Investigation of factors contributing to injury severity in single vehicle motorcycle crashes in India | JoVE Visualize

Investigation of factors contributing to injury severity in single vehicle motorcycle crashes in India

Sathish Kumar Sivasankaran¹, Harikrishna Rangam¹, Venkatesh Balasubramanian¹

¹RBG Lab, Department of Engineering Design, IIT Madras, Chennai, India.

International Journal of Injury Control and Safety Promotion|April 6, 2021

View abstract on PubMed

Summary

Single-vehicle motorcycle crashes in Tamilnadu, India, are analyzed for injury severity. Key factors increasing fatal outcomes include hitting objects and adverse weather, guiding targeted safety interventions.

Area of Science:

Road safety
Traffic accident analysis
Injury epidemiology

Background:

Single-vehicle crashes pose significant risks, especially in low-middle income countries like India.
Motorcycle collisions contribute substantially to road trauma and fatalities.
Understanding specific risk factors is crucial for developing effective prevention strategies.

Purpose of the Study:

To evaluate risk factors for single-vehicle motorcycle collisions in Tamilnadu, India.
To identify unique characteristics and injury outcomes associated with these crashes.
To inform targeted safety countermeasures.

Main Methods:

Utilized a nine-year police-reported crash dataset (2009-2017) from Tamilnadu.
Employed an ordered logit model to analyze injury severity (fatal, serious, minor).
Investigated driver, crash, traffic, vehicle, and environmental factors.

Main Results:

Thirteen factors significantly influenced driver injury severity.
Increased likelihood of fatal injuries linked to hitting stationary objects, trees, run-off-road incidents, inclement weather, and urban areas.
Factors associated with reduced fatal crash likelihood include winter season, specific road types, daylight, younger drivers, and certain maneuvers like U-turns.

Conclusions:

Specific crash circumstances and environmental conditions significantly elevate fatal injury risk in single-vehicle motorcycle incidents.
Driver demographics and road characteristics also play a role in injury severity.
Data-driven insights are essential for designing targeted interventions to reduce fatalities and injuries from these crashes.

Keywords: