Simulation Analysis of Contributing Factors to Rider Visibility Issues for Car-Motorcycle Accidents

Abstract

Rider visibility has been considered an important issue in car-motorcycle accidents due to the frequency of unperceptive and negligent driving behavior. Mostly car drivers stated that they didn’t see the rider before the collision. This study aims to investigate the contributing factors that reduce rider visibility in point of view of car drivers for car-motorcycle accidents. The study considered the car-motorcycle accidents which occur in the built-up area. Statistical data analysis categorized the accidents into six dominant accident types. Twenty-five accidents were selected by accident types for simulation analysis. The selected accidents were simulated in Virtual Crash software during 5 seconds before the collision. The simulation analysis evaluated that the view obstructions, blind spots and high speed were the contributing factors that reduce rider visibility in car-motorcycle accidents. The simulation plots identified the involvement of contributory factors and variation within the time interval. The comprehensive in-depth analysis also evaluated that no collision avoidance maneuvers were performed by most of the car drivers due to visibility issues before the collision. Safety systems were proposed based on observed factors according to car and motorcycle perspectives for collision avoidance.