Motorcycle accidents only

The following studies from other European countries deal with motorcycle accidents only. 

A German study based on a sample of 500 accidents in the year 2000 involving motorcycles and resulting in injuries [31] gave the following distribution of collisions between a motorcycle and a car:

• 45% at intersections with priority for the motorcyclist
• 22% at intersections with the car turning left against an oncoming motorcyclist
• 10% on road section with the motorcyclist passing a car which turns left
• 6% on road section with the car making a full turn and the motorcyclist from behind or opposite direction
• 8% on road section with car overtaking in front of oncoming motorcyclist.

The conclusion from these results is that in nine out of ten of these collisions the car driver should have given right of way to the motorcyclist.

Broughton [8] reports on a study based on police reports of fatal motorcycle accidents in Great Britain between 1994 and 2003. In summary:

• 60% of accidents on non built-up roads
• 28% single vehicle accidents
• On built-up roads 60% at intersections, against 40% on non built-up roads
• 35% of accidents at bends, 20% at left hand bend (with left moving traffic), 15% at right hand bend
• 13% of motorcyclists were overtaking
• 72% of motorcyclists were found by the police to be principally responsible, of whom 64% were reported to have lost control, with loss of control by reason of excessive speed in 37%
• Of drivers of other vehicle found to be responsible, 40% failed to give way.

The 64% loss of control is quite high. Loss of control is expected in single vehicle accidents. But with 28% such accidents, more than half of the lost control cases must have been collisions with another vehicle, either because of loss of control or when loosing control during an emergency action.