ABSTRACT
To say that powered two-wheeler (PTW) riders are among the most vulnerable of road users is by no means an overstatement. PTW riders’ vulnerability is reflected in the over-representation of PTWs in the crash statistics. Drawing on recent data from the Australian state of Victoria (Transport Accident Commission, 2013), 15 per cent of road users who were killed in 2012 were PTW riders and pillion passengers. However, during the same period, PTWs accounted for only about 4 per cent of the number of vehicles registered in Victoria. In Australia, as well as in other motorised countries worldwide, PTW riding continues to gain in popularity. It is perhaps not surprising, therefore, that understanding the factors which contribute to PTW crash risk and implementing measures to reduce that risk is of interest to both road safety researchers and practitioners alike.
