DEKRA ROAD SAFETY REPORT 2020 Mobility on Two Wheels

Steps Toward Making Vision Zero a Reality.

Accident statistics: The human factor: Technology/ Increase in numbers of Many accidents involving infrastructure: two-wheeled vehicles riders of two-wheeled Active and passive on roads; no drop in vehicles are caused by a safety systems and well- numbers of deaths in lack of communication, developed roads reduce many countries among other things risk of accidents Best solutions for bike safety DEKRA Bicycle Services Damage assessment

When it comes to the safety of bicycles, pedelecs and S-pedelecs, we at DEKRA are the fi rst point of contact for all matters related to testing, expertise, and analyses.

www.dekra.com/ebike-services Assessments

Material and component testing, damage analysis

Product testing

Homologation/ road approvals

Chemical analysis

EMC testing

Battery-/accu testing

Pedelecs_Anzeige_210x297mm_EN.indd 1 22.09.20 10:40 Editorial

More Consideration for our Partners on the Road

ne glance at our roads is enough to realize that using But no matter what Otwo wheels to get around is becoming more and more type of two-wheeled ve- popular. Manufacturers of motorcycles are recording an in- hicle people choose, or crease in sales, and pedelec manufacturers in particular are whether they use them experiencing a boom in their gures. According to data pub- during their free time or lished by the European Association of Motorcycle Manufac- for their daily commute, turers (ACEM), the market in the EU grew by eight percent doing so makes them in 2019 compared to the previous year, with a total of al- largely unprotected as most 1.1 million new motorcycle registrations. At the time road users. As such, there of writing, there are no ocial gures for pedelec sales in is a high risk of these road 2019 for the EU as a whole. However, the ZIV, an association users “coming o worst” if Dipl.-Ing. Clemens Klinke, for the bicycle industry in Germany, recorded growth of al- they are involved in a col- Member of the DEKRA SE Management Board most 39 percent for the year, with sales rising to 1.36 million. lision – particularly if it is with a car, van, or truck – In light of this development, it makes sense that more and and ending up being severely injured or, in the worst-case scenario, more towns and cities are expanding their cycle infrastruc- even killed. While it is true that the numbers of people killed while ture signi cantly as Germany looks to establish more rm- riding two-wheeled vehicles have been on the decline in many EU ly the kind of culture that has become a long-standing tra- countries for years, we must be careful not to take our eye o the dition in countries such as the Netherlands and Denmark. ball. One aspect that should not be overlooked is the consequences is is reected in the Federal Ministry of Transport and of single-vehicle accidents, which can oen be disastrous. For ex- Digital Infrastructure’s National Cycling Plan 3.0, which in- ample, ocial statistics for Germany for 2019 show that such acci- cludes measures such as increasing the number of bicycle dents accounted for around 30 percent of all the accidents involv- bridges, tunnels for cyclists, and express bike lanes. ing motorbike users, as well as 30 percent of the fatal accidents.

Personal light electric vehicles are also experiencing a real is report will detail what action can be taken to counteract boom all around the world. Before they were approved for this issue. Like DEKRA’s previous road safety reports, this publi- use in Germany in May 2019, e-scooters were already cruis- cation aims rst and foremost to get people thinking and act as ing around a number of American cities, as well as in Europe a starting point for discussions – among politicians, road traf- in places such as Paris, Vienna, Copenhagen, Stockholm, c experts, manufacturers, scienti c institutions, and associa- Lisbon, and Madrid. e huge increase in the popularity of tions. At the same time, it is intended as a guide for users of two- this sector, and particularly of e-scooter rental companies, wheeled vehicles and all other road users, who can help to reduce has led a number of cities – especially those in the USA – to the number of people involved and killed in road accidents in the take a more active role in the regulation of their urban in- long term by cooperating with one another and treating each oth- frastructure in order to provide better mobility management er with mutual respect, as well as by increasing their awareness of overall, improve road safety, and curb the discourteous be- the risks of road use and observing safety standards. anks to havior that can oen be seen with regard to the parking of the good examples set in other countries, we are con dent we can these vehicles, for example. make this change.

2 | 3 Contents

Editorial 3 More Consideration for our Partners on the Road Dipl.-Ing. Clemens Klinke, Member of the DEKRA SE Management Board

Greeting 5 Road Safety and Sustainable Urban Mobility Policy Need to Come Together Matthew Baldwin, European Coordinator for Road Safety and Sustainable Mobility

Introduction 6 Getting Mobile on Two Wheels Whether motorized or not, getting mobile on two wheels always comes with a higher risk of suffering a severe accident than traveling by car, van, or truck. As road users with little to no protection, riders of two-wheeled vehicles are always the ones who come off worst in case of a collision.

Accident Statistics 12 Users of Two-Wheeled Vehicles at Particularly High Risk of Being Involved in an Accident Although the number of car and truck drivers killed in road accidents has been on a constant decline for years in many parts of the world, the number of users of two-wheeled vehicles who are killed on the road has remained stable, and in some cases even increased. As such, urgent action is required. Since there is virtually no scope for optimizing the passive safety of a vehicle like a motorcycle – or especially a bicycle – itself, we need to focus on active safety systems.

Examples of Accidents/ 28 Compelling Examples of Accidents in Detail Crash Test Eight selected cases

The Human Factor 36 Human Error is the Biggest Risk Factor What is true for car and truck drivers also applies to users of motorized and non-motorized two- wheeled vehicles: When accidents occur, they are often at least partly the result of a lack of risk awareness, a failure to observe traffic regulations, driving too fast, driving under the influence of alcohol, being distracted, or not exercising sufficient consideration for other road users.

Technology 50 Compensating for Errors as Effectively as Possible Users of two-wheeled vehicles can prevent accidents completely, or at least lessen the severity of their consequences, by keeping their vehicles – especially their brakes and lights – in good technical condition, wearing properly fitting helmets, and using active safety systems.

Infrastructure 68 Safe Roads are the Key to Ensuring Fewer Accidents for Two-Wheeled Vehicles Infrastructure plays a major role in accidents. While it is true that the overwhelming majority of accidents can be traced back to human error, in many cases defects in the infrastructure have a negative impact on the root of the accident, the resulting accident risk, and the severity of the accident when it occurs.

Summary 80 Staying Safe on Two Wheels In order to increase road safety for users of motorized and non-motorized vehicles in the long term, there are a whole series of issues that need to be tackled. In addition to a wide range of measures in areas such as technology and infrastructure, the main onus in this regard is also on the road users themselves.

Contacts 82 Any Questions? Contacts and a bibliography for the DEKRA Road Safety Report 2020

The web portal: www.dekra-roadsafety.com Since 2008, DEKRA has been publishing the annual Road Safety Report in printed form in several languages. The www.dekra-roadsafety.com web portal went live with the publication of the DEKRA Road Safety Report 2016. You can use this portal to access additional content supplementing the printed report (e.g. videos, interactive graphics, etc.). The portal also covers a range of other topics and DEKRA activities concerning road safety. If you have a tablet or smartphone, you can link direct- ly from the printed version to the web portal by scanning the QR codes that can be found through- out the report. Scan the code using an ordinary QR code reader and you will be taken directly to the corresponding content.

LEGAL NOTICE DEKRA Road Safety Report 2020 – Mobility on Two Wheels

Publisher: Concept/coordination/ Realization: Picture credits: Atelier Busche: 1; Adobe Stock:1; Avenoso: 11; Bellwinkel: 9; Beilharz: 77; Bilan: 22; DEKRA Automobil GmbH editing: Wolfgang Sigloch ETM Corporate Publishing, BMW: 67; Brandes: 5; Bosch: 66; DEKRA: 28-35, 51-63, 73(2); Fischer: 40; Groisard: 69; Ralf Gröminger: Handwerkstrasse 15 a business unit of EuroTransportMedia 64; imago images: 3 (Dean Pictures), 5 (epd), 6 (imageBROKER/XYZ PICTURES), 7 (Schöning), 7 (Image- 70565 Stuttgart, Germany Editing: Matthias Gaul Verlags- und Veranstaltungs-GmbH broker), 8 (Michael Kneffel), 8 (VIADATA), 9 (WEREK), 9 (i-Images), 10 (Imagebroker), 11 (Imagebroker), Tel. +49.7 11.78 61-0 Handwerkstrasse 15, 70565 Stuttgart, 12+13 (Independent Photo Agency Int.), 15 (ZUMA Press), 17 (3S Photography), 24 (Seeliger), 26 (Andreas Fax +49.7 11.78 61-22 40 Layout: Germany Gora), 36 (Dean Pictures), 39 (Seeliger), 41 (Jochen Tack), 43 (Future Image), 44 (Sepp Spiegl), 45 (localpic), www.dekra.com Florence Frieser www.etm.de 47 (Jochen Tack), 48 (ZUMA Press), 49 (Eastnews), 68 (Henning Scheffen), 70 (Christian Schroedter), 74 May 2020 Oswin Zebrowski (Dean Pictures), 75 (ZUMA Press), 76 (imagebroker), 80 (Rupert Oberhäuser); Küppers: 3; Louvet: 7; Simon: Business unit head: Andreas Techel 75; Sperrung: 46; Wikipedia/Gun Powder Ma: 6 Responsible for the publisher: Project manager: Wherever the DEKRA Road Safety Report uses terms such as “road user”, “cyclist”, etc., these terms should Stephan Heigl Alexander Fischer Managing director: Oliver Trost always be assumed to apply to all genders unless explicitly stated otherwise. Greeting

Road Safety and Sustainable Urban Mobility Policy Need to Come Together

n Europe’s roads, 25,000 people died and tackle CO2 emissions, improve O135,000 were seriously injured in 2018. our air quality, and reduce both These figures need to be repeated to remind our- congestion and road casualties. selves just how unacceptable this situation is. Two wheelers are ecient ways to get around a city, notably in But what these gures mask is that vulnera- terms of space, but this means a ble road users (VRU) – those without a protective big re-think. We need to make “shell” such as two wheeler riders and pedestrians – our infrastructure less car-cen- are accounting for an increasing percentage of casu- tric – footpaths and bike paths Matthew Baldwin alties. Over the last few decades, we have succeeded are great value for money, and European Coordinator for Road Safety in making car drivers and passengers much safer, make active mobility safer. and Sustainable Mobility for example through European Union legislation on vehicle safety, but we have not been so successful in We also need to reduce making those OUTSIDE the car safer. speeds – the percentage of drivers exceeding the speed limit in cities ranges from between 35% and e same trend is particularly clear in cities, 75%. And speed limits are oen too high to en- where 70% of the deaths and serious injuries are sure safety. Where vulnerable road users cannot be now occurring to VRU. We are also seeing new mo- kept safely separate from cars, 30 kph should be the bility trends, such as e-bikes and e-scooters, which maximum default speed – at 30 kph, 90% of VRU are bringing new types of road users onto our survive a collision with a car, but this number drops crowded city streets. Unsurprising, therefore, that to around 20% at 50 kph. at the next UN conference in Stockholm in Febru- ary 2020 we will be looking much more closely at The EU has now committed to new 50% re- urban road safety. duction targets in deaths and serious injuries for 2020–30. If we are to succeed, improving the safety Road safety and sustainable urban mobility of two wheeler riders and pedestrians has to play a policy need to come together. It is clear that our much bigger role in our future road safety strate- over-reliance on cars in cities must stop if we are to gies at European, national, and local level.

4 | 5 Introduction

Getting Mobile on Two Wheels

Whether motorized or not, there can be no doubt that traveling on two wheels is “in” right now. This is due in no small part to the exponential increase in the variety of different bikes and high-tech equipment available, as well as the political trend towards promoting cycling as a mode of transport – especially in towns and cities – in order to help protect the environment. However, getting mobile on two wheels always comes with a higher risk of suffering a severe accident than traveling by car, van, or truck. As road users with little to no protection, riders of two-wheeled vehicles are usually the ones who come off worst in case of a collision.

or years, around 25 percent of all those who have heavily populated developing and newly industrial- Fdied in road tra c accidents worldwide have ized countries, where mass mobility on two-wheeled been users of motorized and non-motorized two- vehicles is a prominent feature of the society. wheeled vehicles. e gures for the EU are similar: in Germany, for example, around a third of all road So how much greater is your risk of dying in a users killed in 2019 lost their lives aer suering an road accident in Germany, for example, if you ride accident while riding a bicycle or motorbike. By way a motorcycle instead of driving a car? We can as- of comparison, gures from 2017 – the latest data sess this by comparing the number of deaths to the available – show that users of two-wheeled vehicles number of registrations for the vehicle type in ques- accounted for around 16 percent of all the people tion. e number of deaths among motorcyclists who lost their lives on the road in the USA. For de- was 605; around 4.5 million motorcycles were regis- cades, however, accident rates have been highest in tered. e number of deaths among car drivers and

Milestones along the Way to Greater Mobility and Road Safety

1817 Invention of the Draisine (or 1861 1865/69 1869 dandy horse), forerunner of the bicycle Foot pedal First use of Michaux and thus all two-wheeled vehicles. drive on front solid rub- works with wheel: ber tires Perreaux to Michaudine/ and spoon develop the Bicycle, general velocipede brakes first bicycle Motorcycle, small moped with an auxil- Pedelec, speed pedelec, e-bike iary engine. Pedal scooter, electric scooter

1800 | | | | 1860 | | | | 1870 | | | | 1880 | | | | 1890 | | | | 1900 passengers was 1,364; around 47.7 million cars were registered. is means that, for every 100,000 vehicles registered, 13 mo- torcyclists and three car drivers/passengers Andreas Scheuer MdB lost their lives. is disparity becomes even German Federal Minister of more stark when we take into account the Transport and Digital Infrastructure fact that motorcycles have a far lower mile- age. e EU Commission was already say- A Holistic Approach ing years ago that the chance of being killed Cyclists and motorcyclists have something in on whereby motor vehicles over 3.5 metric on the road was around 18 times higher per common: they enjoy direct contact with the tons must not exceed walking speed when kilometer covered for motorcyclists than for road and feel the wind as they ride. Howe- turning right in a built-up area. This is a re- those traveling by car. Incidentally, the EU ver, this also makes them vulnerable. There sponse to the terrible accidents caused by Commission calculated this risk as being is no vehicle protection. Thus, we all have a cyclists being in the blind spot of vehicles. seven times higher for cyclists. duty to be alert and considerate, following We have launched our “Turning Assistant the rules on the road in order to save lives. Campaign” in order to equip thousands of In general, we are making great pro- trucks with life-saving technology even befo- ese few gures alone show that there is gress. In 2019, road fatalities in Germa- re it is required by EU law. still a drastic need for action when it comes ny reached a historic low (3,059). Howe- Cyclists can also contribute to improving to road safety for users of two-wheeled ver, we are a long way from “Vision Zero”. safety. Our successful helmet campaign, vehicles, particularly as mobility on two One of the key factors to bring us closer is “Looks like shit. But saves my life.” is desig- wheels is likely to increase even further in protecting users of two-wheeled vehicles. ned to convince specifically young people In accident statistics, they are bucking the to wear cycling helmets. After all, helmets the next few years. is applies to both mo- trend: while fewer and fewer road users are save lives! torcyclists – be they leisure bikers or com- dying overall, there has been no change We also want to improve the safety of muters – and, in particular, to cyclists and in the number of fatalities among cyclists: motorcyclists. One of the many ways we users of electrically assisted bikes. Accord- 444 died in road accidents in 2019. are doing this is by supporting the German ing to data published by the ZIV, an associ- We want to stop and reverse this trend Association for the Motorcycle Industry in with different measures. The German Fede- their online campaign offering road safety ation for the bicycle industry in Germany, ral government has provided € 1.46 bn for tips for bikers. Alongside this, our own cam- bicycles and e-bikes are the perfect modes bicycle infrastructure which we want to in- paigns continue to address the correct con- of transport for short and medium-dis- vest e.g. in establishing a network of safe, duct for both motorcyclists and other road tance journeys. e ZIV also states that, wide bicycle paths and lanes, kept as se- users. At the EU level, we have played a according to the results of several studies, parate as possible from the road network. role in equipping motorcycles with ABS as freight bicycles could account for around We will be relying on state and municipal standard. Finally, we have focused on esta- governments to implement this initiative. blishing a safe infrastructure. One examp- 50 percent of all motorized goods transport I want cyclists to feel safe on our roads. le is the information we have published in in cities in the future. However, the more Therefore we have made changes to the partnership with federal states, giving con- cyclists there are on the roads, the harder German Road Traffic Act, e.g. implemen- crete recommendations to make motorcyc- it will be to nd a suitable way of appor- ting a requirement for drivers to keep a di- le routes safer – e.g. by using safety barrier tioning the available road space – a divi- stance of 1.5 meters when overtaking cyc- posts with rounded edges instead of sharp lists in built-up areas. We have also laid the ones. sion that still heavily favors cars in many groundwork for the establishment of bicycle Every one of us in this society has a areas of the world. Another source of po- zones, and introduced a general no-stop- duty to uphold and maintain road safety. tential conict is also emerging alongside ping restriction for designated bike lanes. DEKRA’s contribution to this cause is inva- this familiar “battleground”: the increase in Also, we have introduced a new regulati- luable.

1885 Daimler Reitwagen (first motorcycle) 1894 1895 First series Ogden Bolton motorcycle by (USA) files first Hildebrand & patent for “new Wolfmüller and useful improvement in electrical bicycles”

1800 | | | | 1860 | | | | 1870 | | | | 1880 | | | | 1890 | | | | 1900

6 | 7 Introduction

The DEKRA Micro Mobility Standard: Safety for E-Scooters and Similar Vehicles Current safety standards and regulations a service” providers such as e-scooter ➍ IT security and data protection: for the use of new mobility options differ rental companies, and towns and cities Data security, network security, data pro- not just from one country to the next, but where such rental services are available. tection. often even from city to city. Regulations on ➎ the safety of these options play a key role. DEKRA’s experts put the following eight ar- Training and user conduct: While many see micro-mobility as one of eas under the microscope – depending on the User training via app/online, recommen- the pillars of the mobility concepts of the local legal requirements, where applicable: dations for safety gear (helmet), informa- tion on applicable road use regulations, future, the new vehicles also add new risks ❶ Technical design of the vehicles: Frame responsible marketing. to traffic situations that are already very and wheels, brakes, lights, handling, elec- complicated. trical safety, battery safety, pollution, elec- ➏ Vehicle use: Provision of the vehicles, As a comprehensive approach to safe- tromagnetic compatibility, functional safety, incorporation into local transport net- ty and sustainability for e-scooters and wireless connections. works, accident reporting and investiga- tion, environmental standards. similar vehicles, DEKRA has drawn up a ➋ Production, transport, and assembly of standard for safe micro-mobility. E-scoot- the vehicles, plus placement into circulation ➐ Maintenance and storage: er rental company Circ, which has since based on a general type approval: Quali- Maintenance intervals for vehicles and been taken over by Bird, was an import- ty management, health and safety at work, charging infrastructure, damage report- ant partner during this process. The stan- environmental protection. ing and repairs, feedback for vehicle de- dard covers more than 120 individual in- velopment, employee training, safety at ➌ spection points, which are split into eight Authorities, insurance, and infrastruc- work, fire protection. different areas. The system assesses the ture: Insurance coverage, marked/per- mobility options from every important per- mitted parking areas, geo-fencing (e.g. in ➑ Recycling: spective. The main target groups for these order to prevent use in pedestrianized ar- Life cycle, recycling of materials, reuse of bundled expert services are “Mobility as eas), age limit for users. parts.

micro-mobility, which is the term used lowing chapters of this report will go into to refer to people using personal light detail on what action can be taken to electric vehicles such as e-scooters THE signi cantly reduce this risk for the and self-balancing vehicles such as various vehicle categories, from Segways to get around. LIMITS SET e-scooters, bicycles, and pedelecs to small mopeds, mopeds, and e fact is, as road users with motorcycles. no cabin to protect them, riders BY DRIVING of two-wheeled vehicles are al- In this context, it seems sensi- ways in danger of suering severe DYNAMICS ble to take a moment to familiarize or even fatal injury if they become ourselves with a few of the physical involved in a single-vehicle accident or peculiarities of two-wheeled vehicles as a collision with another vehicle. e fol- a mode of transport. For example, why do

1907 1914 1915 to 1922 1935 1938 DKW introduces the 125 Construction of Medical officer In 1915, the Autoped Launch of the ccm cubic capacity class as stan- the oldest bicycle Dr. Eric Gardner Company manufactures telescopic dard, followed by the develop- path in Germany, makes the first pro- a pedal scooter powered fork for BMW ment of larger capacity classes the Offenbacher tective headgear by a combustion engine motorbikes – after the Second World War Alleenring, begins for the motorbike or electric motor; Krupp still the most in 1907; the path race on the Isle of acquires the license and common features a segregat- Man using shellac continues producing the design today ed cycling facility. and canvas. model under the name “Krupp-Roller” in Germany from 1919 to 1922 (the first e-scooter).

