MORE MOTORCYCLES EQUALS SAFER ROADS
Monday, September 22, 2014
According to the Motorcycle Industry Association (MCIA), an increased number of motorcycles on the road results in a lower rate of serious accidents. When 10% or more of vehicles on the road are motorcycles, mopeds or scooters, there is a proportionate reduction in rider fatalities, says Steve Kenward, CEO of the MCIA, a motorcycle trade association in England.
Japan has 98 bikes per 1,000 vehicles (9.8%), and for every 1,000 bikes on the road, the country has 0.8 motorcyclist fatalities per year. In Europe the ratio of bikes to cars is lower, at 73 per 1,000 (7.3%), and the rate of motorcyclist fatalities is higher, at 1.52 per 1,000 bikes. In the USA, the ratio of bikes to cars is just 27 per thousand (2.7%) and the motorcyclist fatality rate is much higher, at 5.32 per thousand bikes.
Kenward told how “volume breeds safety” at the recent National Safer Roads Partnerships’ Conference, where police forces, local authorities, government officials and academics meet to discuss road safety.
There is also a growing body of evidence that those who start their motoring career on motorcycles make better car drivers.
With congestion on the rise, Kenward explained that getting more motorists on motorcycles would result in a “virtuous circle” leading to better road users.
According to their research, an increase in motorcycle use has also been proven to keep traffic flowing. A study which models traffic for one of the busiest roads in Europe concluded that if just 10% of drivers swapped to powered two wheelers (PTWs), congestion would be reduced for all road users by 40%. Increase that number to 25% and congestion is eliminated entirely.
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