Safety Effects of Horizontal Curve Design and Lane and Shoulder Width on Single Motorcycle Accidents in Norway
Factors related to the road infrastructure contribute to the occurrence of motorcycle accidents. This study investigates how design parameters of the existing rural two-lane road network in Norway influence the occurrence of single motorcycle accidents. The design elements considered in this study a...
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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Wiley
2021-01-01
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| Series: | Journal of Advanced Transportation |
| Online Access: | http://dx.doi.org/10.1155/2021/6684334 |
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| _version_ | 1832550872892047360 |
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| author | Sara Kvasnes Petr Pokorny Jan Kristian Jensen Kelly Pitera |
| author_facet | Sara Kvasnes Petr Pokorny Jan Kristian Jensen Kelly Pitera |
| author_sort | Sara Kvasnes |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Factors related to the road infrastructure contribute to the occurrence of motorcycle accidents. This study investigates how design parameters of the existing rural two-lane road network in Norway influence the occurrence of single motorcycle accidents. The design elements considered in this study are horizontal curvature (curve type, degree of curvature, and adjacent curve requirements) and lane and shoulder widths. A matched case-control study design was applied to investigate the safety effects of these elements. Cases were defined as segments experiencing at least one single motorcycle accident during the study period from 2013 to 2017, while controls were defined as segments not experiencing an accident in the same period. In order to identify the segments, a GIS analysis was performed on data collected from the National Road Database (NVDB). In case-control studies, matching allows us to control for confounding variables. AADT and speed limit were used as matching variables in this study. A matching ratio of 4 : 1 (i.e., four controls per case) was used, resulting in 752 controls being matched to 188 cases. The results indicate horizontal alignment to have a more significant effect on single motorcycle accidents compared to lane and shoulder widths. Segments with several adjacent reverse curves, with high curvature (R < 200 m), have high odds for an accident. Further, if the requirements for adjacent curves are not fulfilled (i.e., considerable variation in adjacent curve radii), the odds increase even more. While the results are not statistically significant, trends seen indicate that wider lanes were associated with increased odds for an accident, while wider shoulders were associated with decreased odds. In comparison with a similar study considering passenger vehicles, the results of this study also indicate that horizontal alignment has a greater effect on single motorcycle accidents than on passenger vehicle accidents. |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj-art-e71c7bd3bf014b30a4f0e8096e2cae1f |
| institution | Kabale University |
| issn | 0197-6729 2042-3195 |
| language | English |
| publishDate | 2021-01-01 |
| publisher | Wiley |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Journal of Advanced Transportation |
| spelling | doaj-art-e71c7bd3bf014b30a4f0e8096e2cae1f2025-02-03T06:05:44ZengWileyJournal of Advanced Transportation0197-67292042-31952021-01-01202110.1155/2021/66843346684334Safety Effects of Horizontal Curve Design and Lane and Shoulder Width on Single Motorcycle Accidents in NorwaySara Kvasnes0Petr Pokorny1Jan Kristian Jensen2Kelly Pitera3Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, Norwegian University of Science and Technology, 7030 Trondheim, NorwayInstitute of Transport Economics, 0349 Oslo, NorwayNorwegian Public Roads Administration, 7030 Trondheim, NorwayDepartment of Civil and Environmental Engineering, Norwegian University of Science and Technology, 7030 Trondheim, NorwayFactors related to the road infrastructure contribute to the occurrence of motorcycle accidents. This study investigates how design parameters of the existing rural two-lane road network in Norway influence the occurrence of single motorcycle accidents. The design elements considered in this study are horizontal curvature (curve type, degree of curvature, and adjacent curve requirements) and lane and shoulder widths. A matched case-control study design was applied to investigate the safety effects of these elements. Cases were defined as segments experiencing at least one single motorcycle accident during the study period from 2013 to 2017, while controls were defined as segments not experiencing an accident in the same period. In order to identify the segments, a GIS analysis was performed on data collected from the National Road Database (NVDB). In case-control studies, matching allows us to control for confounding variables. AADT and speed limit were used as matching variables in this study. A matching ratio of 4 : 1 (i.e., four controls per case) was used, resulting in 752 controls being matched to 188 cases. The results indicate horizontal alignment to have a more significant effect on single motorcycle accidents compared to lane and shoulder widths. Segments with several adjacent reverse curves, with high curvature (R < 200 m), have high odds for an accident. Further, if the requirements for adjacent curves are not fulfilled (i.e., considerable variation in adjacent curve radii), the odds increase even more. While the results are not statistically significant, trends seen indicate that wider lanes were associated with increased odds for an accident, while wider shoulders were associated with decreased odds. In comparison with a similar study considering passenger vehicles, the results of this study also indicate that horizontal alignment has a greater effect on single motorcycle accidents than on passenger vehicle accidents.http://dx.doi.org/10.1155/2021/6684334 |
| spellingShingle | Sara Kvasnes Petr Pokorny Jan Kristian Jensen Kelly Pitera Safety Effects of Horizontal Curve Design and Lane and Shoulder Width on Single Motorcycle Accidents in Norway Journal of Advanced Transportation |
| title | Safety Effects of Horizontal Curve Design and Lane and Shoulder Width on Single Motorcycle Accidents in Norway |
| title_full | Safety Effects of Horizontal Curve Design and Lane and Shoulder Width on Single Motorcycle Accidents in Norway |
| title_fullStr | Safety Effects of Horizontal Curve Design and Lane and Shoulder Width on Single Motorcycle Accidents in Norway |
| title_full_unstemmed | Safety Effects of Horizontal Curve Design and Lane and Shoulder Width on Single Motorcycle Accidents in Norway |
| title_short | Safety Effects of Horizontal Curve Design and Lane and Shoulder Width on Single Motorcycle Accidents in Norway |
| title_sort | safety effects of horizontal curve design and lane and shoulder width on single motorcycle accidents in norway |
| url | http://dx.doi.org/10.1155/2021/6684334 |
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