1900 | 1910 | 1920 | 1930 | 1940 motorcycles and bicycles not fall over when traveling in a straight line? A er all, they are subject to the laws of gravi- ty, just like everything else in the world. Some motorcycles Dr. Walter Eichendorf weigh over 200 kilograms, yet they can still be ridden safe- President of the German ly. Some bicycles travel on tires with widths of no more than Road Safety Council (DVR) 20 millimeters, yet they remain safe and stable when in mo- tion and there is no concern about simply tipping over. Both motorcycles and bicycles stabilize themselves when travel- We Need to Make it Safer to use Two-Wheeled Vehicles ing at a suitable speed. is means that the rider does not Riding two-wheeled vehicles is every city. If we are to truly trans- constantly have to worry about keeping upright. dangerous, and is becoming form how our roads are used, we more dangerous. It makes little need to expand our (bicycle) infra- But how exactly does this work, what factors are required difference whether you’re trav- structure in a way that is intelligent for it to be eective, and what forces are at work in this sit- eling by motorcycle, moped, bi- and improves road safety. Only cycle, or pedelec – the numbers when cycling becomes objective- uation? One factor that aects the inherent stability of both of accidents and deaths have ly safer – and feels safer – will we motorcycles and bicycles is speed – both vehicles must be increased for every category. start seeing more people opt for traveling at a certain minimum speed in order to stabilize There are many reasons for this, this healthy and environmentally themselves. e rotation of the wheels generates what are but all these user groups have friendly mode of transport. known as gyroscopic forces, which keep the system stable one thing in common: they all Measures that enable more peo- have very little protection when ple to use motorized two-wheel- and return it to a stable condition for travel even when it is on the road. ers without sufficient experience aected by external factors. Anyone who uses a bicycle on the road or adequate training to get around, especially in cit- do not help with this issue. This Another eect that helps stabilize two-wheeled vehi- ies, will notice that the infra- includes the option that has been structure has often not been de- forced through in many states al- cles is trail – the distance between the theoretical point at signed with their safety in mind. lowing 15-year-olds to drive mo- which the steering axis intersects the ground and the actual Increasingly crowded roads, cy- peds. We urgently need to intro- point at which the front tire touches the ground (see illus- cle paths and lanes that are too duce measures that will prevent tration, below). e larger the trail, the more stable the ve- narrow, too scarce, or blocked holders of Class B drivers’ licens- hicle will be when traveling in a straight line; however, ve- by parked cars, and unsuitable es from driving Class A1 light mo- junction designs lead to dicey sit- torcycles – maximum displace- hicles with large trails such as “chopper”-style motorcycles uations every day. ment 125 ccm, max. 15 hp and The approval of e-scooters for speeds of over 100 km/h – until use on roads has made the prob- they have undergone appropriate lem worse. E-scooter riders often training and passed an indepen- travel in twos or threes are fre- dent test. Angle of steering head quently under the influence of al- If we want to reduce the num- cohol, and often ride on the side- ber of injuries and deaths on our The trail and walk even though this is illegal. roads in the long term, the safety the angle of the It is obvious that many users do of users of two-wheeled vehicles steering head play not know the rules, or are simply needs to be taken more seriously an important role unwilling to act responsibly. at every level of the German po- As a result, we urgently need to litical system. Having approved in the stability and introduce a comprehensive traf- Vision Zero in the coalition agree- agility of a two- fic monitoring system, including a ment, we now need to truly com- wheeled vehicle. Trail bicycle squad for police forces in mit to implementing it!

1965 1968 1969 First motorcycle with 1976 1979 Luud Schimmel- Development front hydraulic disc brakes Wearing a helmet First hydraulic an- pennink launches of the Trott (Honda CB750 Four) becomes a legal ti-dive systems for the first attempt at helmet by requirement individual motor- a bicycle sharing Karl-Heinz in Germany for mo- cycles launched system in Amster- Trott (first torcycles > 20 km/h, by Kawasaki and dam. bicycle hel- extended to mopeds Garelli; shortly met for mass and small mopeds in followed by sports) 1978 series production by Suzuki and Yamaha

1960 | | | | 1970 | | | | 1980

8 | 9 Introduction

Classification of Bicycles and E-Bikes/Pedelecs/Speed Pedelecs/(Light) Motorcycles also require a larger steering force. A Legal frame- Legal Key technical small trail makes a vehicle more nimble Designation work classification classification criteria and agile, i.e. easier to steer, but such ve- Bicycle Exempt from regulations • Mode of transport powered by muscle power hicles are also less stable and more “jit- for motor vehicles • No (auxiliary) drive tery” in terms of their response when Special regulations traveling in straight lines at high speeds. Pedelec (25) Reg. (EU) 168/2013 • Bicycle with pedal drive and pedal assistance When a two-wheeled vehicle tilts on its = Bicycle In acc. with Article 2, Para. 2: • Electric auxiliary motor with max. continuous rated longitudinal axis, the trail exerts a force power/effective power: ≤ 250 W Exempt from Regulation against the direction of the tilt at the • Assistance is: German Road Traffic Act Bicycle - Interrupted when the rider stops pedaling point where the front tire touches the (StVG) - Reduced progressively as the vehicle’s speed increases ground. For example, if a bicycle tilts to In acc. with Section 1, Para 3: - Interrupted before the vehicle reaches a speed of 25 km/h the right, a force will be exerted towards Not a motor vehicle acc. • Electric motor assistance for start-up/pushing to StVG that enables acceleration of up to 6 km/h even the le at the point where its front tire without pedaling touches the ground, allowing the front ◂▸ Speed pedelec Reg. (EU) 168/2013 • Cycles designed for pedal power and equipped with an wheel to turn to the right on its steering (25) In acc. with Article 4, Annex I: auxiliary drive*, the main purpose of which is to assist the function of the pedals axis (in the direction of travel). = Light Light, two-wheeled motor vehicle • Auxiliary drive power interrupted when vehicle reaches a motorcycle speed of 25 km/h Subclass L1e-A Both the trail and the gyroscop- • Max. continuous rated power/effective power: ≤ 1,000 W Bicycle with drive ic forces keep bicycles and motorcy- Small moped – Motorcycle/ • Small moped: ≤ 25 km/h / ≤ 250 W cles stable when they are traveling in Bicycle with auxiliary motor • Combustion engine: ≤ 50 cm3 straight lines. In this situation, the two In acc. with Section 4, German eects overlap. Due to the higher speeds Driving License Regulation (FeV) they travel at, motorcycles usually gen- Light small moped (subclass) • Light small moped: ≤ 20 km/h / ≤ 500 W erate greater gyroscopic forces than bi- 3 Light Small Moped Exemption • Combustion engine: ≤ 30 cm cycles. At speeds of 25 to 30 km/h and Regulation (Leichtmofa- AusnahmeVO) over, a motorbike will stabilize itself, (for Section 6, Para. 1, StVG) and would not tip over without a rider. Speed pedelec (45) Reg. (EU) 168/2013 • Max. speed by design: ≤ 45 km/h On a bicycle, the trail plays a bigger role. = Light motorcycle In acc. with Article 4, Annex I: • Max. continuous rated power/effective power: ≤ 4,000 W In addition to the two aforementioned Motor vehicle Class L1e – Light, two- • Combustion engine: ≤ 50 cm3 eects, however, stability is also aect- wheeled motor vehicle ed by the shape of the bike, its overall Light motorcycle Reg. (EU) 168/2013 • Max. continuous rated power/effective power: ≤ 11 kW mass, the distribution of this mass, and In acc. with Annex I: • Power-to-weight ratio: ≤ 0.1 kW/kg the width and shape of its tires. As such, Class L3e-A1 – • Combustion engine: ≤ 125 cm3 Two-wheeled motorcycle all these factors need to be taken into with low power account by designers and riders alike Motorcycle Reg. (EU) 168/2013 • Two-wheeled vehicle that cannot be classified as Class L1e in order to help improve safety for two- In acc. with Article 4, Annex I: wheeled vehicles – all around the world. Class L3e – Two-wheeled motorcycle * Not a pedelec if fitted with a combustion engine or hybrid drive Source: DEKRA

1988 1990 1992 Traction control for motor- 1995 1996 1997 2000 Anti-lock brak- First use of cycles (Honda Pan European) The world’s first First motorcycle Cyclists in BMW C1, the ing system for the pedelec successful bicycle to be fitted with Germany first two-wheeled motorcycles principle renting system a combined are permitted vehicle with an (BMW K 100) (Yamaha is launched in braking system, to cycle on enclosed design Power Assist Copenhagen, ABS, and traction the road on to protect the System) with a pool of control (Honda routes with no driver 300 bikes ST 1100) bicycle path.

1985 | | | | 1990 | | | | 1995 | | | | 2000 | | | | 2005 | | | | 2010 | | | | 2015 | | | | 2020 Understanding the Physics Involved Also Makes Cornering Safer for Motorcyclists.

Antonio Avenoso Executive Director, European Transport Safety Council (ETSC)

The Rise of e-Scooter Sharing Schemes Is a Particular Concern for the Road Safety Community

It is still not clear what effect the increasing At the moment, there is a legislative gap ETSC’s recommendations to EU Member use and popularity of e-scooters has and in regulating e-scooters as they are covered States: will have on road safety. Some of the poten- by neither EU regulation on type approval, • Legislate highway code rules for tial road safety challenges related to e-scoot- nor national legislation in many European e-scooters; ers, which can go at up to 25 km/h, are the countries. • Add new field categories in police conflicts with pedestrians, especially when Currently, there is no reliable data in Eu- reports to distinguish collisions involv- e-scooters are ridden on sidewalks, possible rope on collisions involving e-scooters that ing e-scooters and electrically assisted conflicts with cyclists when using cycling infra- resulted in road deaths or serious injuries. bicycles; structure, and with motorized vehicle drivers Data collection is hindered by the fact that • Collect data on serious and fatal when sharing the road, as these drivers might e-scooters are mostly not regulated under collisions involving an e-scooter. face difficulties noticing a small but fast-mov- the traffic code and not even categorized ETSC’s recommendations to EU institu- ing e-scooter rider. E-scooter riders might be as vehicles. In cases where collisions with tions: affected more than other road users by road e-scooters do not involve a motorized vehi- • Conduct research on the road safety infrastructure defects such as potholes. cle, police may not be called to the scene implications of e-scooters and electri- All these issues require data and re- and, as a result, such collisions might not cally assisted cycles, including infra- search. In the meantime, it is important to be registered in the police database. structure needs; define traffic regulations on space shar- Even in cases where the police are • Consider developing guidance on ing: whether e-scooters should compete for called, there is no field in the police report managing safety aspects of personal space on sidewalks with pedestrians, share form indicating e-scooters as a vehicle cat- e-scooters based on existing European cycling paths with cyclists, or use roads to- egory involved in a collision, which further best practice. gether with motorized traffic. limits data collection.

2005 2006/07 2009 2014 2017 Start of the e-scooter 2019 E-scooters Lithium batteries Motorcycle First brake-by- Electronic Motorcy- boom in the EU and the USA approved for use on reach market airbag wire system cle Stability Control German roads from maturity, leading (Honda (Honda CBR (MSC), KTM 1190 June 2019. to a boom in the Gold Wing) 600/1000) Adventure in partner- Regulations: Type sales of e-bikes. ship with Bosch approval, maximum speed 20 km/h, minimum age 14, no drivers’ license required

1985 | | | | 1990 | | | | 1995 | | | | 2000 | | | | 2005 | | | | 2010 | | | | 2015 | | | | 2020

10 | 11 Accident Statistics

Users of Two-Wheeled Vehicles at Particularly High Risk of Being Involved in an Accident

Although the number of car and truck drivers killed in road accidents has been on a constant decline for years in many parts of the world, the number of users of two-wheeled vehicles who are killed on the road has remained stable, and in some cases even increased. Given this situation, urgent action is required. Since there is virtually no scope for optimizing the intrinsic safety of a vehicle like a motorcycle – or especially a bicycle – itself, we need to focus on active safety systems.

otorcycle, moped, bicycle, pedelec, or ly enough to cause injury on its own, a cyclist’s Me-scooter – whenever any kind of two- body is still at risk of further injury when it falls wheeled vehicle is involved in an accident, the to the ground. consequences for the users are o en dev- astating. is is because, unlike Likewise, in collisions that involve a car and a cars, vans, and trucks, such motorcyclist, the force of the impact acts direct- ASIA vehicles do not have a ly upon the motorcyclist. Due to the signi cant crumple zone. Even if dierence in mass, users of two-wheeled vehicles HAS THE a car – the most com- are also subject to signi cant deceleration or ac- mon second party in celeration. In addition to this, motorcycles gen- HIGHEST FIGURES accidents – is driv- erally reach the limits of their stability in terms ing comparatively of their driving dynamics much faster than a ve- IN THE WORLD slowly, a collision hicle like a car. will o en result FOR CYCLISTS AND in very severe in- is “mismatch” between riders of two- jury. A er col- wheeled vehicles and other users of motorized MOTORCYCLISTS liding against the vehicles is reected markedly in the internation- hard shell of the ve- al accident statistics, alongside many other fac- KILLED ON THE hicle, which is usual- tors. According to data published by the Insti- ROAD. 1 Motorcyclist Deaths 200,000

150,000 166,290

100,000 50,000

Deaths 32,165

25,000 18,430 7,875 Africa America Asia Europe 0 1990 1992 1994 1996 1998 2000 2002 2004 2006 2008 2010 2012 2014 2016 Year Source: IHME

2 Cyclist Deaths 60,000

40,000 51,500

20,000 10,000 6,685 Deaths

5,000 6,010 4,265

Africa America Asia Europe 0 1990 1992 1994 1996 1998 2000 2002 2004 2006 2008 2010 2012 2014 2016 Year tute for Health Metrics and Evaluation (IHME) Source: IHME at the University of Washington in Seattle, ap- proximately 225,000 motorcyclists and around 3 69,000 cyclists worldwide lost their lives in road Motorcyclist Deaths by Population accidents in 2017. Combined, these gures ac- 5 count for around a quarter of all the 1.25 million Africa America Asia Europe road fatalities. In terms of both motorcyclists 4 and cyclists, Asia recorded the highest number of deaths by far: around 166,000 and 51,500 re- 3 spectively. ese numbers have been on an up- ward trend for years, especially for cyclists – 2 though thankfully the number of motorcyclist Deaths per 100,000 inhabitants 1 deaths has been dropping again since 2012 (Fig- ures 1 and 2). In terms of percentages, the big- 1990 1992 1994 1996 1998 2000 2002 2004 2006 2008 2010 2012 2014 2016 Year gest increase globally has been among cyclists Source: IHME aged between 50 and 69. e number of people 4 in this demographic who were killed on the road Cyclist Deaths by Population rose from 9,400 to 23,900 between the years 1.2 1990 and 2017, increasing almost two and a half times. e gures for motorcyclists are similar. 1.0

e extent of the risk of being killed while 0.8 riding a two-wheeled vehicle – motorized or otherwise – in Asia becomes even clearer when 0.6 evaluated in terms of deaths per 100,000 inhab- Deaths per 100,000 inhabitants Africa America Asia Europe itants (Figures 3 and 4). Almost four motorcy- 0.4 clists and 1.14 cyclists per 100,000 inhabitants 1990 1992 1994 1996 1998 2000 2002 2004 2006 2008 2010 2012 2014 2016 Year are killed on the roads in Asia – two gures that Source: IHME

12 | 13 Accident Statistics 5 7 6 Deaths inRoadAccidentstheUSA Comparison ofDeathsinRoadAccidents

Deaths per 100,000 inhabitants Total deaths Deaths inRoadAccidentstheEU Total deaths 20,000 30,000 40,000 50,000 60,000 30,000 35,000 40,000 45,000 50,000 10,0 12,0 14,0 16,0 0,0 2,0 4,0 6,0 8,0 IN THEEU WEREUSERS OFTWO-WHEELED MOTORVEHICLES. IN 2017,AROUND 18PERCENTOFPEOPLEKILLED ONTHEROAD 10 12 14 16

4 6 8

2000 2000 1990

2000 Dia.

Total deaths 2001 1992

EU v USA - fatality fatality rate per 100.000 8: EU v - USA Total deaths 2002 2002

2002 1994 2003 1996

2004 fat. Ratefat. EU-28

20042004

all road user road all 1998 2005 2006 2000

2006

Year 2006 Year 2002

2008

Two-wheeled motorvehicles 2007 Bicycles

Two-wheeled motorvehicles 2004 Bicycles

Year 2008 2008 2010 2006

2008 fat. Ratefat. USA 20102009

2012 2010 2010

2012 2012 2011 2014 2014

20142012

Sources:CARE,IRTAD

Sources: CARE,IRTAD 2016 2016 2013 USA EU

0 1,000 2,000 3,000 4,000 5,000 6,000 7,000 8,000 9,000 0 1,000 2,000 3,000 4,000 5,000 6,000 Sources: IRTAD

20162014

2015 Fatalities among cyclistsand users of two-wheeled motor vehicles Fatalities among cyclists and users of two-wheeled motor vehicles 2016

all three classes hasall stagnated (Figure 6). years. Since 2013,however, number the of deaths in motor vehicles have decreasing constantly been for forand speci cally cyclists and users of two-wheeled number of deaths among road both users ingeneral positive. in 2008aside, toseems be rise the Asmall (Figure 5).At rst glance, situation the EU inthe numberthe of fatal road accidents early inthe 2000s motorcyclists, for whom there was adramatic in rise road accidents as awhole. is applies to especially signi cant change number inthe in of people killed samethe level as 30years ago there a has while been onof road the cyclists USA remains killed inthe at interesting number the reading. speaking, Generally trendsson between USAand inthe EUmakes the for In terms of fatalities among road users, acompari- COMPARING THEUSAANDEU ACCIDENT STATISTICS WORLDWIDE: spectively). are far above average global the (2.95and 0.9re - cord low of 4.9(Figure 7). inhabitants EU the registered in 2017, while a re - of 11.4deaths inroad trac accidents 100,000 per ing an increase USArecorded in 2016,the a gure 18.2 road fatalities 100,000inhabitants. per Follow- ure published by WHO the for was 2016, which ever, number this well g- isbelow still global the cidents 100,000inhabitants per than EU. the How- USAnowthe suers many more deaths inroad ac- cent over to 37,100. same the period, a droped in road fatalities of just under twelve per almost 55 percent to 25,300. e USA only record- EUhad2017, the managed to reduce gure this by EU, compared to just under USA.By 42,000 inthe 2000 there were around 56,000 road fatalities in the is wasn’t always As case. the recently as year the on road the in USAthanthe EU in sincethe 2010. er population of two, the more people have died year was 326million. Yet despite having- small the lion people USA’s in2017;the population same the EUwerethe home to atotal of around- 511mil In terms of population, 28states the that make up DEATHS ONTHEROADHIGHER BUT TRAFFICLEVELSAND USA’S POPULATION SMALLER, 2017

As aresult,

-

The number of motorcy- clists killed on the road in the USA has risen in recent years.

