Investigating and identifying factors affecting motorcycle accidents in Yazd province and providing solutions to prevent them

Master's Thesis of Faculty of Engineering and Technology

Industry Department

October 2013

Abstract:

In some countries, including Iran, motorcycles and their riders are an integral part of traffic, and as a result, the safety of riders should be considered just like other road users. But due to the greater vulnerability of motorcyclists compared to car passengers, the first group needs more attention and despite this fact, their needs and problems are still not considered by competent authorities, road designers and traffic managers. The purpose of this research is to investigate and identify the factors affecting motorcycle accidents in Yazd province, for this purpose, based on the statistics of the province's transport and traffic management department, motorcycle accidents were evaluated between 1390 and 1393. Then, the distribution of accidents was identified based on the factors in the investigation reports and according to the most important factors affecting the accident through interviews with experts and officers with traffic experience. Next, a questionnaire was designed based on the triangle of accidents, and according to random sampling, it was given to 40 traffic officers and experts, and after completion and coding in spss software, the assumption test of each part of the questionnaire was performed and the most important factors were identified from the point of view of the sample population. Among the most important factors affecting motorcycle accidents are the large number of motorcycles, excessive use of motorcycles, breaking the law and not complying with the rules and regulations by motorcycle riders, not paying attention to the main traffic during secondary traffic, not respecting the right of way, passing a red light, not having enough visibility at night, the failure of the motorcycle lighting system, the lack of red lights (hazard lights) in some three ways and intersections in the city, and not observing the longitudinal distance.

Key words: Accidents, Yazd Province, Traffic, Motorcycle, Accident Triangle

Chapter 1

General Research

1-1- Introduction

In addition to the humanitarian aspects of road safety, the injuries and deaths that occur as a result of road accidents have important implications for a country both socially and economically. Due to the wide variety of road safety activities and According to traffic management standards, road accident levels are decreasing in most industrialized countries, but in developing countries, the situation is getting worse with the increase in road accident deaths. [56]

In recent decades, the use of this vehicle has increased greatly and is still expanding, and as a result, the production of this device has also faced a significant growth. According to some statistics provided by Yazd Province Traffic, there are now more than 280,000 motorcycles in Yazd Province. They have numbered traffic. Motorcycle accident statistics in the province are still significant. Although the increased use of motorcycles has not solved the traffic problems of Yazd city, it has caused the increase of problems and the occurrence of numerous accidents. The freedom of action for the riders of this system in using spaces such as sidewalks and moving in the opposite direction has increased the benefit of the motorcycle system and turned it into a unique system. Therefore, paying attention to motorcycle accidents is very important. Yazd province is one of the cities that has the most number of motorcycles and motorcycle riders. In this research, in addition to examining the factors affecting motorcycle accidents, it has been tried to identify solutions to reduce them.

1-2- Statement of the problem

In some countries, including Iran, motorcycles and their riders are an integral part of traffic, and as a result, the safety of riders should be considered just like other road users. But due to the greater vulnerability of motorcyclists compared to car passengers, the first group needs more attention, and despite this fact, their needs and problems are still not considered by competent authorities, road designers, and traffic managers. [16]

According to the announcement of the Iranian traffic police, the factors contributing to motorcycle accidents include failure to respect the right of way, sudden change of vehicle direction, left deviation, failure to pay attention to the front and failure to respect the distance, violation of the safe speed and the rider's inability to control the engine. In addition, studies show that not using a helmet is the main cause of death of motorcyclists and their passengers.In terms of geographical location, Yazd province is located in the path of many highways and roads that connect the northern and southern regions of the country and is the place of many accidents. Due to the presence of a large number of motorcycles, the province witnesses many accidents in urban areas every day. Despite the care and controls that have been carried out by the province's traffic department regarding motorcycles in recent years, motorcycle accidents are still a problem for the people of Yazd, and this is a big problem that we have to witness every day. This study examines the factors affecting motorcycle accidents that have occurred in Yazd province and the reasons that caused such accidents to first determine what factors affect these accidents and secondly what measures should be taken in this regard. Obtained about the inner-city motorcycle accidents, the required information related to the years 1390 to the beginning of 1393 was collected and according to the accident sketches, the motorcycle accidents were analyzed according to their details. Next, in order to make the research more complete, a questionnaire was designed based on factors affecting motorcycle accidents, which are divided into three sections: human factor, road factor, and vehicle factor. Considering that this study is conducted in Yazd province, the questions of the questionnaire were designed based on this province. The answers to the questions are all traffic officers and traffic officers who have either been at the scene of the accident or have the necessary information about its details.  Some important factors for validity and reliability of the questionnaire such as item clarity, face validity, reliability and Cronbach alpha coefficient are checked for the validity of the questionnaire, and using random sampling, 40 officers and officers with experience in traffic were selected, and this questionnaire will be distributed among them and collected after answering, and will be analyzed. An investigation into the causes of accidents was conducted with high-ranking traffic officers, and finally, the necessary suggestions and basic solutions to reduce motorcycle accidents were presented. (General Department of Transport and Terminals of the Province) and also interviews with traffic officers, the required information was collected for the years 1390 to 1393. Some of the required statistics were made with the cooperation of the police investigation office and the data is confidential, and in this research the data is expressed as a percentage. 5-1- Importance and necessity of the research It is known that in Yazd province, among the accidents involving passenger cars, motorcycles, vans, trucks, buses, and minibuses, in the first six months of 2012, only 23.6% of motorcycles were involved, and 5% of motorcyclists were involved in accidents with pedestrians that led to their deaths. Obviously, this can have many social consequences for the people of the province. It is noteworthy that according to the statistics of motorcycle accidents obtained by the traffic police, the accidents in 2012 have been accompanied by growth compared to 2011. Therefore, it is very important to investigate the factors affecting these heartbreaking accidents in order to prevent these accidents from happening in the province as much as possible, and then create a basis for further research on how to improve the position of motorcycle riders.