Motorcycling is not only an efficient and cost-effective mode of transport, but also a leisure activity for many riders despite the risks they face as one of the most vulnerable road users. Although only representing, a fraction of the vehicles on the road, motorcyclists account for a disproportionately high number of road fatalities. In 2022 alone, there were 3,361 motorcycle fatalities in the EU:
- 1,442 resulting from collisions with cars,
- 1,280 involving no other vehicles, and
- 1,301 occurring on urban roads.
While fatalities have decreased by 20.8% from 2011 to 2022, these numbers still highlight the persistent dangers motorcyclists face. Ensuring their safety is not just a matter of reducing statistics, it is about saving lives and preventing the profound grief that follows such tragedies.
It is for this reason that the Charter will dedicate an increased attention to these road users over the coming months so that we can share knowledge and foster a safer environment for everyone. We have a webinar on 18th September 2024 (book here), and a video case study, a research article, both coming soon. Along with a range of infographics revealing the challenges and opportunities for motorcyclists - Download here. To give members an introduction to the topic, some key statistics and characteristics of motorcycle safety are shared in this article.
Looking at the geographical spread of motorcycle crashes in the EU, we see that these are often higher in the Southern countries. In Greece for example, 235 out of the 624 fatalities in 2021 were powered two-wheelers, making it the largest category of road users (followed by car occupants with 226 fatalities). Due to good weather conditions, motorcycles (and powered two-wheelers in general) are more popular in these countries than in the rest of the EU. According to the ESRA2 survey , 21% of adult Italians and 23% of adult Greeks in 2018 made a trip with a powered two-wheeler, compared to an average of 13% in all 20 EU countries that participated in the survey.
A striking 94% of motorcycle fatalities are men, with no EU Member States reporting a share of below 86%. This is a much higher proportion than the 77% observed for all road fatalities in the EU. Most victims (76%) are aged between 25 and 64, with a peak in the twenties. This pattern contrasts with other vulnerable road users like pedestrians and cyclists, whose fatalities increase with age. However, the proportion of motorcycling fatalities among those over 64 has doubled from 3% in 2011 to 7% in 2020. The average age of motorcyclists is increasing, and, as with all transport modes, older road users are more vulnerable to physical injuries after a crash. The possibility that a motorcyclist aged above 60 ends up in a hospital after a crash is 3 times as high. In many European countries, a specific driver's license for a motorcycle was only mandatory in more recent years, meaning that there are drivers on the road who never took any motorcycle lessons. If you wanted to drive a motorcycle in Belgium before 1989 you only needed a licence for a car.
Over 90% of the fatalities in crashes involving motorcyclists are the motorcyclists themselves. These crashes are more likely to occur during the day and on weekends. Motorcyclist fatalities exhibit significant seasonal variation, peaking from June to September and dropping during winter months. During summer, there are nearly six times more fatalities each month compared to January. Consequently, 92% of the crashes happen on dry roads.
Many of the fatal crashes happen on bends and intersections. At bends, the most typical crashes are where the rider leaves the road lane outside the bend or is too close to the centreline and crashes with an oncoming vehicle head-on. These crashes are often caused by high-speed relative to riding skills and/or unforeseen road conditions. Examples of these factors are loss of friction due to dirt, spills or gravel, obstructed visibility, potholes, trees, and guardrails with no underrun protection. Crashes at intersections often happen when other vehicles overlook the motorcyclists and fail to yield when required. These factors will be considered in the new guidance the European Commission is developing on how to construct and maintain roads and roadsides for users, particularly the vulnerable ones.
There are already many innovations created by the motorcycle industry to prevent crashes from happening, such as daytime running lights, speed-sensitive electronic steering stabilisers, side-view assists and blind spot detection. The Connected Motorcycle Consortium of BMW Motorrad, Honda, and Yamaha work on the inclusion of motorcyclists in vehicle-to-vehicle communication (also known C-ITS meaning Cooperative Intelligent Transport Systems). They are currently working on rolling out features for 30 cases, such as warnings on blind spots, road works, stationary vehicles, emergency vehicles, adverse weather, and forward collisions. You can discover this innovative project in our video case study (watch here).
The Connected Motorcycle Consortium is one of the many best practices in Europe that can make our roads safer. Nevertheless, there are still many gaps in research in motorcycling and more efforts are needed to prioritise motorcyclists' safety in action plans. During our webinar ‘Enhancing Road Safety for motorcyclists’ on September 18th (book your place here), three experts will inspire you on how to help in this mission:
- Martin Winkelbauer, KfV, who will dive into accidentology and the challenges in infrastructure.
- Veneta Vassileva, ACEM, who will explain new motorcycling technologies and the European Motorcycle Training Quality.
- Petra Vedris and Alan Vojvodic, Croatian Auto Club, who will show some best practices from Croatia.
Join us for this interesting webinar and register here!
Sources:
- ACEM (2020) The safe ride to the future 2.0. ACEM. Brussels, Belgium. https://www.acem.eu/publications/factsheets/
- European Commission (2023) Facts and Figures Motorcyclists and moped riders. European Road Safety Observatory. Brussels, European Commission, Directorate General for Transport.
- European Commission (2023), Country Profile Greece. Road Safety Observatory. Brussels, Directorate General for Transport. European Commission, Directorate General for Transport.
- FEMA (2023) Safer roads for motorcyclists. FEMA. Brussels, Belgium. https://www.femamotorcycling.eu/safer-roads-for-motorcycles/