Dia. 9: USA v EU - passenger kilometres in billion In order to create a reference to vehicle usage, 8 Mileage Comparison pkm all road user we need to compare these gures with the respec- tive trac volumes. e ocial gures for the main 90009,000 types of personal transport – car, bus, and motor- cycle – were published by Eurostat for the EU and 80008,000 the U.S. Department of Transportation for the USA, 70007,000 and are illustrated in the graph in Figure 8. e traf- USA c volume for these modes of transport was much EU higher in the USA than in EU countries, reaching a 60006,000 peak of almost 8.4 billion passenger kilometers in Passenger kilometers in billions 2017. In the same year, the EU recorded over 5.5 50005,000 billion passenger kilometers. As a result, Figure 9 shows a surprising trend: In terms of road fatalities 40004,000 2000 2002 2004 2006 2008 2010 2012 2014 2016 in relation to actual number of kilometers traveled, Year the USA’s numbers for the last 17 years are better 2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 Sources:2011 Eurostat,2012 U.S.2013 Department2014 2015 of Transportation2016 2017 than those of the EU countries; however, they have USA: passenger kilometres only road been stagnating since 2009, remaining at an almost 9 Dia. 10: USA v EU - fatalities per billion pkm constant level and even rising occasionally during Deaths in Road Accidentsall by road Mileage user this period. On average, 4.4 people per billion pas- 12,0012 senger kilometers died on roads across the USA in 2017 while using one of the aforementioned modes 10,0010 of transport. Despite a slight increase in the number USA of kilometers traveled, the same gure has been on EU 8,00 8 a constant decrease in the EU since the year 2000, Deaths reaching a record low of 4.6 road fatalities per bil- 6,00 6 lion passenger kilometers in 2017. So the EU and

the USA are on roughly equal footing in terms of 4,00per billion passenger kilometers 4 this statistic. 2,00 2 2000 2002 2004 2006 2008 2010 2012 2014 2016 201 2 2000 200 1 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2013 2014 2015 2016 2017 USA: fatalaties per billion pkm EU-28: fatalaties per billion pkm 0,00 Year Sources: Eurostat, U.S. Department of Transportation

14 | 15 Accident Statistics

Dia. 11: USA v EU - road traffic fatalities 10 only powered two-wheelers FAR HIGHER MORTALITY RATE FOR Deaths Among Users of Two-Wheeled Motor Vehicles USERS OF TWO-WHEELED MOTOR 90009,000 VEHICLES IN THE USA THAN IN THE EU 8,000 8000 If we look at the gures for motorcyclists, we can USA 7,000 see that there was a signi cant increase in fatal 7000 EU road accidents for this group in the USA between 6,000 2017: 6000 5,172 2000 and 2007, followed by a slight upward trend 50005,000 since. Since 2007, this number has uctuated be- tween 4,500 and 5,500 per year (Figure 10). In 40004,000 2017: 4,523 terms of total road accidents in the USA, users of 30003,000 two-wheeled motor vehicles account for around 14

Deaths among users of two-wheeled motor vehicles percent of all fatalities. While it is true that most 20002,000 of those who die in road accidents in the country

2000 2002 2004 2006 2008 2010 2012 2014 2016 are traveling by car, the increase in the number of Year 2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015 Sources: CARE,201 6 IRTAD2017 deaths among users of two-wheeled motor vehicles is still extremely concerning. USA: fatalities PTW EU-28: fatalities PTW If we compare the USA to the EU (Figure 10), 11 Dia. 12: EU v USA - fatality rate per 1.000.000 we can see that the number of users of two-wheeled Deaths by Populationonly powered two-wheelers vehicles who died on the road in the EU fell at a 1919 relatively constant rate up until 2013; the gure 1717 almost halved between 2000 and 2017, dropping from around 8,000 to 4,500. Here too, however, 1515 the number of road accident fatalities among mo- torcyclists and moped users has stagnated since 1313 USA 2013. Around 18 percent of all trac fatalities in EU 1111 2017 were users of two-wheeled vehicles. Most of per million inhabitants these were in Italy, France, and Germany. South- 9 9 ern European countries such as Spain and Greece

Deaths among users of two-wheeled motor vehicles 7 7 where two-wheeled vehicles are traditionally more common on the roads should also be highlighted. 2000 2002 2004 2006 2008 2010 2012 2014 2016 5 Year When we take population size into account, the fol- Sources: CARE, IRTAD

2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015 2016 2017 lowing pattern emerges: In the USA, the number of

fat. Rate EU-28 motorcyclists killed on the road per million inhab- itants rose from 10 to 17 between 2000 and 2008, 12 Deaths byDia. Mileage 14: USA v EU - fatalities PTW per billion pkm and has uctuated between 14 and 16 ever since. only powered two-wheelers Over the same period, EU countries have record- 180180 ed a relatively constant decline from more than 16 160160 motorcyclists killed on the road per million inhab- 140140 itants to 9 in 2013. Since this point, the number has

120120 stagnated at this level (Figure 11).

100100 USA e high number of motorcyclists killed on the 8080 EU road in the USA is especially shocking if we take 6060 a closer look at mileage: Motorcycle usage is three

40per billion passenger kilometers 40 times higher in the EU than the USA, yet the num-

2020 ber of motorcyclists killed on the roads is current- Deaths among users of two-wheeled motor vehicles ly higher in the USA. However, the USA also saw 0 0 usage of two-wheeled motor vehicles on its roads 200 7 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015 2016 2017 2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2000 2002 2004 2006 2008 2010 2012 2014 2016 USA: fatalities PTW Yearper billion PTW pkm almost double between 2000 and 2008, which ex- EU-28: fatalities PTW per billion PTW pkm Sources: CARE, IRTAD plains the increase in fatalities over this period. e numbers of deaths di er accordingly based on the trac volume. In the USA, around 137 people per billion kilometers traveled by motorcycle died in 2017, while the EU’s number for the same period was just 36. is makes the fatality rate for the USA three and a half times higher than that of the EU. Furthermore, the number of deaths in relation to trac volume has declined continuously between 2000 and 2017 in the EU, while stagnating and even rising slightly in the USA over the same period (Figure 12).

One reason for this trend in the USA is un- doubtedly the fact that many states have been re- laxing legislation requiring riders to wear helmets ever since the late 1970s. ere are currently only 19 states that require all riders to wear helmets by law. In 29 states, this requirement only applies to a certain demographic (18 to 21-year-olds), and in some cases also to newly licensed drivers. In Iowa and Illinois, riders of two-wheeled motor vehicles are not required to wear a helmet at all. According to data published by the National Highway Trac Safety Administration (NHTSA), 5,172 motorcy- Accidents involving a car and a clists lost their lives on the road in the USA in 2017. cyclist often occur at junctions. 39 percent of these people were not wearing a hel- years. Today, the over-50s are the most at-risk demo- met at the time of the accident. Driving under the graphic, accounting for around 36 percent of all mo- inuence of alcohol is also a serious problem. 28 torcycle fatalities. e under-30s are in second place, percent of the fatalities had a blood-alcohol level of with 28 percent. Experts in the USA estimate that at least 0.08 percent at the time of the accident. For the reasons for this increase among older motorcy- single-vehicle accidents, this gure was even high- clists (whose fatalities – 91 percent of over-50s and er at 42 percent. 97 percent of over-70s – are overwhelmingly male) stem from overcondence. A person who used to e increasing popularity of motorcycles, partic- ride a motorcycle a lot in their youth before taking a ularly among “older” road users, has un- long break, perhaps due to having a family, doubtedly also le its mark. Where may enjoy the same sense of freedom motorcyclists aged 30 and un- when rediscovering the vehicle der were at particular- later in life, but will no lon- ly high risk of su ering ger possess the same expe- a fatal accident in the THE RISK OF rience, reaction speed, 1970s, accounting or general tness lev- for 80 percent of all BEING KILLED el. e risk may also motorcycle fatal- be compounded by ities, this pattern ON THE ROAD IS the ability to a ord has changed dra- a large, powerful matically in recent MUCH HIGHER FOR motorcycle. MOTORCYCLISTS THAN FOR CAR USERS.

16 | 17 Accident Statistics

13 Dia. 15: EU v USA - road traffic fatalities Cyclist Deaths only bicycle 4.0004,000 3.500 SIGNIFICANTLY MORE CYCLISTS KILLED EU 3.0003,000 USA ON THE ROAD IN THE EU THAN IN THE USA 2.500 2017: 2,100 e number of road users killed while riding a bi- 2.0002,000 cycle has always been higher in the EU than in the

1.500Cyclist Deaths USA. e main reason for this is that the use of bicy- 2017: cles as a means of transport has thus far been much 800 1.0001,000 less widespread in the USA. As with the overall g- 500 ures, there has been a constant decrease in the num- ber of cyclists who have suered a fatal accident in 0 0 the EU in terms of the long-term statistics. How- 2000 2002 2004 2006 2008 2010 2012 2014 2016 2003 2004 2005 2006 2010 2011 2012 2015 2016 2017 2000 2001 2002 2007 Year2008 2009 2013 2014 ever, this gure has remained stagnant at almost fatalities EU-28 fatalities USA Sources: CARE, IRTAD 2,100 since as far back as 2010. Estimates also place the number of cyclists killed on the road in 2017 at Dia. 16: EU v USA - fatality rate per 1.000.000 14 2,100. Germany accounts for the largest number of Cyclist Deaths by Populationonly bicycle the EU’s bicycle fatalities by some distance, followed 8 8 by Italy, Poland, Romania, France, and the Neth- 7 erlands. e number of cyclists killed in road ac- EU 6 6 cidents in the USA was around 800 in 2017, with USA the trend rising slightly. is gure has remained al- 5 most constant since 2000 (Figure 13). Accordingly, 4 4 the cyclist fatality rate for 2000 was 2.4 per million

Cyclist deaths 3 inhabitants. is level will be reached again in 2017.

per million inhabitants In the EU, the rate fell from 7.5 in 2000 to 4.1 in 2 2 2017 (Figure 14). 1 ACCIDENT STATISTICS 0 0

2000 2002 2004 2006 2008 2010 2012 2014 2016 IN GERMANY 2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015 2016 2017 Year 200 9 fat. Rate EU-28 fat. Rate USA Sources: CARE, IRTAD With regard to accident statistics for two-wheeled vehicles in Germany (Figure 15), a welcome down- ward trend can be seen, at least when comparing 2019 to 2018. In total, 129,207 users of two-wheeled vehicles were involved in accidents on German roads – 4.5 percent fewer than in 2018, when the 15 Motorcyclists and Cyclists Involved in Accidents in 2019 number was 135,103. e number of motorcy- clists involved in accidents fell almost nine percent from 31,419 to 27,927, with the number of fatali- Motorcycles ties dropping from 619 to 542. A total of 13,925 us- with insurance plates ers of two-wheeled motor vehicles with an insur- 11% ance plate were involved in road accidents in 2019. One year earlier, the gure was 14,792. 63 users of two-wheeled motor vehicles with insurance plates Total: lost their lives – 15 fewer than in 2018. e num- Motorcycles 129,207 with ber of cyclists involved in road accidents in 2019 fell license plates Bicycles including around one percent compared to the previous year, 22% pedelecs from 88,880 to 87,342. e number of deaths in this 67% group remained the same, at 445. 118 of these cas- es were pedelec users, compared to only 89 in 2018. is means that the number of pedelec users who died on German roads increased by a whopping 67+Source: German2211w Federal Statistical Office 32 percent. As the German Federal Statistical O ce wrote of those killed in an accident in 2019 were between in its 2019 annual report on motorcycle and bicy- 15 and 24 years old. e reason for this is obvi- cle road accidents, the comparative risk of being in- ous: Young motorcyclists oen have little experi- volved in a road accident is higher for users of mo- ence on the road, and also tend not to know their torcycles than of other motor vehicles. In 2019, six own limits. Aside from young people, the elderly motorcyclists per 1,000 o cially registered motor- were the most likely to suer an accident on a light cycles with license plates were involved in an ac- motorcycle: 28.6 percent of fatally injured users of cident, as opposed to ve car users per 1,000 cars. light motorcycles were aged 65 or older. is g- e risk of being killed in a road accident was also ure was even higher among cyclists, with this age signicantly higher for users of motorcycles with group accounting for more than half of all fatali- license plates than for occupants of cars, at 12 fa- ties (Figure 16). talities per 100,000 motorcycles compared to three fatalities per 100,000 cars. ese gures underline As stated by the German Federal Statistical Of- the fact that motorcycles come with a higher over- ce in its annual report on road accidents in Ger- all risk of injury than cars, and also that the conse- many for 2019, 31 percent of those involved in ac- quences of accidents are more severe for users of cidents and almost 27.5 of motorcycle users killed motorcycles with a license plate than for occupants in accidents suered their injuries in single-vehi- of cars. In 2019, the comparative risk of being killed cle accidents. In collisions involving a motorcyclist while riding a motorcycle that requires a license and another road user, the second party was a car plate was actually more than four times higher in almost 81 percent of cases. In more than 26,200 than for occupants of cars – despite the fact that the collisions of this type, 1,653 occupants of cars and mileage covered by motorcyclists was much lower. 22,036 motorcycle users were injured. is means that around 93 percent of the victims of these acci- Motorcyclists are also at a much higher risk dents were motorcyclists or their passengers, even when newly licensed: 35.4 percent of motorcycle though 68 percent of these accidents were caused users involved in an accident and over 18 percent by car drivers.

16 Motorcyclist and Cyclist Deaths by Age Group 2019 261 150 Motorcycles with insurance plates Motorcycles with license plates Bicycles incl. pedelecs 118

97 100 94

74 77 70 Deaths 63

50 38

24 21 20 18 11 12 10 10 7 9 9 3 0 2 2 0 <15 15 – 17 18 – 24 25 – 34 35 – 44 45 – 54 55 – 64 65+ Age groups Source: German Federal Statistical Office

18 | 19 Accident Statistics

OVERCONFIDENCE IS A HUGE DANGER up areas. In total, this means that around 27 per- FOR MOTORCYCLISTS. cent of all the motorcyclists killed on the road lost their lives in accidents that did not involve other road users. In accidents involving two parties, the data shows that cars played the largest role as the second party. Taking into account all road classes, With regard to accidents that resulted in motor- almost 50 percent of these accidents were caused cyclist fatalities (Figure 17), single-vehicle accidents by the driver of the car. In total, almost a third of accounted for almost 28 percent of accidents in the accidents that resulted in motorcyclist fatalities built-up areas and almost 27 percent in non-built- were caused by the motorcyclist themselves.

17 Parties Involved in Accidents with Motorcyclists* in 2019

Single-vehicle accident 11.9% 4.0 Car 1 17.7% Motorcycle 1 27.7% 27% Bicycle Pedestrian 9.9% Goods vehicle 1.4 Bus Tractor 5.2 More than two 3.0 parties 0.5 Others 0 Built-up areas 5.4 Non-built-up areas 0 n=101 0 n=441 1.1 41.6% 2.5

* Motorcycle = motorized bicycle that must have a 39.2% license plate In accidents involving more than two parties, 70% of deaths caused by single-vehicle 66% of deaths caused by single-vehicle 90 motorcycle users lost their lives accident or collision with a car. accident or collision with a car. (built-up areas: 12, non-built-up areas: 78) Source: German Federal Statistical Office

18 Parties Involved in Accidents with Cyclists in 2019

Single-vehicle 4.0 0 1.2 4.6 accident 2.9 1.2 2.6 36.8% 0 20.2% Car 1.1 1.1 Motorcycle Bicycle 13.4% Pedestrian Goods vehicle 17.6% Bus 1.2 Tractor 2.3 Tram More than two Built-up areas 5.2 Non-built-up areas parties 0.7 n=272 n=173 Others 1.5 0.4 50.3% 31.3%

In accidents involving more than two parties, 19 cyclists lost their lives The majority of accidents (37%) were single-vehicle accidents, Around half of fatally injured cyclists were killed (built-up areas: 11, non-built-up areas: 8) 31% were collisions with cars, in collisions with cars. almost 18% were collisions with goods vehicles Source: German Federal Statistical Office

Alleinunfall Mot. Zweirad Pkw Bus Güter-Kfz Landw. Zm. Rad Straßenbahn Fußgänger Sonstige Most Common Types of Motorcycle Accidents Resulting in Personal Injury

In order to describe the sequence of Accident type 3 = Joining/crossing events for an accident, we need to accident: Accident triggered by look not only at information such as conflict between a road user who Of the 87,253 bicycle accidents resulting “cause of accident” (mistake on the should be waiting before joining in personal injury that were reported to the part of the road user or other contrib- or crossing a road and a vehicle police, almost 22.5 percent were single-ve- uting circumstances) and “nature of with the right of way on said road. hicle accidents. e most common second accident” (collision or running off the party in bicycle accidents was a car, account- road), but also at data on the “type of Accident type 4 = Pedestrian cross- accident” in question. This refers to the ing for around 64 percent of such accidents, ing accident: Accident triggered by traffic event or conflict situation from and in such cases the driver of the car was conflict between a pedestrian cut- which the accident arose. ting across a road and a vehicle the main cause of the accident 75 percent of An assessment of the GIDAS (Ger- on said road. the time. If we look at the bicycle accidents man In-Depth Accident Study) accident that resulted in cyclist fatalities (Figure 18), database conducted by DEKRA Acci- Accident type 5 = Accident due to dent Research for multiple years be- we can see the following pattern: Of the 173 stationary traffic: Accident trig- tween 2002 and 2018 produced the gered by conflict between a vehi- cyclists who lost their lives on roads in non- results shown in the graph below for cle in moving traffic and a vehicle built-up areas, 35 died in single-vehicle ac- motorcycle accidents resulting in per- that is stationary on the road, i.e. cidents. 87 died in accidents involving a car. sonal injury that involved vehicles with one that is parked or waiting. 51 of these accidents were caused by the cy- a displacement of more than 125 ccm: clist themselves. Particular note should also Accident type 6 = Accident in Accident type 1 = Driving accident: be taken of the single-vehicle accidents that Driver loses control of the vehicle as parallel traffic: Accident triggered occurred in built-up areas. Of the 272 cyclists a result of not selecting the correct by conflict between road users who lost their lives in such areas, 100 died in speed for the course, cross-section, in- traveling in the same or opposite accidents that did not involve any other par- cline, or condition of the road, or be- directions. ty. Cars were the most common second par- cause they did not notice a change in Accident type 7 = Other accident ty; the driver of the car was deemed to be the the course or cross-section of the road soon enough. main cause of the accident in 45 cases, and Across all accident types, motor- the cyclist in 40 cases. e analysis shows Accident type 2 = Turning accident: cyclists are particularly susceptible that much more emphasis needs to be placed Accident triggered by conflict between to injuries to the upper and low- on preventing single-vehicle accidents. e a vehicle that is turning and a road er extremities; however, injuries to main objectives here are to improve the in- user approaching from the same or op- the spine and thorax were also rel- posite direction. atively common. frastructure, massively increase the number of cyclists who wear helmets, and provide training for pedelec use, especially for senior citizens. Distribution by Accident Type 30 Generally speaking, it should be noted that there is a high number of unreported cases. 27 Someone who falls o their bike and injures themselves will rarely call the police, and will usually opt to go to a doctor under their own 21 21 steam, even if severely injured. Even when an 20 18 ambulance is called, the police are not always notied. As a result, these single-vehicle ac-

cidents do not appear in the ocial statistics. Percentage

RAPID INCREASE IN ACCIDENTS 10 INVOLVING PEDELEC RIDERS 7

e pedelec (pedal electric cycle) has pre- 3 sented road users with a new form of mobil- 2 ity. e pedelec boom is well underway, and 0 the number of these vehicles on our roads is 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 rising continuously. In Germany, for exam- ple, a total of 5.4 million pedelecs were in use (n=1,105 cases) Source: DEKRA Accident Research/GIDAS

20 | 21 Accident Statistics

Burkhard Stork in 2019, compared to just 2.1 million in 2014 Federal Chair of the (Figure 19). Pedelec sales are also booming General German Bicycle Club (ADFC) in other countries. is should come as no surprise – aer all, many towns and cities are We Need Safe Roads for Everyone! promoting cycling heavily. However, both in Turning trucks are a potential death systems still need to be developed Germany and in other countries, the num- trap for cyclists. Every year, situa- further – in order to truly help, they ber of pedelec users involved in accidents tions such as this lead to 30 to 40 need to be able to execute an emer- has risen dramatically (Figure 20). deaths in Germany, as well as thou- gency braking maneuver. They also sands of serious injuries. Women, need to be made a legal require- It is no coincidence that pedelecs are popular senior citizens, and children are ment as soon as possible. We want among senior citizens. e assistance oered particularly likely to be the victims of politicians and administrators to pro- such accidents. We have been ap- vide safe junctions and separate by the built-in electric motor enables them pealing to politicians and industrial traffic light sequences so that motor to cycle further without over-exerting them- players for years to come up with vehicles and bicycles do not get in selves. is is reected clearly in the accident solutions to this problem. We tru- each other’s way as much. Last but statistics for this user group. 60 percent of the ly appreciate the pioneering work not least, we need everyone to be pedelec users killed in Germany in 2019 were of Mercedes in the development of as considerate as possible of unpro- turning assistants for trucks, which tected road users. As goods traffic over 70 years old. ose over 75 alone ac- has resulted in many other manufac- in our towns and cities increases, counted for almost 51 percent of pedelec fa- turers following suit. However, these we need safe roads for everyone! talities in 2019 (Figure 21).

