducts which are very often the responsible for the high number of road accidents.
Reference
Prof Pablo Lardelli Claret. Dpt Preventive Medicine and Public Health
Phone number. 958 249 616 / 958 243 543. E-mail. lardelli@ugr.es
