Examining factors influencing the severity of motorized two-wheeler crashes in Delhi

Abstract

Failure to meet road safety targets has necessitated urgent actions from stakeholders worldwide, especially in developing countries like India. Road safety of motorized two-wheelers (MTWs), one of India’s most preferred travel modes for urban commutes, is in danger and witnessing threatening figures of fatalities and injuries. Most of the studies in the domain of MTW safety were conducted in developed countries, with very limited research in countries having a significant proportion of MTWs. The present work investigates police-reported crash data to identify the contributory factors of motorized two-wheeler crash severity. Data from MTW crash-prone areas were selected from Delhi, which is leading in road traffic fatalities among the million-plus urban cities in India. A binary logistic regression model was developed using the data for 2016–2018 period. The model results show that the odds of fatal motorized two-wheeler crashes increase when the following circumstances apply: crash occurs on underpasses; involves bus, truck, heavy motor vehicle (lorry, crane) as the striking vehicle; when hit-and-run type of crash occurs and when older age-group (> = 55) riders are involved. Finally, based on the findings, countermeasures were suggested to facilitate policymakers and traffic enforcement agencies, in improving the road safety situation of MTW users.

Keywords:

• Motorized two-wheeler (MTW)
• crash-prone areas
• crash severity
• binary logistic regression
• road safety
• Delhi

Acknowledgments

The authors are grateful to the Accident Research Cell, Delhi Traffic Police (H.Q.), Delhi, for sharing the crash FIR data used in this research work. The opinions, findings and conclusions expressed here are those of the authors.

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author(s).

Notes

1 Typically, MTW includes mopeds, scooters and motorcycles, the difference being in engine size and power. Mopeds typically has an engine displacement of no more than 50 cc, a maximum speed of 45 km/h. Scooters has slightly higher engine displacement between 50 and 150 cc, a maximum speed greater than 45km/h. Motorcycles has higher engine displacement greater than 50 cc, manual gears and more powerful engines (MoRTH, 2021). Each of these is allowed to carry one rider and one pillion. Hero MotoCorp and Honda are the two leading motorcycle and scooter manufacturers in India, with a market share of more than 57%. TVS is the only manufacturer of mopeds in India (Statista, 2022). This study does not include the stand-up scooters prevalent in Europe and other parts of the world.

Additional information

Funding

The author(s) reported there is no funding associated with the work featured in this article.