Setting our Sights on the Blind Spot

When an unprotected road user collides yellow LEDs will light up in the A column gies, can be fitted to trucks cheaply and with a truck, it truly is a case of David on the co-driver's side. If the system sens- thus help to drastically reduce the risk of vs. Goliath. However, there is one ma- es a risk of collision, the LEDs will flash an accident. The huge demand for such jor difference between this situation and red and light up more intensely, and the systems among truck drivers was made the famous Bible story – on the road, Go- radio speaker to the driver’s right will is- clear by a promotional program that liath always wins. After all, cyclists and sue a warning sound. In addition to this, was launched in Germany, during which pedestrians have no chance when faced the sensors can detect stationary obsta- the entirety of the promotional stock was with the sheer mass of a truck. In 2018, cles such as traffic lights and street lights used up remarkably quickly. We can- for example, a total of 34 cyclists in Ger- in the turning circle of the truck when it is not recommend highly enough that oth- many lost their lives in accidents involv- turning. This prevents collisions not only er governments seek to repeat and repli- ing trucks that were turning right. on public roads, but also when the truck cate this initiative. New technological developments in is maneuvering on a parking lot, for ex- Section 5, Clause 8 of the German vehicles – such as the factory installa- ample. The comprehensive assistance this Road Traffic Act (StVO) remains a large tion or retrofitting of turning assistant system offers the driver is provided at all problem. According to this regulation, systems – are an important factor in pre- speeds – from when the truck is stationary cyclists and small moped users are per- venting such scenarios from occurring. (e.g. when waiting at a traffic light) up to mitted to overtake vehicles such as trucks However, a resolution issued by the EU the maximum speed limit. that are waiting in the right-hand lane on Commission has declared that turning In addition to such systems, however, the right, providing they do so at mod- assistants will not become a legal re- it is equally important to teach road us- erate speed and with the utmost care, quirement until 2022 for new truck vehi- ers about the dangers of the “blind spot” and that there is sufficient space for them cle types, and it will be 2024 before the – something DEKRA has been doing for to do so. It is the unreserved opinion of requirement applies to all new trucks. decades. On top of this, DEKRA has DEKRA that this regulation must be In accordance with the 9th Amendment been addressing cyclists directly since abolished, as the space to the right to the Long Truck Field Test (Feldversuch fall 2018 with large stickers for of a waiting truck can quickly be- Lang-Lkw), turning assistants became a trucks bearing the words, “Never come a death trap, as experi- legal requirement for new long trucks on overtake on the right!” This ap- ence has sadly demonstrated July 1, 2020, and the same requirement plies all the more at junctions far too often. This is because will come into effect for all long trucks when trucks are using their the sufficient space required – and thus for all existing vehicles – on turn signals to indicate when on the right to overtake a July 1, 2022. they are about to turn. truck only opens up when Back in 2016, Mercedes-Benz became There are now a wide the truck wants to turn the first manufacturer in the world to put range of products that can right and has thus posi- this type of personal detection system on be used to retrofit turning tioned itself slightly further the market. The system works on sever- assistants. These systems, to the left than usual. al levels. For example, if there is a cy- which are based on a va- clist in the warning zone, a triangle of riety of different technolo- 19 Growing Numbers of Pedelecs on the Road 6 5.4 UNDERESTIMATION 5 4.5

OF THE ENORMOUS 4 3.5 3.0 ACCELERATION AND 3 2.5 BRAKING POWER OF 2.1 PEDELECS IS ESPECIALLY Quantity in millions 2 COMMON AMONG 1 0 SENIOR C ITIZENS. 2014 2015 2016 2017 2018 2019 Year Source: ZIV

20 Accidents involving bicycle, pedelec, and speed But why is riding a pedelec so dangerous, especial- pedelec users ly for senior citizens? ere are a myriad of reasons 2017 2018 2019 2017 2018 2019 for this phenomenon. One of the main problems is Bicycle & pedelec only the fact that other road users oen drastically under- Bicycle estimate how fast a pedelec can move. In addition to Deaths 382 445 445 Deaths 314 356 327 this, older people are oen out of practice, as a lot of Severe injuries 14,124 15,530 15,176 Severe injuries 12,750 13,523 12,580 time has elapsed between when they were last on a Minor injuries 65,222 72,905 71,721 Minor injuries 61,549 67,249 63,812 conventional bicycle and their venture into the world Total involved Total involved of the pedelec. As a result, they oen underestimate in accidents 79,728 88,880 87,342 in accidents 74,613 81,057 76,719 the fast acceleration and high braking power, as they are not used to these features. On top of this, reac- Speed pedelec tion speed diminishes with age (due to problems with Pedelec only only sight or balance), as do the general physical abilities Deaths 68 89 118 Deaths 0 4 4 required for cycling. Likewise, older bodies are less Severe injuries 1,374 2,077 2,596 Severe injuries 144 145 81 capable of withstanding falls. Older people can be in- Minor injuries 3,673 5,657 7,909 Minor injuries 371 422 281 jured more easily – and, more importantly, more se- verely – than young cyclists if they fall, so even the Total involved Total involved in in accidents 5,115 7,823 10,623 accidents 515 571 366 smallest of tumbles can have fatal consequences. Source: German Federal Statistical Office

In light of the age distribution of the German pop- 21 ulation, this is likely to remain a challenge for many Ages of Pedelec Users Killed in 2019 years to come. In particular, those born during the baby boom years of 1975 and earlier are gradual- ly reaching the age where the likelihood of being se- 10 – 69 verely or fatally injured when riding a pedelec or a years old bicycle increases dramatically. In 2018, pedelec us- 39.8% ers aged 45 and over made up 93.2 percent of deaths 75+ on German roads. is age group also accounted for Total: years old 118 50.8% a large portion of the bicycle fatalities for that year – 79.5 percent. e percentage of pedelec users who 70 – 74 suered severe injuries on the road in 2018 that were years old aged 45 and over was similarly high, at 87.2 percent. 9.3% For severely injured cyclists, the gure was 58.6 per- cent. As such, urgent action is required if we are to put a stop to this trend. 51+Source: German940w Federal Statistical Office

22 | 23 Accident Statistics

Dr. Jörg Kubitzki Allianz Center for Technology (AZT), Safety Research

Innovative Urban Mobility? Cyclists and Pedestrians are Still Losing Out.

The number of bicycles on our roads has ures, such as the quality of the road net- But mobility is now more complex been increasing exponentially for years. works and traffic density. As such, we and variable. People are more spon- In light of this, an increase in the number should be cautious when using the afore- taneous, mixing conventional and in- of cyclists who are the main causes of ac- mentioned accident figures to point the novative modes of transport at short cidents is inevitable. Our calculations at finger of blame. The real problem goes notice. And all the time, the volume the AZT show that, in terms of absolute fig- much deeper. of traffic on our roads is increasing. ures, there has been a 17 percent in- If we take a closer look at the trend for Our infrastructure and safety tech- crease over the last ten years – as op- accidents according to the parties in- nology can no longer keep up with posed to a five percent decrease for car volved, it becomes clear that the promo- this trend. The German Environment

drivers and a 15 percent decrease for pe- tion of CO2-neutral mobility stands little Agency, transport associations, safe- destrians. It is true that traffic volume has chance of success if we do not adjust our ty committees, and even the Deutsche increased by 29 percent for cyclists and strategic focus. Collisions between cars Gesellschaft für Verkehrspsychologie three percent for pedestrians and cars are on the decline, while those between (German Society for Traffic Psycholo- over the same period. However, the num- two-wheeled vehicles and between a two- gy) are pushing for a more systemat- ber of cyclists per 1,000 people involved wheeled vehicle and a pedestrian are on ic approach that will help us to think in accidents involving personal injury who the rise. For users of non-motorized vehi- holistically across all types of road were the main cause of said accidents has cles, our roads are starting to become user. An integrated national plan for been rising markedly for several years. Be- more and more crowded. Keeping these bicycle and pedestrian traffic would tween 2012 and 2018, this number for road users apart from motorized traffic be a good start. The AZT’s most re- cyclists increased from 415 to 442, while and thinking in terms of categories – fast/ cent study shows that environmentally the figure for car drivers over the same slow traffic, outgoing/incoming/transit friendly pedestrian traffic is decreasing period dropped slightly from 562 to 558, traffic, cars, two-wheeled vehicles, pedes- overall, not least due to the increase in and for pedestrians from 268 to 261. trians, and all from the perspective of the number of vehicles on our roads. However, such comparative calculations wanting to prevent accidents involving Many people are simply giving up, es- allow very little consideration for the sheer motor vehicles – has improved safety over pecially senior citizens. As a society, number of variables affecting these fig- the course of several decades. we must aspire to be better than this.

In accidents involving bicycles and e-scooters, a quick response from the emergency services is often the difference between life and death. Ana Tomaz Vice President, Portuguese National HIGH RISK Road Safety Authority OF INJURY The Volume of Traffic on our Roads is Increasing – What Does This Mean for Road Safety? IN E-SCOOTER Traffic accidents are a global all the motorcyclists and cyclists problem. The World Health Or- involved in accidents. As a re- ganization (WHO) has declared sult, cities and transport infrastruc- ACCIDENTS. them a danger to public health: ture are of particular importance They are the most common cause when investigating the causes of of death among young people, the accidents. third most common for under-40s, What we need is a new mod- and the eighth most common for el of mobility – one that protects other age groups. More people people and makes road safety currently die in road accidents our top priority, thus solving the than from HIV infections, tubercu- problems traffic is currently caus- losis, or other illnesses. 1.35 mil- ing: congestion, air pollution, and lion people lose their lives in traffic accidents. This new model of mo- accidents every year. This is equiv- bility needs to include all road alent to around 3,700 deaths per users. It also needs to be self-ex- ACCIDENTS INVOLVING day, or one every 24 seconds. planatory and tolerant of the most E-SCOOTERS ON THE RISE And that figure does not account vulnerable road users. It needs to for those who survive but suffer in- be built on the basic premise that juries or severe injuries with per- human error is unavoidable – but As of mid-June 2019, the use of “e-scooters” is now manent damage. 54 percent of deaths and severe injuries due to permitted on German roads with no license re- those who die on the road are un- traffic accidents are not. quired. ese vehicles still play a relatively minor protected road users. This includes When developing this new role in terms of the country’s accident statistics. Ac- users of two-wheeled vehicles, model, we need to consider mea- who account for 31 percent. This sures such as improving vehicle cording to the German Federal Statistical Oce, number is an unacceptable and design and road infrastructure, 251 accidents involving personal light electric vehi- needless price to pay for our mo- separating different types of traf- cles occurred in the rst quarter of 2020. As a result bility. We would not put up with fic, and applying speed regula- of these accidents, one e-scooter user was killed, 39 such high figures for any other tions, all of which have a huge were severely injured, and 182 suered minor inju- mode of transport. impact on reducing accidents, ries. By way of comparison, police recorded more In Portugal, the number of especially in terms of their con- traffic accidents involving two- sequences. When put together, than 12,700 accidents that resulted in injuries to cy- wheeled motor vehicles is above these measures need to guaran- clists across Germany in the rst three months of the European average. Over tee a level of safety that enables 2020. In gures, this broke down into 52 deaths, the last five years, users of two- the road infrastructure and/or the 2,052 severe injuries, and 10,431 minor injuries. wheeled vehicles accounted for vehicle itself to “intervene” when e use of e-scooters has been permitted for some a quarter of the fatalities on av- a component of the vehicle sys- erage (155) – 5 percent cyclists tem – especially the driver – fails, time in many other EU member states, as well as and 20 percent users of motorcy- thus preventing deaths and severe other countries such as the USA. As the number cles or light motorcycles. Most us- injuries due to accidents. Prevent- of these vehicles on the roads has increased, so too ers of two-wheeled vehicles were ing the loss of human life must be have the accident gures in some areas. killed in built-up areas, on country the motivation behind all our de- or municipal roads, or in city traf- cisions. The only acceptable num- For example, a study published by the University of fic. This accounts for two thirds of ber of deaths on the road is zero. California in San Francisco showed that the num- ber of scooter-related injuries recorded in the USA rose 222 percent between 2014 and 2018, to more than 39,000. Even more worryingly, the number of hospitalizations over this period increased 365 per- cent to 3,300. e most common victims were aged between 18 and 34. e study was based on accident statistics provided by the National Electronic Injury Surveillance System.

24 | 25 Accident Statistics

Cary B. Bearn Chief Bicycle Officer, Office of Mobility Planning, Department of City Planning, City of Atlanta

Our Roads Need to Be Safer

In 2018, scooters began to ap- cing the speed of scooters from A study on e-scooters conducted in Austin, Tex- pear in cities across the US with 15mph to 8mph in this zone has as between September 5 and November 30, 2018, varying degrees of permission greatly reduced the number and has also attracted attention. Over the course of this and coordination. Throughout severity of these conflicts. 87-day period, the study recorded 192 injuries re- that year, cities evaluated the de- Towards the end of summer, vices, the companies, the opera- after the fourth fatality in as quiring treatment – a little over two per day. Over tions, and began regulating the many months, the City implemen- 60 percent of those injured stated that they had industry. In Atlanta we passed le- ted a city-wide no-ride zone dai- ridden an e-scooter less than ten times before the gislation regulating these share- ly from 9PM to 4AM. This was accident occurred. Fewer than one percent of the able dockless mobility devices a somewhat controversial move e-scooter users injured in the study were wearing a in early 2019. In that year, the- as the regulation limits mobili- helmet at the time, and almost 50 percent of them re were over 4,600,000 trips ty options for people during the taken across eight companies. night. However, based on crash su ered head injuries. Based on a survey conducted by reports, rider behavior, and the the City in November 2019, ap- evidence of nighttime fatalities, In light of the increasing number of e-scooter proximately 40% of those trips similar restrictions are becoming accidents, Berlin’s Charité hospital has also con- replaced driving trips (combinati- increasingly common in cities ac- ducted a study into the causes of these accidents on of rideshare and driving). As ross the US. Moving forward, the Atlanta works to reduce our de- City plans to enact higher stan- and the resulting injuries. For this study, the team pendence on driving as a trans- dards for scooter lighting and around Prof. Martin Möckel, Head of Emergency portation mode, the inclusion of incentivize companies to make Medicine and Acute Care at the Charité Mitte and scooters as a new option is well further improvements for night- Virchow-Klinikum campuses, examined a total of aligned with our goals. Our pri- time safety. 24 patients aged between 12 and 62 during July ority has been to make this new Our third effort to improve safe- 2019. ese experts noted that the injuries typical- option as safe as possible. Tra- ty is ongoing and focused action gically, four people have died to keep the sidewalk safe and ly su ered by people using these vehicles included while riding scooters on our free of obstructions created by lacerations to the upper ankle, fractures to the up- streets. scooters. We have worked to stre- per extremities, and head injuries. In fact, head in- Even more tragically, those four amline our monitoring and com- fatalities are dwarfed by the 23 plaint processes around scooters pedestrian fatalities within the so that companies can be quickly City of Atlanta during the same directed to areas most in need of time period. The newness of scoo- their attention. The City has also ters often focuses attention to the begun creating designated par- new challenges of that specific king areas in heavily traveled dis- device. For the City of Atlanta, tricts. Although most parking are- it also underscores the pressing as are optional, several along challenges of our current trans- one of the busiest scooter corri- portation system at large: our dors are required for riders and roads need to be safer, our side- company deployments alike. The walks are often inadequate, and companies work with the City to curb space in our cities is increa- continuously re-balance scooters singly in demand. along this corridor and ensure In mid-2019, Atlanta passed that the scooter supply does not three major regulations to exceed capacity in the designa- address safety concerns. First, on ted parking zones. a very popular shared use path, As 2020 begins, we conti- a reduced speed zone was im- nue to prioritize safety and are plemented during highly conges- working to adopt a formal Visi- ted periods. Before the speed re- on Zero policy with data-driven duction, people walking on the approaches to make our streets path felt threatened by people safer for everyone – whether riding scooters too close and too they are scooting, walking, rol- fast and there were several colli- ling, riding, driving, or whate- sions with injuries reported. Redu- ver is next. Difficulties with the Reconstruction of Accidents Involving E-Scooters

As with any conventional traffic acci- But if we picture a collision between a to reconstruct the exact course of the ve- dent, in the aftermath of an accident cyclist and an e-scooter user on a bicy- hicles as they approached the site of the involving an e-scooter we need to be cle path, or between a pedestrian and accident. This is also made more difficult able to reconstruct the sequence of an e-scooter user on a mixed sidewalk/ by quick lane changes often made with- events that led to it. During this process, bicycle path, it quickly becomes clear out signaling and the resulting evasive an accident analysis expert is enlisted that the usual procedure cannot usually maneuvers of other road users, which by the court, the district attorney, or the be applied in such situations. It is often are likewise almost impossible to deter- insurance company to reconstruct how impossible to determine the exact site of mine after the fact and incorporate into the accident happened. By assessing the collision, as the parties involved have the reconstruction. Another reconstruc- tire tracks and other marks, the final po- often cleared the area by the time the po- tion tool used for collisions between mo- sitions of the parties involved, and the lice arrive. No conclusive photos showing tor vehicles is the calculation of the col- damage to the vehicles, this expert can the final positions of the parties are tak- lision speed based on the damage to usually draw conclusions with regard to en, and there are no marks on the bicycle the vehicles. This is often impossible to the collision speed, the exact site of the path or sidewalk surface to document the do for collisions involving e-scooters and accident, the conduct of the parties in- exact site of the collision and the relative bicycles, especially due to the relative- volved as they approached one anoth- positions of the parties involved. ly low speeds they travel at. This could er, and the extent to which the accident Since there are no separate lanes on a make the legal processing of such acci- could have been prevented. bicycle path, it is often almost impossible dents much harder in the future.

juries were su ered by more than half of the pa- were carelessness, a failure to observe the traf- tients in the study. Most of these injuries were c regulations, and impaired driving ability due minor contusions with abrasions. Four of the 24 to the user having consumed drugs or alcohol patients showed signs of minor traumatic brain prior to embarking on the journey. ese re- injury. e large number of so-tissue injuries sults show that, as an additional form of mo- to the lower extremities in the vicinity of the bility, e-scooters pose a risk to their users that upper ankle were caused by accidents where the is not to be underestimated. At the same time, user was not careful enough when setting o on they also represent a challenge for the existing the e-scooter. e main causes of the accidents trac system.

The Facts at a Glance • Across the EU, the number • Reaction speed diminishes with of users of motorized and age, as do the general physical non-motorized two-wheeled abilities required for cycling. The vehicles involved in accidents body’s ability to withstand a fall has more or less stagnated. also lessens, so even the smallest • In terms of percentages, of tumbles can have fatal conse- the 50 – 69 age group has quences. seen the biggest increase • It is strongly recommended that with regard to users of cyclists and users of pedelecs and two-wheeled vehicles e-scooters wear a helmet. They killed in road accidents at should also ensure that they are the global level. easily visible and wear retroreflec- • Overconfidence is often one of tive clothing at dusk and night. the causes of an accident, espe- • In many cases, accidents involving cially among older motorcyclists. cyclists and right-turning trucks Many users of • Pedelec users often underesti- can be prevented by suitable as- e-scooters underes- mate the high acceleration and sistance systems, and also by be- timate the speed of braking power of their vehicle, ing aware of the risks involved their vehicle. as they are not used to it. and acting accordingly.

26 | 27 Examples of Accidents/Crash Test

Compelling Examples of Accidents in Detail

Collision with oncoming traffic jured in the grazing collision and their subsequent fall to the ground. e two other motorcyclists in ERROR WHEN JOINING A ROAD the group suered minor injuries when falling to the ground. Sequence of events: Cause/problem: On a section of bridge, a motorcyclist lost control of e accident was caused by a driving error on the part his vehicle when joining a federal highway, veering out of the motorcyclist who le his lane. is motorcy- of his lane and into oncoming tra c. A group of three clist accelerated too strongly when joining the feder- motorcycles were coming toward him from the oppo- al highway, which resulted in him losing control of site direction. e le side of the motorcycle that was his vehicle and no longer being able to maintain his on the wrong side of the road grazed against the rst course, and thus ultimately veering into oncoming oncoming motorcycle. Following this contact, both trac. motorcycles and their riders fell to the ground. e sec- ond motorcyclist in the group collided with the motor- Avoidance measures, mitigation of consequences/ cycle sliding toward him on the ground, and also fell strategy for road safety measures: o. e last motorcyclist in the group braked his vehi- e accident could have been prevented if the mo- cle hard. As a result of this, the front wheel locked and torcyclist had accelerated much less when joining the this motorcyclist also fell to the ground. federal highway, which would have enabled him to re- tain control of his motorcycle. Due to their high pow- Persons involved in the accident: er and low weight, motorcycles oen possess a very 1 Scene of the accident Four motorcyclists high acceleration capability. A lot of experience and a good feel for the correct amount to open the throt- 2 On-ramp onto Consequences/injuries: tle is required. Electronic driving assistants and mo- federal highway e rider of the motorcycle that veered into the on- torcycle safety training may have been able to prevent 3 Final position coming tra c and the rst motorcyclist in the group the motorcyclist from losing control of his vehicle and of the vehicles traveling in the opposite direction were severely in- causing the accident. 4 Sketch of the collision position

1 2

3

54 1

Collision with oncoming traffic INCORRECT ANGLE

Sequence of events: While driving round a long bend to the right, a mo- torcyclist veered onto the wrong side of the road and collided with the front le -hand corner of an oncom- ing car while in an upright position. e impact of the 2 3 crash threw the motorcyclist o her vehicle, causing her to bang her head against the le -hand A-column of the car and the adjoining section of the windshield.

Persons involved in the accident: One motorcyclist and one car driver

4 Consequences/injuries: e motorcyclist died at the scene of the accident due to the severe head injuries she had suered. e car driver suered minor injuries. 1 Sketch of the collision position Cause/problem: 2 Point of impact on e cause of the accident was the incorrect angle the A-column motorcyclist had adopted in order to take the corner. 3 Damage to helmet Due to natural inhibitions, some motorcyclists do not 4 Damage to motorcycle lean far enough into the angle required to corner safe- 5 Damage to car 6 Final position of the ly, especially when they are inexperienced and travel- vehicles ing at high speeds. As it did here, this can even occur when a motorcyclist is not breaking the speed limit. 5

Avoidance measures, mitigation of consequences/ strategy for road safety measures: is accident could have been prevented if the motor- cyclist had adopted a less vertical angle or taken the corner at a lower speed, which would have enabled her to stay in her lane. e driver of the car had a max- imum of 2.1 seconds to respond to the critical situa- 6 tion before the collision. He steered toward the out- side edge of the road to his right and started braking, but this was not enough to prevent the accident. In- experienced motorcyclists o en do not lean into cor- ners as far as they could. Motorcycle safety training or specialized cornering training can help many motor- cyclists to nd the correct balance between speed and angle and learn their own limits.

28 | 29 Examples of Accidents/Crash Test

1 Turning left into oncoming traffic CAR HITS MOTORCYCLE

Sequence of events: On a bypass and under the in uence of alcohol, the driver of a car turned le at a junction. A motor- cyclist with a pillion passenger was oncoming in

2 the opposite lane. e motorcyclist was behind a van which was also driving along the bypass. e van turned right at the junction, while the mo- torcycle behind it kept driving straight on. At the junction, a collision occurred between the motor- cycle and the car that was turning le. e front of the motorcycle crashed against the right-hand side of the car. is impact threw the motorcyclist against the car, causing him to hit his head against the edge of the car roof.

Persons involved in the accident: One motorcyclist with pillion passenger 3 plus one car driver

Consequences/injuries: e motorcyclist was killed by the impact; the pil- lion passenger suered severe injuries.

Cause/problem: e accident was caused by a number of factors. Firstly, the motorcycle was approaching the junc- tion and the van in front of it at too high a speed (at least 90 km/h in a 70 km/h zone), causing it to be temporarily obscured from view. Secondly, the mo- torcycle was only brie y visible to the car driver due 4 5 to a combination of the bend and the slope of the road. However, the car driver’s blood alcohol level of 0.09 percent may also have contributed to caus- ing the accident.

Avoidance measures, mitigation of consequences/ strategy for road safety measures: e motorcyclist could have prevented the acci- 6 7 dent by keeping to the 70 km/h speed limit and re- acting to the turning car by executing emergency braking and evasive maneuvers. Without a medical assessment, it is not possible to determine the exact extent to which the car driver’s blood alcohol level impacted the sequence of events. However, if all the parties involved in the accident had been exercis- ing due attention and consideration for others when 1 Sketch of the collision position 5 Point of impact on edge using the road, it would have been possible to pre- 2 Scene of the accident of roof vent the accident. 3 Final position of the vehicles 6 Damage to motorcycle 4 Damage to car 7 Damage to helmet Overtaking out of the way of the car or keep on braking the motorcycle. MOTORCYCLE COLLIDES Avoidance measures, mitigation of consequences/ WITH LEFT-TURNING CAR strategy for road safety measures: e accident could have been prevented if the mo- Sequence of events: torcyclist had not overtaken the waiting cars on the On a town road, a motorcyclist overtook several le by driving through the no-passing zone. If its vehicles that were waiting in front of him, driving emergency braking had been stable, the motorcycle through a marked no-passing zone to do so. Due to would have been able to brake to a stop just in front the high volume of tra c and a tra c light system, a of where the collision occurred. If there had been an tailback had built up. However, the exit from a local ABS system built into the motorcycle, the emergen- discount store on the right-hand side of the road had cy braking attempt would most probably have been 1 Scene of the accident been kept clear, which enabled a car driver to turn stable and successful and it would have been possi- le out of the exit. Upon seeing the turning car, the ble to prevent the accident. 2 Perspective from turning car overtaking motorcyclist initiated emergency brak- (without tailback) ing. Overbraking caused the motorcycle to fall onto 3 Final position of the motorcycle its right-hand side, crashing into the front le-hand 4 Sketch of the collision position corner of the car. e impact threw the motorcyclist 1 from his vehicle, coming to a stop lying on his back in front of the vehicle.

Persons involved in the accident: One motorcyclist and one car driver

Consequences/injuries: e motorcyclist was severely injured during the accident and taken to hospital with life-threatening 2 injuries to his internal organs.

Cause/problem: e cause of the accident was a combination of the motorcyclist failing to adjust his speed and attempt- ing to overtake illegally using the marked no-pass- ing zone. Due to the waiting vehicles, the motor- cyclist did not see the turning car until very late. e car driver could not see the motorcyclist. An addi- tional problem was the lack of an ABS system on the 3 motorcycle. When the motorcyclist initiated emer- gency braking, this resulted in the front wheel over- braking, causing it to slip to the le and the motor- cycle to fall onto its right-hand side. As a result of this, the motorcyclist was no longer able to swerve

4

30 | 31 Examples of Accidents/Crash Test

1 Collision at a junction COLLISION BETWEEN PEDELEC AND BICYCLE

Sequence of events: At a crossroads of two country lanes, a collision oc- curred between a pedelec rider and a cyclist. e front of the pedelec collided with the right-hand side of the bicycle. From the pedelec rider’s per- spective, the cyclist was approaching from the le. During the collision, the pedelec became entangled with the bicycle, and the two riders collided into one another with a great amount force before falling to 2 the ground.

Persons involved in the accident: One pedelec rider and one cyclist

Consequences/injuries: Both the pedelec rider and the cyclist were severely injured in the collision.

Cause/problem: 3 Due to a corneld (plant height approx. 2 meters), the two parties had no direct view of each other. e pedelec rider approached the crossroads at around 35 km/h; the cyclist at around 20 km/h. In light of the restricted sight lines in all directions, both rid- ers were traveling far too quickly as they approached the crossroads. Avoidance measures, mitigation of consequences/ strategy for road safety measures: 4 In consideration of the speeds of both of the par- ties involved in the accident and the signicantly re- stricted sight lines, the accident was unavoidable. In principle, the accident could have been avoided if both the cyclist and the pedelec rider had adjusted the way they were riding to account for the limited visibility at the crossroads and signicantly reduced their approach speeds. In addition to this, users of two-wheeled vehicles always need to be aware that the general rules of the road – especially the “right before le” rule for right of way at junctions – still apply on country and woodland roads, and that an- ticipation and consideration of others are essential 5 to road safety.

1 Sketch of the collision position 2 Cyclist’s perspective 3 Pedelec rider’s perspective 4 Final position of the pedelec 5 Damaged brake disc on the pedelec 1 Truck turning right TRUCK HITS PEDELEC RIDER

Sequence of events: A truck driver turned right at a junction and, in doing so, hit a 70-year-old pedelec rider. e pedelec rider was traveling in the same direction as the truck and intended to keep going straight on. When she collided with the right-hand side of the truck, both she and her pedelec fell to the ground and she was run over by the rear right-hand dual tires of the truck.

Persons involved in the accident: 2 One pedelec rider and one truck driver

Consequences/injuries:

e pedelec rider suered fatal injuries as a result of the accident.

Cause/problem:

Although the truck is equipped with all the legally 3 4 required mirrors, there are still areas that the driver cannot see either directly or indirectly via the mirrors (blind spots). In the unfortunate event that the pedelec and the truck are traveling at the same speed and the pedelec rider maintains a constant distance from the side of the truck, the pedelec may remain in the truck driver’s blind spot for a prolonged period of time. e pedelec rider, who was using the combined bicycle path and footpath, rode straight on at the junction in- stead of following the path provided as it turned o 5 slightly and crossed the junction via the central island.

Avoidance measures, mitigation of consequences/ strategy for road safety measures:

e accident could very probably have been prevent- ed by a turning assistant in the truck. Camera and ra- dar systems detect pedelec riders, cyclists, and pedes- trians on the right-hand side of the vehicle and warn the truck driver in real time if they are in an immedi- ate danger zone. Even though truck turning assistants will not be a legal requirement for all new vehicle types until 2022, retrot systems currently available can also help. Cyclists should be aware of the problem of truck drivers having limited visibility. Extra care must al- ways be exercised in the vicinity of trucks that are sig- naling right or maneuvering. If the pedelec rider had followed the path provided, the collision would not have occurred. 1 Sketch of the collision position In the wake of the accident, the local council improved 2 Scene of the accident the design of the road; these improvements are de- 3 Footprint scribed on page 73 of this report, in the section on in- 4 Collision position frastructure. 5 Perspective from the driver’s cab

32 | 33 Examples of Accidents/Crash Test

1 Crossing a country road CAR HITS PEDELEC RIDER

Sequence of events: A 78-year-old pedelec rider and her husband, who was also on a pedelec, wanted to cross a country road. Having reached the road, they initially stopped to check for tra c. While her husband waited, the

2 pedelec rider rode on and was hit by a car coming from the right at high speed, which had right of way. e pedelec rider was landed on the hood of the car, and her shoulder and head broke through the car’s windshield. e pedelec became entangled with the front of the car and was dragged along with it. As the incident continued, the car veered o the right-hand side of the road and crashed into a tree trunk. is impact threw the pedelec rider o the car, whereup- on she ew forward and landed in her nal position.

Persons involved in the accident: 3 One pedelec rider and one car driver

Consequences/injuries: e pedelec rider suered fatal injuries and died at the scene of the accident. e car driver was severe- ly injured.

Cause/problem: e cause of the accident was a miscalculation of the tra c situation on the part of the pedelec rid- 4 5 er. e pedelec rider rode into the danger zone – the lane in which the car was driving – approximately one second before the collision. e investigation also revealed that the car driver was traveling at a speed of between 75 and 85 km/h instead of the lo- cal 70 km/h speed limit. Avoidance measures, mitigation of consequences/ strategy for road safety measures: e accident could have been prevented if the

6 7 pedelec rider had reacted to the car coming from her right and waited accordingly. e car driver would not have been able to prevent the collision by keep- ing to the local speed limit. However, observing the speed limit would have enabled him to completely prevent the subsequent collision with the tree. Ac- cordingly, this would also have signicantly reduced the risk of injury to the car driver.

1 Sketch of the collision position 4 Damage to pedelec 2 Pedelec rider’s perspective 5 Damage to windshield 3 Car driver’s perspective 6–7 Final position of the car DEKRA crash test CAR COLLIDES WITH BICYCLE

Crash setup: In this crash test, a car was accelerated to 40 km/h before colliding into the le- hand side of a bicycle crossing its path. 1 2 From the perspective of the car driver, the bicycle was approaching the point of Vehicles involved: Avoidance measures, mitigation of conse- quences/strategy for road safety measures: the collision from the right at an angle of One bicycle, one car less than 110 degrees and a speed of 20 A bicycle helmet would have provid- km/h. e “Hybrid III” crash test dummy Crash test results: ed protection during both the prima- (50 percent) used to represent the cyclist At the point of the impact with the wind- ry impact against the windshield and was wearing an airbag helmet, which was shield, the load values measured in the the secondary impact against the oor worn around the neck like a scarf. In case head area far exceeded the biomechani- of the crash facility, and signicant- of a collision, this is designed to trigger an cal limits. e load values measured in the ly increased the chance of survival. In airbag that envelops the head in order to head area during the secondary impact, many crash scenarios, the airbag helmet protect the whole head area. when the dummy hit the oor of the crash demonstrates a higher level of protec- facility, were even higher. In a real-life ac- tion than conventional bicycle helmets. Sequence of events during crash: cident scenario, a human being would However, as demonstrated by a further Aer the initial contact between the car have almost no chance of surviving such DEKRA crash test, there still seem to be and the bicycle, the dummy was thrown a crash without a helmet. It was not pos- problems with the trigger algorithm in from the bicycle, it then hit the hood of sible to determine through reconstruction case of collisions between bicycles and the car, and its head broke through the the reasons why the airbag helmet failed cars. Improvements in this area would windshield. Aer the car braked, the to trigger during either the initial crash or be welcomed. dummy was thrown o to the side, where the secondary impact against the oor. it fell against the oor of the crash facility. 1–2 Position mock-up for crash scenario e airbag helmet did not trigger at any 3–5 Sequence of events during crash point during the crash sequence. 6 Impact, front view 7 Final position of the cyclist 8 Damage to car

3 4 5

6 7 8

34 | 35 The Human Factor

Human Error is the Biggest Risk Factor

What is true for car and truck drivers also applies to users of motorized and non-motorized two-wheeled vehicles: When acci- dents occur, they are often at least partly the result of a lack of risk awareness, a failure to observe traffic regulations, driving too fast, driving under the influence of alcohol, being distracted, or not exercising sufficient consideration for other road users. It doesn’t have to be this way. Acting, interacting, and communicating with other road users responsibly, judging one’s own ability accurately, and taking appropriate training courses are all efficient ways of counteracting these problems.

s we have already seen from the facts and g- cles with insurance tags (light motorcycles, small Aures listed in the Accident Statistics section, mopeds, pedelecs, three-wheeled motor vehicles, human error among road users – particularly us- and light four-wheeled motor vehicles) were dom- ers of motorized and non-motorized two-wheeled inated by a “failure to adjust speed” (accounting for vehicles – is a huge risk factor. For example, ac- around 6,600 and almost 1,700 accidents resulting cording to the German Federal Statistical Oce’s in personal damage, respectively). Other common gures for 2018, “incorrect use of the road” was forms of human error include driving under the in- by far the most common cause of accidents uence of alcohol, a failure to observe rights for cyclists in Germany, accounting of way, risky overtaking maneuvers, for almost 12,500 accidents re- and mistakes made when making a sulting in personal injury, while turn, turning around, reversing, the gures for both motorcy- entering trac and setting o clists and users of motorcy- INTERACTION (Figures 22 and 23). IMPROVES SAFETY. WHEN SOMEONE CHANGES THEIR MODE OF TRANSPORT, THIS ALSO ALTERS THEIR PERCEPTION AND THE WAY THEY ASSESS SITUATIONS ON THE ROAD.

22 In this context, it is also interesting to look at Errors Made by Riders of Motorcycles the Allianz Center for Technology’s calculations on with License Plates in Accidents in 2018 the main causes of accidents that resulted in per- 600 sonal injury in Germany by type of road user from Inappropriate speed Distance 1991 to 2018. ese gures show that the number 500 Overtaking of accidents that were caused primarily by a cy- Incorrect use of the road clist has risen by almost 30 percent in the speci- 400 ed time period – from almost 33,000 in 1991 to 300 around 42,550 in 2018. Especially since 2013, the increase in this percentage has been constant and 200 occasionally dramatic – however, it is also import- Causes per 1,000 persons involved 100 ant to not that the absolute number of cyclists on the road and the total mileage have also been con- 0 < 15 15–17 18–20 21–24 25–34 35–44 45–54 55–64 65–74 75+ tinuously on the rise during this period. Over the Age groups same period of time, there has been an almost 25 Source: German Federal Statistical Office percent drop in the number of accidents resulting 23 in personal injury that were caused primarily by Errors Made by Cyclists in Accidents drivers of cars, falling from around 273,500 to ap- in 2018 (incl. Pedelec Riders) proximately 206,000 (Figure 24). 200 Incorrect use of the road Making a turn, turning around, MOTORISTS AND CYCLISTS – 160 reversing, entering traffic, and riding off Right of way TWO DIFFERENT SPECIES? Inappropriate speed 120 Motorcyclist, cyclist, pedelec rider, or user of a scooter or e-scooter – for every one of these 80 groups, interaction and communication with other road users are key factors in their safety, and some- 40 times even their survival. is is especially true Causes per 1,000 persons involved when it comes to ensuring an understanding be- 0 < 15 15–17 18–20 21–24 25–34 35–44 45–54 55–64 65–74 75+ tween users of two-wheeled vehicles and motorists. Age groups Research results on this subject indicate that there Source: German Federal Statistical Office are a wide range of communication patterns, some of which increase road safety while others are more 24 likely to escalate the situation. e latter eect is Main Causers of Accidents Resulting in Personal Injury particularly common when emotional factors such 140 as anger and rage come to the fore. 120

e fact is, as the acceptance and presence of bi- 100 cycles as an everyday mode of transport increases, 80 people who used to prefer driving are now more 60 commonly choosing to cycle instead. e mode of Index-100 All types of transport a person chooses oen depends on the 40 road user Pedestrian situation, with factors such as the distance and 20 Cyclist quality of the route and the current trac situation Car driver 0 coming into play. When someone changes their 1991 1993 1995 1997 1999 2001 2003 2005 2007 2009 2011 2013 2015 2017 mode of transport, this inevitably also alters their Year perception and the way they assess situations on Source: Allianz Center for Technology

36 | 37 The Human Factor

Fernando Pedrosa specialist in traffic safety and prevention, founding partner and planning and promotion coordinator of the Association of Traffic Victims, the road. is change in individual perspective can Relatives and Friends (ONG TRÂNSITO AMIGO), help to teach both drivers and cyclists safer pat- and business consultant on the issue terns of interaction with one another.

There is a need for strict monitoring In this context, it is particularly interesting to look at the results of a study commissioned by Ford Good instruction for motorists/dri- The Brazilian Traffic Code, ap- vers (something which is still rare proved in 1998, underwent several in 2018 as part of its “Share the Road” campaign. in Brazil) needs to provide an ac- changes and updates, and is one of e study showed that using dierent modes of curate picture of the enormous risk the best pieces of traffic legislation transport aects a person’s perception. Around that two-wheeled vehicles repre- in the world. The issue is not a lack 2,000 people from Germany, France, Italy, Spain, sent. This is the first step in ensu- of laws and regulations. Instead, the and the United Kingdom were asked to recognize ring that proper use of protective problem can be traced back to three and distinguish between pictures under laborato- equipment, mandatory or not, be- factors involving humans: the mo- comes routine. In addition to this, torist/driver who does not comply ry conditions. e results showed that motorists awareness of your vulnerability with the rules despite being aware who also rode bicycles demonstrated better situ- when sharing the road with other of them, the traffic authority which, ational awareness. In 100 percent of the scenarios vehicles is another essential com- for several reasons, does not monitor they were shown, these test subjects were quicker ponent in ensuring road safety. the problem as much as is required, at identifying the pictures and spotting the dier- In the case of scooters, their and lastly, the punishment not being original intended purpose hasn’t handed out to the offender promptly ences between two pictures. changed – they are, in essence, due to a lack of resources. It therefo- still toys designed for short distan- re cannot play its part in penalizing According to a study by Rowden, P. et. al. (2016), ces, despite all the technology and and re-educating drivers. A penalty it can be generally assumed that many drivers are their current electric drive (as op- that takes years to reach the offender more likely to adhere to the regulations when trav- posed to the manual force requi- gives them time to repeat the beha- eling by car than when riding a bicycle. One reason red previously). Their vulnerability vior several times. Such a long wait is huge, and their maneuverability also means that they forget the origi- for this may be that they see themselves as less of a is extremely limited; therefore, all nal violation that caused the penalty. danger when cycling than they would when driv- safety measures possible should There is a need for strict moni- ing a car, and thus perceive their non-observance be required. Never use them on toring. In the case of motorcycles, of the regulations as being less serious. Schleinitz, the road, sharing the same space DPVAT data indicates that accidents K. et al. (2016) collected data from real-life situ- as motorcycles, cars, and bigger have skyrocketed in the north-eas- vehicles! They are a threat to pe- tern region. In that region, motor- ations for a study comparing the natural riding destrians on sidewalks due to their cycles have become a substitute for styles of riders of dierent classes of bicycle (bi- electric drive, which provides them donkeys. There are a large number cycles and pedelecs). e participants in the study with certain level of speed. The of drivers without a license who do used their own bicycles, which were tted with only things left for this electric toy not respect the rules, do not use a measuring equipment and cameras. Among oth- are bike paths or lanes and use li- helmet or proper shoes, and who er things, the report analyzed situations where cy- mited to people over 12 years of often have more than one passen- age with the same equipment as ger or transport inappropriate loads clists breached the regulations, for example by ig- required for skaters. for the type of vehicle. noring a red light.

e results showed that the cyclists breached regulations in order to avoid stopping at a red light in more than 20 percent of situations, though this gure varied signicantly depending on the type of bicycle. Common approaches included riding straight through the red light without stopping,

MANY ROAD USERS FOLLOW THE RULES MORE WHEN DRIVING A CAR THAN WHEN RIDING A BICYCLE. and stopping brie y before crossing while the light was still red. In particular, red lights were ignored with above-average frequency when turning right at a junction. Running red lights was particularly common at T-junctions, which shows that cyclists are more willing to breach regulations in situations that are easy to assess. When asked why they had breached the rules, the participants were particu- larly likely to respond that they wanted to maintain their speed, or also to make their journey shorter.

In addition to the running of red lights, improp- er use of infrastructure was also common. Cyclists and pedelec riders oen rode on sidewalks illegal- ly. Due to the large number of breaches, it seems sensible to strive for closer monitoring and strict- er punishment of cyclists, though other measures such as corrective training should also be part of the solution. In all cases, punishment for con- duct-related oenses should always include an in- spection of the vehicle to ensure that it complies Cars and vans that pull out of with the legal regulations and is road safe. parking bays suddenly are very tationally. is should also be interpreted as a re- dangerous, especially to users of COMMUNICATION CONFLICTS ARE sult of the dierences in the two groups’ subjective two-wheeled vehicles. A HAZARD TO ROAD SAFETY senses of safety.

One of the biggest risks to road safety are the con- A study by Heesch, K. C. (2011) tackles cyclists’ icts in communication that can develop between experiences with harassment and bullying by mo- cyclists and motorists. ese arise primarily as a re- torists. An online survey conducted by Bicycle sult of behavior that the other group of road us- Queensland, an organization that promotes bike ers perceives as inappropriate, or even aggressive. use, received 1,830 responses. In total, 76 percent For example, aggressive behavior on the part of cy- of the men and 72 percent of the women who re- clists is oen a response to cars performing driving sponded reported that they had experienced harass- maneuvers the cyclist views as dangerous, and vice ment or bullying by motorists on the roads in the versa. Cyclists also oen see cars parking in bicycle past twelve months. e most common forms of paths, overtaking too close to bicycles, and open- such behavior included overtaking too close to the ing car doors without due care as deliberate prov- cyclist (66 percent), verbal abuse (63 percent) and ocation. sexual harassment (45 percent). e probability of a cyclist being subjected to such behavior is depen- Generally speaking, many motorists see cyclists dent on factors such as age, body weight, cycling ex- as an “outgroup” (Walker et al. (2007)) who do not perience/frequency, and the location of the journey. belong on the road. e dismissive or even aggres- Young to middle-aged cyclists with more experience sive attitude displayed by such drivers is the conse- on the road seem to be more likely to be aected by quence of the perception of cyclists as “interlopers” this than older cyclists. According to the aforemen- and the resulting emotional stress. is perception tioned survey, the same applies to both cyclists who is more common in countries with a poorly de- cycle competitively and purely for fun, and also to veloped bicycle infrastructure and where cyclists those cycling in more well-o areas. make up a smaller percentage of the total trac. Cyclists and motorists display dierent reactions e fear of such harassment is a barrier to peo- to stressful situations: Cyclists tend to avoid open ple who would like to cycle but do not yet do so. con ict, whereas motorists react more confron- One way of counteracting this problem would be

38 | 39 The Human Factor

evolutionary perspective, the tendency to look at a person’s face during a social interaction can be explained by the fact that the appearance and fa- cial expressions a person makes can provide their opposite number with a lot of information on their intentions and characteristics. However, the pres- ence of indicators such as a person’s face and the direction in which they were looking when a mo- torist was required to interact with cyclists or oth- er vulnerable road users o en distracted the mo- torist and extended their reaction time. Yet since focusing on the face is not a reex, it is a tendency that can be lessened through training and aware- ness-raising measures.

In situations where the cyclist oered no clear formal information such as hand signals, the mo- torists paid more attention to the bicycle itself. Earlier studies have shown that motorists are also “Dooring” accidents between highly capable of determining a cyclist’s intentions motorists and cyclists usually end based on their position on the road. Since many of badly for the cyclist. The “Dutch using campaigns that draw attention to the appro- the channels of communication employed by cy- Reach” technique can help with priate way to behave on the road while also pro- clists are informal and thus not clear, young cy- this. This means that car occupants viding information on the applicable tra c regula- clists in particular should be provided with more on the left side simply open the tions and, most importantly, stressing the rights of information on potential communication prob- door with their right hand, and cyclists on the road. Another approach would be to lems – such as the fact that motorists o en do not anyone who wants to get out on use driver training to make motorists more aware see their signals and cannot predict what they are the right side opens the door with of the diversity of road users and of specic hazards going to do. Public information campaigns tailored their left hand. This stops motorists and necessary safety measures. to safety education among all groups of road us- from having to remember to look ers and their interaction should emphasize coop- over their shoulder, as they do so INTERACTION IS THE KEY erative and considerate conduct on the road, and automatically. TO FEWER ACCIDENTS teach that all road users have the same rights to the use of public space. A study by Walker, I. et al. (2007) showed that mo- torists usually direct their gaze to a cyclist’s face Walker and his research colleagues indicated a when they come into contact with them. While ges- few other factors that aect the behavior of road tures made by the cyclists, such as an outstretched users. e study shows that a cyclist’s position on arm indicating that they want to turn o at a junc- the road, the type of bicycle they are riding, wheth- tion, help drivers to deduce the cyclist’s intentions er or not they are wearing a helmet, and their gen- and the direction in which they intend to ride next, der all have an impact on how motorists overtake it is the cyclist’s face that the driver looks at rst and them, as motorists ascribe dierent character traits for longest. is trend was true irrespective of the to the cyclist based on these indicators. e further gender and experience of the test sub- away from the curb a cyclist is riding, ject, and became more pronounced the less space a motorist will give when the cyclist seemed to be them. In summary, the research looking at the test subject. showed that motorists give ese results indicate that cyclists less space if they are social cognitions are trig- wearing a helmet, cycling gered during interaction PUBLIC ROADS in the middle of the road, with cyclists. From an ARE FOR and are male, and also if EVERYONE. the motorist in question is a bus or truck driver. is indicates that these motorists usually follow a A PERSON’S FACIAL EXPRESSIONS certain course when overtaking, on which the po- sition of the cyclist has only minimal eect. How- AND HOW THEY LOOK ever, it is not necessarily safer for cyclists to ride closer to the side of the road, as this may put them CONVEY A LOT OF INFORMATION at risk due to other factors, such as sewer grates and parked vehicles. In particular, it is less safe for ABOUT THEIR INTENTIONS. cyclists to stay close to the side of the road at junc- tions, as motorists mainly focus on the area around the middle of the road when watching for trac, which makes it easy for them not to notice cyclists. In their study, Horswill, M. S. et al. (2015) tack- le in more detail the interplay between driving e nding that cyclists are aorded less space style and technology and infrastructure. Gener- when wearing a helmet indicates that they are seen ally speaking, extending the cycleway network re- as safer and more protected against severe injury in duces the number of accidents that occur in terms case of an accident. As a result, motorists see it as of mileage. When the cycle infrastructure enables less dangerous to overtake a cyclist wearing a hel- safe separation of cyclists from fast motorized traf- met than one who is not. Motorists overtook at a c, this improves cyclist safety. is eect is partic- greater distance when they perceived the cyclist to ularly noticeable at junctions, though on the other be female, possibly because they judged female cy- hand, infrastructural separation has proven par- clists to be more unpredictable or more easily sus- ticularly dicult in such areas. In turn, increased ceptible to injury. It is true that each of these stud- safety results in a higher number of cyclists. Along- ies focuses on a specic region, and that driving side changes to cycle infrastructure, measures that styles are dependent on a number of factors which make it easier to clearly assess the trac on a road can vary from region to region. Nevertheless, it is so that vulnerable road users such as pedestrians clear from these points that motorists adapt their and cyclists are not overlooked as easily are also overtaking behavior based on the characteristics useful. Driver assistance functions in the motor ve- they perceive a cyclist to possess, and that they do hicle that make it easier for drivers to notice cyclists not have an impartial overtaking pattern that they and pedestrians could also help with this. Despite apply to all cyclists as a group. the fact that cyclists are not generally permitted to ride on the sidewalk – at least not in Germany – THE INTERPLAY OF measures such as restrictions and prohibitions on DRIVING STYLE WITH TECHNOLOGY parking on sidewalks, together with stricter sanc- An unmistakable AND INFRASTRUCTURE tions for those who disregard such regulations, instruction from from police would also be eective in increasing the visibility in Germany: Motorists must In addition to the characteristics of the cyclist, the of users of two-wheeled vehicles. maintain a safe distance type of vehicle overtaking the cyclist also played a from cyclists. role. Buses and heavy goods vehicles were the types of vehicle that overtook signicantly more close- ly to the cyclist. is is probably due to the fact that these vehicles require more time to complete an overtaking maneuver due to their dimensions and slow acceleration, and that they also need to pull further into the other lane than other vehicles in order to overtake. Since long gaps in oncoming trac are rarer, these vehicles overtake closer to the cyclist. In addition to this, there is also a risk that drivers of larger vehicles may not be able to see a cyclist at all times during an overtaking ma- neuver, which leads to them pulling back into their lane earlier even though the cyclist is still riding alongside their vehicle. is example demonstrates particularly clearly that separate bicycle paths are essential to increasing cyclist safety.

40 | 41 The Human Factor

Hamilton-Baillie, B. et al (2008) also tackle the application of this concept include the Laweiplein issue of communication behaviors between di er- junction in Drachten (Netherlands) and Blackett ent groups of road users, and present the concept Street in Newcastle (England). of a “shared space”. is concept aims to integrate road users in a single place without impairing safe- Typical design techniques for shared spaces in- ty, mobility, or accessibility. In particular, it aims clude keeping the all parts of the space the same to improve road safety through mutual consider- height so that pedestrians and users of motor ve- ation of others. Communication between road us- hicles and non-motorized vehicles all interact on ers plays the key role here and is the top priority, as the same level and the space feels like a single, all road users have equal rights. e features of this self-contained area, and subtle markings that iden- model include the principle of mixing all road us- tify the di erent areas. e removal of most of the ers together and thus doing away with most signs signs and trac lights promotes organic commu- and restrictions, as all road users would follow im- nication and reduces speeds. Shared space usually plicit rules. is principle is by no means new, and results in a successful restructuring of the way a has in fact been practiced in a range of towns and road is used: ere are fewer trac jams, and the cities for several decades. Positive examples of the lower speeds mean that there are fewer accidents and that the consequences of said accidents are less severe. ere is also evidence that shared spac- es increase the satisfaction levels of all road users. However, trac planners should always thorough- ly assess whether it makes sense to implement a shared space in a specic location before doing so.

Mark Gilbert MOTORCYCLISTS IN THE FLOW Chair, Motorcycle Safety Advisory Council Director, VTNZ (DEKRA NZ Limited) In terms of frequency and severity of accidents, motorcyclists are one of the most at-risk groups of Developing a More Dynamic Policy Response road users. e public perception of them is oen as extremely fast and oen aggressive in their rid- Motorcycling in New Zealand is supports the design of motorcycle ing style. To what extent do the results of objective experiencing a growth in popu- safety initiatives that improve local larity – around 5% annually. Af- conditions, including subsidized research support this preconception? ter a peak in popularity in the rider training, motorcycle friendly 1970s, motorcycling went into road designs and targeted road sa- In their study, Rowden, P. et al. (2016) explain decline for the next twenty ye- fety campaigns. that aggression must be seen as part of everyday ars. Since the mid-1990s, popu- The high accident rates, along life, and thus also part of road use. From a legal larity has grown and today there with a renewed government focus and psychological perspective, typical characteris- are around 150,000 motorcycles on road safety (Vision Zero), have in New Zealand, and 80,000 of recently led to proposed regula- tics of aggressive actions include acting erratical- these are registered for the road – tory changes and the adoption ly, breaking rules, endangering themselves/others, 2% of the total road fleet. Smaller of new standards similar to those and threatening to injure people or damage ob- mopeds are proving popular with used in other jurisdictions. The- jects, or actually doing so. In a psychological con- millennials due to favorable licen- se have included mandating ABS text, the motivation and thus the intent behind the sing conditions. brakes on motorcycles, more strin- Since the proportion of motor- gent training and licensing requi- action, i.e. willfully causing injury to another per- cyclists has increased, so too has rements for new motorcyclists, and son, are at the heart of the meaning of the con- the crash rate. Around fifty motor- the targeting of vulnerable road struct. Experts agree that an aggression is “any be- cyclists are killed each year on our users, including cyclists, pedestri- havior that deviates from the norm and also causes roads – approximately 15% of the ans, and motorcyclists. endangerment.” total toll. Motorcyclists remain five Future challenges include deve- times more at risk of crashing, and loping a more dynamic policy re- 26 times more likely to suffer death sponse that keeps pace with new A series of studies have connected aggressive or serious injury. transport modes, many of them behavior to personality traits such as rage, anxiety, The cost of accidents in New Ze- two wheelers. Also, we acknow- a craving for sensation, and narcissism. It has also aland is met by the Accident Com- ledge the need to increase our been repeatedly conrmed that aggressive behav- pensation Corporation (ACC), the knowledge of the “human factors” ior on the roads is primarily exhibited by males. agency responsible for personal in- that lead to crashes and believe jury claims across all sectors. ACC, greater understanding is central In addition to a person’s characteristics, however, with the Motorcycle Safety Adviso- to improving motorcyclist safety in “contextual factors” such as trac jams, and cer- ry Council (established in 2011), New Zealand. tain perceptions such as the belief that one is able Chasing the thrill of speed exponen- tially increases the risk of accidents for motorcyclists.

to act anonymously also a ect aggressive behavior zone. When riding a motorcycle, however, it be- – though it should be noted that the ndings on comes a problem. When someone is “in the ow,” this matter are not yet conclusive. their level of conscious control over and reection on what they are doing decreases. As a result, their e aforementioned Rowden study also inves- unconscious objectives may make their behavior tigated potential di erences in aggression lev- more undesirable. eir conscious perception and els when using di erent modes of transport, spe- their intention to ride safely then become no lon- cically when using a motorcycle as opposed to a ger directly relevant to how they steer and control car. At the start of the study, the authors expected their vehicle. As a result, the deeper “in the ow” motorcyclists to have lower aggression levels than they are, the more they lose sight of this intention. car drivers. is hypothesis was based on the as- eir riding style becomes more dangerous than is sumption that motorcycles are more vulnerable, actually appropriate. Maintaining a state of ow re- and their riders thus less protected. e results quires a certain level of attention and focus. is conrmed this assumption. Drivers of cars stat- results in a faster and more dangerous driving style ed more frequently that they had experienced ag- than the person would adopt when not in this state. gressive feelings, and at the same time expressed Although a motorcyclist in this state is working at said feelings. ese di erences are explained by an optimum level from a functional point of view, the fact that motorcyclists have a more defensive the way they are riding is far from ideal. Almost all driving style because they are more susceptible to the motorcyclists surveyed in the study said that injury, and that aggression on the road is depen- they had experienced a state of ow before, though dent on context. e personality psychology pre- only a few of them realized that experiencing this diction variables for aggressive behavior are sim- state could also have negative e ects. ilar for both groups: e extent to which we seek thrills and carry out risky driving maneuvers var- ies from one person to the next, but car drivers as a group are more likely to do this than motorcyclists.

A study by Rheinberg, F. (1994) investigated AGGRESSION MAKES how the experience of “ow” a ects a motorcyclist’s perception of themselves and their abilities. In the A POOR “COMPANION” context of the study, “ow” is dened as the state of completely losing oneself in an activity one is per- ON THE ROAD. forming and thus losing one’s sense of time while doing so. is state feels very pleasant, and facil- itates a good behavioral response by enabling the individual experiencing it to be completely in the

42 | 43 The Human Factor

For those who want to enjoy motorcycling safely, regular professional rider safety training is recommended in addition to the It should be assumed that a person’s reaction One of the main points to focus on here is ad- basic training. capabilities are limited when riding in the ow. equately combining “competence” (theoretical e sensation of being in the ow is oen associ- and practical rider training) with the physical and ated with excessive speeds, and a person will oen mental conditioning required, with both medical only come out of this state if they sense a strong (sight, sense of balance, general health aspects, distraction, such as sudden surprise or fear. In a medical conditions) and performance-psychology road-use context, this is oen linked to near-acci- factors (psycho-functional capacity, awareness, re- dents. is can lead to critical situations, especial- action speed, concentration, coordination) need- ly for older motorcyclists, as their reaction times ing to be taken into account here. are slower on average than younger riders. Since the majority of motorcyclists are currently over Above all, it is important to ensure that riders 40, the fact that it is so common for them to seek receive training on vehicles that are suitable for the sensation of being in the ow represents a dan- practice purposes, and whose performance is sim- ger not just to motorcyclists themselves, but also ilar to that of the vehicles the learners are likely to to other road users. Many motorcyclists in this use once they have passed their test. Riders who particular age group ride simply for pleasure and wish to ride high-performance vehicles should have taken up motorcycling aer a long break, or complete further training and provide suitable ev- who are just discovering the joys of motorcycling idence that they are able to handle such vehicles. for the rst time and are able to aord high-per- Furthermore, the training must emphasize the formance vehicles. As such, older motorcyclists as need for future motorcyclists to take responsibility a group are at a high risk of severe accidents. for ensuring that they are seen by other road users and teach them how to do so (lights, colored/ret- SOUND RIDER TRAINING AND rore ective clothing, maintaining a safe distance, FURTHER TRAINING ARE INDISPENSABLE being aware of blind spots). It also goes without FOR MOTORCYCLISTS saying that training courses should produce mo- torcyclists who always wear full protective gear No matter how ecient measures to improve road and a certied helmet, even for short journeys. safety become, a defensive, anticipatory driving style will always be the best safety strategy for mo- It is absolutely recommended that all motorcy- torcyclists. is approach helps to prevent not only clists take a rider safety course at the start of ev- collisions with other vehicles, but single-vehicle ery season, regardless of how experienced they accidents as well. Every motorcyclist must lay the are. Special attention should be paid to practicing foundations for healthy risk awareness themselves braking – even for riders whose motorcycles have – in the form of sound rider training. anti-lock braking systems (ABS), as even experi- HANDLING A PEDELEC enced motorcyclists Generally speaking, may not manage to it is evident that com- control their braking ALSO REQUIRES munication on the road power optimally in an is most successful when emergency. TRAINING. it conveys not just a sta- tus (e.g. when a pedestri- CHALLENGES an or cyclist is seen by a mo- IN THE AGE OF torist or an automated vehicle), AUTOMATED DRIVING but also the intention of the road user in question (e.g. to cross the road), e forms automated driving might take and the as status-only messages are easier to misinterpret. contexts it might be used in are currently taking up Whether or not a message is interpreted correctly a lot of space in debates in society and among ex- depends on a number of factors, including the ow perts. However, there is still little consensus among of trac, the atmosphere in the trac, the visibil- experts with regard to the time frames in which the ity of the road users to each other, and the clari- various stages of automation – up to and including ty and comprehensibility of their signals. In light full automation of private cars – might be complet- of this, more research is still required in order to ed. While progressive forecasts suggest that more ensure that communication patterns between vehi- than 40 percent of all motor vehicles will be high- ly automated – and some even fully automated – by 2050, conservative predictions estimate the gure to 30 percent at most. According to a study by Prog- nos AG, only an innitesimal fraction of this num- ber would be made up of true “door-to-door” trac that requires no contribution from a human driv- Pedelec Training Is in Fashion er. At some point in the future, we should expect our roads to be made up of a mixture of vehicles In light of the fact that accidents portant to handle them with care involving pedelecs have increased and adopt an anticipatory riding with dierent levels of technological advancement, drastically, more and more insti- style. In addition to teaching the plus dierent levels of infrastructural development. tutions and associations are offer- fundamental theory on how to han- Within this structure, users of two-wheeled vehicles ing special rider safety training for dle a pedelec, these training cours- will have the same rights as other road users, just as pedelec riders. Experience shows es focus primarily on safe use of they do today. that many users – especially senior two-wheeled vehicles. Participants citizens – underestimate the speed practice balance, coordination, and weight of these electric bicy- and braking at different speeds, as In their recent publication, Zwicker, L. et al. cles. This makes it all the more im- well as cornering and hill starts. (2019) tackle the issue of communication between automated motor vehicles and other road users. e article looks into a number of forms of com- munication in the context of increasing automa- tion. One of the most important questions here is whether automated vehicles should be designed based on currently established means of commu- nication, or whether there might be clearer ways of communicating with them. For example, would an automated car be able to recognize informal means of communication that are not technologically as- sisted, such as hand signals or eye contact, or do we need to ensure that cyclists are also able to signal their intentions using technological aids, such as turn signal lights and brake lights, in order to guar- antee that they are recognized clearly?

44 | 45 The Human Factor

Dr. Christopher Spering Head of the Prevention section at the German Society for Orthopaedics and Trauma (DGOU) and Senior Physician at the Clinic for Accident, Orthopaedics and Plastic Surgery at the University cles and users of two-wheeled vehicles remain safe Medical Center Göttingen (UMG) in the age of automated driving.

Helmet or Head Airbag When Riding a Bicycle DEKRA STUDY ON HELMET USE or Pedelec – for All Ages AMONG CYCLISTS IN EUROPE

Due to their susceptibility to inju- spite of these risks. Many find In case of an accident, a helmet is a piece of safety ry, not just young people but also them cumbersome and awkward equipment that can save a cyclist or motorcyclist’s older people in particular should to wear. Others see them as un- observe the DGOU’s recommen- flattering or worry that they will life. e “Technology” section of this Report will dation for cyclists to wear helmets. ruin their hair. A head airbag can look in more detail at how this works. For now, we This applies especially when us- help with this. This is like a col- want to look at gures for helmet use. A 2018 pub- ing a pedelec. The higher speeds lar worn around the neck. In case lication by the German Federal Highway Research of these electric bicycles increase of an accident, such as a colli- Institute provides the numbers for Germany across the risk of an accident, and togeth- sion with a car, the sensors on the er with age-related medical condi- collar are triggered and the air- dierent age groups. In 2018, almost 100 percent of tions this leads to severe injury pat- bag inflates. It then resembles a riders of two-wheeled motor vehicles wore helmets. terns. Data from TraumaRegister full-face helmet that firmly envel- For cyclists, on the other hand, this number dropped DGU® shows that severe traumat- ops both the head and the area to just 18 percent, although children (82 percent) ic brain injury is the most common around the neck and lower jaw. were much more likely to wear a helmet than adults. injury among cyclists who suffer Authors of a study conducted at e publication also compares these gures to those life-threatening injuries. Howev- Stanford University attested that er, the chance of surviving severe the head airbag reduced the risk for the previous year, clearly showing that the trend traumatic brain injury decreases of concussion by up to eight times for wearing a helmet is at least on the rise. with age. But for those who take compared to a helmet. When the blood-thinning medication – as is airbag is deployed in case of an In order to determine the current helmet use often the case for older people – accident, it cushions the head gures for cyclists, pedelec riders, and e-scooter even a minor accident can lead to against the impact and stabilizes a severe brain hemorrhage. the cervical spine, thus reducing users, DEKRA Accident Research drew up a quan- There are many reasons why the risk of traumatic brain injury titative, cross-sectional study in 2019 to measure people do not wear helmets in and whiplash. helmet usage in nine bike-friendly European capi- tals that had been selected: Berlin, Warsaw, Copen- hagen, Zagreb, Ljubljana, Vienna, London, Am- sterdam, and Paris (Figure 25). To ensure that the results were as representative as possible, the study observed bicycle trac in each of the cities at dif- ferent times of day, in dierent locations around the city center, and exclusively on weekdays. A pilot study had been conducted in Stuttgart.

In total, 12,700 cyclists, pedelec riders, and ONE OF MANY RESULTS scooter/e-scooter users across the nine select- ed capitals were checked for helmet use. Over all OF A DEKRA STUDY: cities, 22 percent of riders were wearing one. As such, around one in ve cyclists, pedelec riders and IN LONDON, ALMOST scooter/e-scooter users wore a helmet on the road. London recorded the highest helmet use by far at 61 PERCENT OF CYCLISTS 60.9 percent, followed by Vienna at 26.7 percent, and Berlin at 24.3 percent. Amsterdam had the low- WEAR A HELMET. est helmet use, at just 1.1 percent. In Ljubljana and Zagreb, the gures were 9.1 and 5.9 percent respec- tively. In all of the cities in the study, most of the cyclists were using privately owned bicycles. e average helmet use among these cyclists was much In the Netherlands, “the country of the bike”, higher than for persons on rented bicycles. E-scoot- e study also showed that children wore helmets many cyclists do not wear helmets. ers had a signi cant impact on the absolute usage more frequently when riding their bicycles than any gures, especially in Berlin, Warsaw, Vienna, and other age group. is is doubtless mainly due to the Paris. Helmet use on these vehicles was very low, fact that parents exercise greater caution when it and was far below the average helmet use gures comes to the safety of their children, and ideally act overall for these cities. In Berlin, 173 e-scooters as role models. In addition to this, wearing a hel- were recorded. None of the riders of these scoot- met is a legal requirement in the countries of four ers were wearing helmets. In Paris, the situation was of the capital cities included in the DEKRA study: slightly better, with nine percent of the 316 e-scoot- for children aged under 12 in Austria and France, er users in the study wearing a helmet. under 15 in Slovenia, and under 16 in Croatia. In

25 Comparison of International Figures for Helmet Use 60.9 60

40

26.7 24.3

Percentage 22.0 19.9 19.9 20

9.1 5.9 1.1 0

Amsterdam Zagreb* Ljubljana Copenhagen Paris Warsaw Berlin Vienna London

In each case, n = 1,500, *n = 700 Source: DEKRA Accident Research

46 | 47 The Human Factor

A BICYCLE HELMET

contrast to this, the CAN HELP TO glance that the in- lowest gures for vestigation in Am- helmet use were re- PREVENT sterdam showed that corded among teen- just 1.1 percent of the agers. is group was SEVERE INJURIES. city’s cyclists wear hel- more likely to be cy- mets. Look more close- cling with friends or on ly, however, and it makes their own than with their sense. Aer all, the state be- parents. e fact that many gan investing heavily in suit- in this group did not wear hel- able infrastructure to make the mets may be caused by their develop- country’s roads safer for cyclists back ment during puberty. During this phase, teenagers in the 1970s. In 1975, e Hague and Tilburg be- oen do the opposite of what parents and society came the rst model cities for bicycle boulevards, recommend. while Del was the rst city to install a complete network of bicycle paths. In the Netherlands, the INFRASTRUCTURE IS AN IMPORTANT bicycle plays a bigger everyday role in trac than FACTOR IN WHETHER CYCLISTS FEEL in almost any other country. e infrastructure de- SAFE AND/OR WEAR A HELMET velopment is unparalleled, and due to this the pop- ulation feels safe when cycling. As such, helmets Other city-speci c observations: Since many res- are seen as an unnecessary burden, and the idea of idents of London see the British capital’s roads as making them a legal requirement dismissed. Over- dangerous for cyclists, many of them wear a helmet all, the Netherlands and Denmark are two of the on their way to work. During data collection, it was safest countries in the world for cyclists in terms also noted that a large number of cyclists in London of mileage. Even though everyone wear safety clothing, such as yellow high-visibility in this picture is wearing a jackets that enable them to be seen better in trac. Copenhagen is oen compared to Dutch cities helmet, they won’t have in terms of its bicycle trac. In light of this, it is sufficient protection in case of e Netherlands are seen as “the” country for surprising that, at 19.9 percent, its rate of helmet an accident – especially not cyclists. In light of this, it seems confusing at rst use is much higher than the gure for Amsterdam, the children. and in the middle bracket for all the cities includ- ed in the study. Alongside its well-developed in- frastructure, Denmark also relies on large-scale helmet use campaigns to increase safety. Unlike in Amsterdam, many of Copenhagen’s bicycle paths are not physically separated from car lanes except for by low curbs. is makes cycling in Copenha- gen seem more dangerous, which is why cyclists there rely on helmets more than in Amsterdam.

In light of the results of this DEKRA study and the aforementioned gures from the German Fed- eral Highway Research Institute, we need to deter- mine the factors on which acceptance of wearing a bicycle helmet depends, and how we can im- E-scooter riders prove this acceptance. Royal, S. et al. (2007) cre- rarely wear helmets. ated a meta-analysis of eleven studies on types of intervention and their eects on helmet-wearing behavior among children and teenagers. e re- sults show that non-legislative intervention and these measures produced a signicant, if smaller, support measures that are not part of legal reg- improvement. Interventions in schools were most ulations can be very eective. In comparison to eective when they addressed younger students. campaigns that originated in schools or used sub- is indicates that particular attention must be sidized helmets as a promotional measure, cam- paid to this group. Nevertheless, and no matter paigns that were conducted at the local commu- what the age of the cyclist, even the best infra- nity level close to people’s homes and involved the structure cannot prevent accidents. And when ac- distribution of free helmets were far more eec- cidents happen, a helmet remains an indispens- tive. Interventions that comprised solely of educa- able tool for protecting against injuries that can tional work were the least eective. However, even be severe or even fatal.

The Facts at a Glance • Human error on the road, es- • Being “in the flow” while pecially on the part of users on a motorcycle can lead to or motorized and non-motor- critical situations, especially ized two-wheeled vehicles, is to for older motorcyclists, a large degree responsible for as their reaction times many accidents. are slower than those of younger motorcyclists. • Interaction and communication with other road users are key • Every motorcyclist must lay factors for safety, and some- the foundations for healthy times even survival. risk awareness in the form of sound rider training. • Aggressive behavior on the part of cyclists is often a re- • In case of an accident, a sponse to cars performing driv- helmet is a piece of safe- ing maneuvers the cyclist views ty equipment that can save a as dangerous, and vice versa. cyclist or motorcyclist’s life.

48 | 49 Technology

Added Value for Safe Road Use

Careful and considerate behavior that respects the rules of the road is essential in reducing accident numbers. In addition to this, users of two-wheeled vehicles in particular can prevent accidents completely, or at least lessen the severity of their consequences, by keeping their vehicles – especially their brakes and lights – in good technical condition, wearing properly fitted helmets, and using active safety systems.

o matter what form of transport you choose, In Germany, for example, Section 65 of the Nthe braking distance is o en the deciding Road Trac Permit Act (StVZO) states that all bi- factor in whether or not an accident occurs – and cycles must have two independently functioning whether it results in minor, severe, or even fatal brakes. e design and character of the brakes are injuries if it does. is applies especially to unpro- not important as long as they are permanently in- tected road users such as cyclists. Among other stalled on the vehicle and enable the rider to ade- things, the various European standards that gov- quately reduce the speed of the bicycle and hold ern safety requirements and test procedures for it in place. Similar regulations apply to e-scooters. bicycles focus on well-modulated braking power that, regardless of the conditions, enables But what is the situation with regard to both cyclist and bicycle to be slowed the braking power of modern bi- down or brought to a stop ac- cycles, pedelecs, and speed cording to the situation at pedelecs? DEKRA conducted hand. Bicycle brakes also GOOD brake tests at its Technolo- need to reliably guaran- gy Center at the DEKRA tee steady deceleration, BRAKES Lausitzring race track in even in wet conditions. ARE THE MOST Klettwitz, Germany, to IMPORTANT FACTOR IN ENSURING SAFE CYCLING. 3

nd out. Up until the test, the six test bicycles had City bike: been subjected to everyday use. No changes were Caliper brake at front/ made to their technical condition before conduct- coaster brake at rear ing the tests. e test team simply checked the tire Trekking bike: pressure and adjusted it where necessary. ey Caliper brake at front/ also checked that the braking systems were in caliper brake at rear good condition and fully functional. Mountain bike 1: 4 When selecting the test bicycles, care was tak- Caliper brake at front/ en to ensure that they all had a similar tire contact caliper brake at rear area. is made mountain, touring, and trekking Mountain bike 2: bikes particularly well suited to the test. “Fat bikes” Disc brake at front/ and road bikes were not included in the test. e disc brake at rear objective of the brake tests was to demonstrate the dierences in the braking power of dierent Speed pedelec: brake systems, to illustrate the eects of dierent Disc brake at front/ weather conditions (dry/wet road surfaces), and disc brake at rear 5 to highlight the speci c advantages and disadvan- Pedelec: tages of each brake system. e following systems Disc brake with were installed on the test bicycles: Bosch ABS at front/ disc brake at rear

1

6

7

2

1 Final positions, dry 2 Final positions, wet 3 Caliper brake 4 Hub gear with coaster brake 5 Front disc brake 6 Rear disc brake 7 Pedelec ABS control unit

50 | 51 Technology

DEKRA’s experts conducted a number of measurements during the PEDELEC ABS PROVIDES SIGNIFICANT On the wet surface, however, the dierences brake tests at the Lausitz- ADVANTAGES ON WET SURFACES were much more stark: In this scenario, the brak- ring race track in Klettwitz, ing distance increased by over 20 percent for all of Germany. e test scenario required the testing rider to carry the test bicycles except the pedelec with ABS. e out multiple braking procedures on each of the test biggest dierence was recorded for the test bicycles bicycles, both on a surface with a high adhesion co- with caliper brakes at the front and rear. e brak- ecient (dry) and on a surface with a reduced ad- ing distance for these bicycles increased by almost hesion coecient (wet). All the braking procedures 30 percent on the wet surface. Overall, the ABS were initiated at a speed of 25 km/h with the max- brake on the pedelec demonstrated the best perfor- imum deceleration possible, by an experienced test mance on the wet surface, recording a braking dis- rider. For the wet-surface braking procedures, large tance that was only just under ten percent longer quantities of water were applied to the entire run-up than its braking distance on the dry surface. On the and travel surface, the braking area, and the test bi- wet surface, the longest braking distance was again cycles and their braking systems. e measurements recorded by the bicycle with the caliper brake at the were taken using a tape measure, and the measuring front and the coaster brake at the rear. e mean point was the axle of the front wheel. e tests pro- braking distance for this bicycle was 5.53 meters. duced the following results: e pedelec with ABS recorded the shortest mean braking distance on the wet surface, with 4.15 me- e disc brakes demonstrated good modula- ters. e dierence between the shortest and lon- tion overall. On the dry surface, all the test bicycles gest braking distances on the wet surface was 1.38 demonstrated appropriate braking power; there was meters. no signicant drop-o in any of the braking systems. e longest braking distance on the dry surface Deceleration values of between 5.3 and 6.6 m/s² was recorded by the bicycle with the caliper brake were achieved during the braking procedures con- at the front and the coaster brake at the rear. e ducted in dry conditions, while the deceleration mean braking distance for this bicycle was 4.55 me- values in wet conditions were between 4.4 and ters. e speed pedelec recorded the shortest mean 5.8 m/s². As such, all the bicycles achieved the min- braking distance on the dry surface, with 3.66 me- imum deceleration for motor vehicles of 5.0 m/s2 in ters. e dierence between the shortest and longest the dry braking test. One model even exceeded this mean braking distances on the dry surface was thus value on the wet surface: e ABS bicycle achieved 89 centimeters. a mean fully developed deceleration of 5.8 m/s². BRAKING COMPARISON: E-SCOOTERS braking distance doubled to 19.25 meters, equiva- VERSUS PUSH SCOOTERS lent to a deceleration of just about 0.8 m/s2. In light of this, it is recommended that push scooter riders Using the same test setup, the DEKRA experts place one foot on the asphalt to brake under these also conducted brake tests on a conventional push conditions. When using this type of manual brak- scooter equipped with just a foot brake on the rear ing, the push scooter achieved braking distances of wheel, and an e-scooter. e e-scooter was a stan- 9.10 meters on the wet surface. Nevertheless, the use dard model with drum brakes that is available for of push scooters that are equipped with only a foot rental in many German cities. On this model, both brake should be avoided on damp and wet surfaces. the front and the rear brakes were operated by sep- It should be noted that the e-scooter’s brakes pro- arate brake levers on the handlebars. e brake tests duced positive results. It was possible to exert the were conducted at a speed of 20 km/h. maximum pressure on both brake levers without any cause for concern. e braking procedures were e results were as follows: In the brake tests on steady and gave the rider a sense of safety. the dry surface, the push scooter recorded a mean braking distance of 9.70 meters, which is equivalent BICYCLE HELMETS OFFER GOOD to a deceleration of 1.6 m/s2. e push scooter’s brak- PROTECTION IN IMPACT TEST ing performance was alarmingly poor compared to that of the e-scooter, which recorded a mean brak- e potential benets of bicycle helmets in protect- ing distance of just over 3.37 meters on the dry sur- ing a cyclist’s head in case of an accident are indis- face, equivalent to a deceleration of 4.6 m/s2. e putable. At the same time, gures for helmet usage dierences were even starker on the wet surface and around the globe are extremely varied, as illustrat- with a wet rear brake. While the e-scooter braked ed strikingly by the data collected from dierent Eu- with almost exactly the same eectiveness in these ropean countries in the DEKRA Accident Research conditions, the foot brake on the push scooter had study presented in the section of this report on the DEKRA also tested the almost zero braking eect – the push scooter’s mean human factor. e reasons why a cyclist chooses to braking behavior of an e-scooter compared to that of a push scooter, on dry and wet surfaces.

52 | 53 Technology

wear a helmet – or not – vary, and are inuenced by number of products available is as large as the price many dierent factors. e fear of ruining one’s hair range. e fundamental requirements are dened in or appearance carries just as much weight as factors a number of standards, such as EN 1078, CPSC, JIS such as personal experience, the numbers of cyclists T 8134, and CAN/CSA-D113.2-M89 (R2014). ese on the roads in the area, the type of bicycle, the pur- standards must be complied with in their respective pose of the journey and, last but not least, the legal regions. Providing they meet these basic require- requirements. ments, however, manufacturers have a large degree of creative freedom in terms of the design. In or- Generally speaking, there is a wide variety of hel- der to gather information on cushioning behavior, met models and designs available on the market. e DEKRA subjected a number of dierent helmets to impact testing in a non-standardized series of tests.

In order to generate added value, the team delib- erately chose to use a test that is not included in the same form in the European standard EN 1078. For the purposes of this test, each helmet was tted onto a steel test head equipped with measurement tech- Saul Billingsley nology, positioned at an angle of 30 degrees from the Executive Director, FIA Foundation vertical, and hit with a round test specimen weigh- ing ve kilograms. e test specimen was dropped Don’t Delay, Act Now onto the helmet from heights of one and two meters. Many parts of the world are ex- cycle Helmet Campaign’. Sustai- e resulting energy, which was transferred into the periencing an explosion in motor- ned political commitment is vital to helmet, was thus 50 or 100 joules respectively. is cycle use. It is easy to understand build the key legislative and regu- load applied at a point occurs in a number of real-life why: motorbikes are a cheap, ac- latory foundations for helmet qua- accident situations, for example if the head of the cy- cessible, and versatile mode of lity and use; proactive and con- clist strikes a solid part of a vehicle during the col- transport, with low barriers for use. sistent enforcement coupled with lision, such as the A-column or the edge of the roof In many countries, a rider – and clear, public health information multiple passengers – can literally campaigns to build understanding above the windshield. Of course, the vehicle’s sur- jump on and go. As incomes rise, and consent; permanent vigilance face geometry would not usually match the hemi- but don’t reach as far as expensive and regular reinforcement of both spherical test specimen; despite this, it is still pos- (or non-existent) public transit, let enforcement and awareness rai- sible to draw conclusions with regard to a helmet’s alone a car, powered two-wheelers sing – these are the ingredients cushioning behavior based on this type of impact. provide much-needed mobility. that have helped Vietnam introdu- But motorbikes exact an expen- ce universal helmet use, and save sive price in human life. Fatalities $3.5 billion from an estimated For this series of tests, a number of dierent hel- and injuries amongst motorcyc- 500,000 avoided head injuries mets were purchased from a large German online le users are also on the increase. since 2008. shop; two older, used helmets were also tested. All Speed, failure to use motorcycle Vietnamese officials are the first the conventional bicycle helmets demonstrated an crash helmets, overloading, poor to admit that there is still much to excellent protective eect during the impact tests. road design, and lack of segrega- do, not least in regulating the mar- tion from heavy vehicles – all these ket in helmet quality and safety. e shell and structure of the helmets eective- are contributing to the casualty toll. And there are other lessons from ly distributed the force exerted by the test projec- Riders are often young, poor, and other countries that any govern- tile at the specic point onto the inside section that untrained, including on the usually ment grappling with high two- touched the head. In addition to this, deformations unregulated motor cycle taxis ubi- wheeler injury rates should be and breaks in the rigid foam of the helmet shell ab- quitous across the Global South. thinking of adopting, including se- But there are solutions. The FIA parated motorcycle lanes on high sorbed energy, further reducing the load that acted Foundation’s partner in South East volume corridors and requiring on the head. Asia, AIP Foundation, has worked automatic braking systems as stan- on motorcycle safety in Vietnam dard on all new motorbikes. for more than twenty years, and As we enter the SDG Decade of latterly in Thailand, Cambodia, Action, with a target to halve road Laos, and Myanmar, too. Some deaths by 2030, the first lesson of their experience is captured in for governments from the Vietna- the 2017 report ‘Head First: A mese experience is clear – don’t Case Study of Vietnam’s Motor- delay, act now. DEKRA conducted special e best result in the test was achieved by a mod- formance, a seven-year-old helmet from a discount impact tests with a variety ern, high-quality helmet with a built-in Multi-di- store was also tested. e force measured when test- of helmets. rectional Impact Protection System (MIPS). e ing this helmet was 4.2 kN. A very high-quality hel- MIPS was developed to absorb the rotational forces met that was almost 21 years old achieved a value of that are generated in the head and brain in case of 4.5 kN. Two of the helmets for teenagers bought in an impact. In most cases, the cyclist’s head hits the fall 2019 had been manufactured in January 2018 ground at an angle during an accident, rather than and December 2016 respectively. e newer helmet vertically. e resulting rotational forces can cause achieved a value of 4.9 kN in the test; the older one brain damage. e MIPS is designed to counteract only 5.4 kN. Another helmet designed for teenagers this danger and reduce the rotational forces. is is reduced the load to 4.3 kN. achieved by attaching a moving layer of plastic to the inside of the helmet. is plastic layer can move Another helmet included in the test, which com- back and forth by about one centimeter in every di- plies with the requirements for speed pedelecs with rection. e system is generally compatible with any an electrically assisted maximum speed of 45 km/h, type of helmet, and in theory can also be retrot- recorded similar results to the regular bicycle hel- ted onto conventional models by their respective mets in this test, with load values of 4.8 kN and manufacturers. In the test with the MIPS hel- 5.1 kN. However, due to dierences in its shape met, the force that acted on the head it also covers additional impact sce- was measured at 3.8 kN. A mod- narios and provides good head el of the same design without protection in situations that the MIPS recorded slight- would push traditional bi- ly higher load values of cycle helmets to their 4.0 kN. DURING A limits. In order to deter- An airbag helmet mine how the age of a FALL, THE HEAD included in the test helmet aects its per- IS SUBJECTED TO had no eect in terms HIGH FORCES.

54 | 55 Technology

of reducing the impact. Due to the weight of the fall- ing object, the material of the airbag tore open at a Mar Cogollos point on the side, causing it to lose the gas inside it, Director of AESLEME (Asociación para el Estudio and thus its protective function. Within the frame- de la Lesión Medular = Association for the Study work of the tests carried out, it was not possible to as- of Spinal Medullary Lesions) certain to what extent such behavior would also oc- cur in case of impact against a “sharp-edged” curb, Two-Wheeled Vehicles – Sustainable and Safe? if the wearer’s head went through a shattering wind- shield with the airbag in ated, or if the airbag came Urban mobility is evolving rapid- ry: There are not enough separate ly. In urban spaces, which were lanes and – as I have already men- into contact with slender but hard vehicle compo- almost exclusively the preserve of tioned – ensuring safe interaction nents such as an A-column during a collision (see ac- the car just a few years ago, a va- between buses, vans, cars, motor- cident example 8 for more information). riety of road users now compete cycles, bicycles, and e-scooters is with one another, including riders difficult because the vehicle catego- BICYCLE HELMETS SIGNIFICANTLY of micro-vehicles and bicycles. This ries differ in terms of their weight, means that there are a large num- mass, and the active and passive REDUCE THE RISK OF SEVERE HEAD ber of unprotected road users shar- safety measures with which they are INJURIES WHEN WORN CORRECTLY ing the road with fast, heavy mo- equipped. tor vehicles – an incredibly risky In the past, countless crash tests have been conduct- situation. This is compounded by AESLEME’s recommendations: ed – many of them by DEKRA – in order to test and the fact that many cyclists and us- • Certificate or approval from illustrate the potential benets of bicycle helmets in ers of e-scooters are not aware of school for cyclists and users of the rules, risks, and potential conse- real-life accident scenarios. As the use of e-scoot- e-scooters (13 to 15 years old): The- ers becomes more widespread, it becomes relevant quences of riding their vehicles, or ory and practical training on rules, do not observe the regulations. requirements, penalties, hazard per- to ask whether bicycle helmets can also have a pro- We see these people almost ev- ception, etc. with assistance from tective eect for users of these vehicles. To this end, ery day, crossing at crosswalks parents, teachers, local police, road three tests were conducted at the DEKRA Crash without dismounting, riding without safety instructors, and professional Test Center. e tests simulated a situation where a helmets (in Spain, helmets are cur- associations rently only a legal requirement for scooter crashed into a curb and the user, represent- cyclists under the age of 16), riding • Make wearing helmets and reflec- ed by a Hybrid III crash test dummy, subsequently at night or through tunnels in urban tive jackets (on urban roads) a legal fell o the scooter. e dummy had no protection in requirement for all age groups areas without reflective elements, the rst test, and wore a helmet in the second. In the or using their headphones or cell- • Set a minimum age for unaccom- third test, an airbag helmet – a highly practical and phone while on the road. panied use (14 for bicycles and space-saving last mile mobility solution – was used. These modes of transport are 16 for e-scooters) popular among young people as • Ensure that local police have a a sustainable and more afford- e load placed on the head was measured using stronger presence and perform able way of getting around town. more frequent checks, issuing penal- the standard sensor systems in the dummy. is in- However, the fact that no driver’s ties if necessary, in order to ensure volved measuring the acceleration levels that acted on license is required to ride a bicy- awareness of and compliance with the head. e acceleration gures were converted into cle or an e-scooter is a problem, as the rules, and prevent accidents and it leads to a large number of road the risk of injury using the head injury criterion val- collisions users who have not received any training. While it is obviously es- • Install emergency braking sys- sential that we reduce congestion tems, pedestrian and cyclist detec- and find more sustainable means of tion systems and blind spot moni- transport, the safety of all the road toring (driver assistance systems) in users who share our roads must be cars in order to prevent accidents in HOW WELL A our absolute top priority. this vehicle category The increase in two-wheeled vehi- cles on the roads in our towns and “Nothing is more valuable than HELMET FITS PLAYS cities will lead to an increased num- life!” Let's take steps to help us ber of accidents, because the infra- live together safely and encourage structure is not designed to cater to greater respect so that we can pro- A KEY ROLE IN ITS road users in this vehicle catego- tect our most vulnerable road users. EFFECTIVENESS AS A PROTECTIVE MEASURE. In a real-life traffic situation, the scooter rider without the helmet would ue (HIC). Background: e human head is subjected have suffered severe head injuries. to dierent forms of stress in every accident, some of which overlap. ese include the translational and ro- tatory stresses that act mainly on the bone and brain mass. Depending on the stress to which the body is subjected, the brain mass may undergo relative dis- placement within the skull. is can lead to minor or severe injury. e dimensionless HIC has been devel- oped to enable us to assess and compare the potential severity of dierent injuries.

In crash tests, this criterion is calculated using a dummy, or sometimes in a simulation. It is based on the connection between the level and the duration of the deceleration that acts on the head along every di- mensional axis during an accident. e duration is key to determining the extent to which the accelera- tion inuences the risk of irreversible cranial or brain injury. If the head briey impacts against an object for around 15 milliseconds, the HIC15 value of 1,000 Helmets also offer a relatively represents a 50 percent probability of irreversible in- high level of injury protection in jury. In case of a longer deceleration, relatively speak- case of scooter crashes. ing, whereby there is no direct, hard head impact (du- ration approx. 36 milliseconds), the HIC36 value of 700 is used as the dening threshold for a 50 percent risk of intolerable, irreversible injury.

In the crash test with no helmet, the acceleration levels measured when the head impacted the ground were very high, with an HIC36 value of 5,282. is value would be expected to cause critical to fatal in- jury. In the second test, the dummy wore a bicy- cle helmet. is reduced the load on the head to an HIC36 value of 122, thus signicantly reducing the risk of a severe head injury. In the third test, the air- bag helmet’s trigger algorithm detected the dummy’s fall, and the airbag was deployed. e HIC36 value of 169 measured in this test was also a clear indica- tor that the risk of a severe head injury when wear- ing such helmets is very low.

56 | 57 Technology

Since – unlike a sober person with normal reac- is clear. e airbag helmet also shows signs of an ad- tions – a dummy does not execute any form of de- ditional eect that could not be reected in the tests. fensive reaction to a crash, such as using its hands According to a study by Stanford University, the to break its fall, the values measured in all the tests large-volume airbag helps to reduce the risk of con- are at the high end of the expected range. Never- cussion compared to conventional bicycle helmets. theless, the enormous potential for protection of- fered by a helmet or airbag helmet in any scenario In summary, it is clear that, when worn correct- ly, bicycle helmets signicantly reduce the risk of severe head injury in case of an accident – regard- less of whether said accident involves another par- ty or is simply a fall that does not involve any oth- er persons. In DEKRA’s car-versus-bicycle tests, the airbag helmet demonstrated signicant vulnerabili- ties in terms of crash detection (see accident exam- The airbag ple 8, page 35). ese issues have also been reported helmet triggered in tests conducted by other institutes, so this can- reliably during the not be assumed to be a one-o. In case of falls, how- crash simulation. ever, the airbag was triggered with a very high de- gree of reliability and provided at least the same level of protection as a conventional helmet. e airbag helmet represents a potential alternative for anyone who does not want to wear a helmet because it might ruin their hair or does not match their own aesthet- ic ideals, and also for those who nd a convention- al helmet too cumbersome to wear on their way to work with various modes of transport.

However, the tests have also shown that bicycle helmets are not only a suitable form of protection for cyclists. ey are also a legitimate safety measure for users of personal light electric vehicles, and should be worn for every journey. However, the tests also conrmed that while an old helmet is better than no helmet at all, the manufacturer’s specications with regard to replacing a helmet once it has reached a cer- tain service life should be observed in order to main- tain the optimum protective eect. For the helmets included in the test, the recommended service life was three to ve years. Helmets that undergo a lot of stress, such as children’s or teenagers’ helmets that are constantly being dropped, should generally be re- placed more frequently. Manufacturers specify the date of purchase as the start of the service life; howev-

Airbag helmet in “normal” and inflated state. er, consumers should check the legally required date Transporting Children in a Cargo Bike – of manufacture printed inside the helmet before buy- Always Use a Seatbelt and a Helmet! ing, and make sure that it has not been sat on the shelf or in the storeroom for too long. Parents transporting their children in brakes. The results are cargo bikes are becoming an increas- clear: The dummy without ingly common sight on our streets. But the seatbelt was thrown out of the box e t of the helmet is also important. As with how safe is this mode of transport for and its head hit the ground. In a real- shoes, this can vary depending on the manufactur- our offspring? This question was the life scenario, this would have resulted er and the model. is makes it important to try on focus of a series of tests conducted in severe head injuries – especially if and compare dierent helmets before buying. Even by DEKRA at the DEKRA Technology the child was not wearing a helmet. the most expensive helmet that comes out on top in Center at the Lausitzring race track. The dummy that was wearing the seat- In one of the cases, the dummy was belt, on the other hand, barely moved all the tests will be useless if it ends up not being wearing a seatbelt – the seatbelt sys- from the position in which it was seat- worn because it does not t properly, or if a poor t tem installed on the bicycle was the ed when the bicycle braked. In light prevents it from providing its full protective eect. type recommended for children by the of this, we should follow the maxim manufacturer. In the other case, the that anyone transporting their children ACTIVE AND PASSIVE LIGHTING dummy was seated in the cargo box in a cargo bike should always make without a seatbelt. The braking pro- sure that they are wearing seatbelts. SYSTEMS FOR CYCLISTS cedure was executed at a speed of In order to cover all eventualities, the 25 km/h using the bicycle’s built-in children should also wear helmets. When it comes to the safety of cyclists – both with and without electrically assisted vehicles – lighting plays a key role. Fully functional lighting that com- plies with the legal requirements is essential to en- suring that cyclists can see well, and especially that they can be seen, all year round (Figure 26). In Ger- many, Section 67 of the Road Trac Permit Act (St- VZO) on lighting systems on bicycles was revised back in 2017, and Section 67a on lighting systems on bicycle trailers was added at the same time. is leg- islation places a high degree of responsibility in the hands of cyclists: ey are not required to have po- tentially detachable active lighting equipment – i.e. head lamps and tail lights – mounted on their bi- cycle during the day, nor are they required to car- ry it with them. When cycling in darkness, however, they must ensure that their lights are attached and, of course, in full working order.

26 Legally Required Lighting Equipment on Bicycles in Germany If a cyclist is unable to comply with this require- ment in a one-o situation – if one of their lights xxxx IN DAYLIGHT suddenly develops a fault, for example – then their xxxx xxx IN THE DARK passive lighting equipment becomes particularly im- portant. Passive lighting equipment can only fulll Active lighting equipment Passive lighting equipment Active lighting equipment its function as a potentially life-saving safety mea- Removable items do not need All items must be permanently Mustbe attached and fully xxxx to be attached or carried installed and unobscured functional when riding sure to the required level if all the legally required around during the day at all times in the dark

Forward- Reflector, white facing Headlamp Headlamp Pedal reflectors, yellow

Rear-facing Tail light, red Reflector, Cat. Z Tail light, red (according to StVZO), red

Retroreflective strips on tires or wheel rims, white

Side-facing Retroreflective spokes/spoke

Alternative sheaths, white

Spoke reflectors, yellow

58 | 59 Technology

CYCLISTS OFTEN LACK AWARENESS OF THE nel, they should have lights on their bikes in order to avoid penalties – and, more importantly, to keep PROBLEMS AND DANGERS themselves safe. Generally speaking, lighting sys- tems, including those on bicycles, need to be of an OF NOT HAVING ocially approved design, which means they need to have a test or approval mark on them. In addition to SUFFICIENT LIGHTING. this, care must be taken with all types of headlamp to ensure that they do not dazzle oncoming trac.

ere are also several other important chang- re ectors and retro-re ective devices are perma- es: Bicycles with a width of over one meter must nently attached to the bicycle and not covered up. be equipped with paired horizontal re ectors fac- ing the front and rear, plus at least two white head- is means that road cyclists and mountain bik- lamps and two red tail lights tted in pairs no more ers likewise do not require battery-powered light- than 20 centimeters from the outer edge of the sides ing on their person or their bicycle in daylight. of the vehicle. Front and rear-facing turn signals are But when the sun starts to set or they enter a tun- only permitted on cycles with more than two wheels

Finding New Paths Forward In light of the rising numbers of accidents involving cyclists and the expectation that the volume of bi- cycle traffic will continue to increase, especially in urban areas, we need to improve road safety and be open to ways of doing so that have previously been dismissed as far-fetched. Even the most simple tools may prove effective in this regard. Take bicy- cle lighting equipment, for example: There are now headlamps with built-in laser lights that project a bicycle symbol onto the ground in order to make other road users aware of cyclists and announce their arrival at busy junctions before the cyclists themselves can actually be seen. These systems are also designed to project the presence of a cyclist into the line of sight of motorists so that they notice the cyclist even when they are in the motorist’s blind spot. New bicycle tail lights are also available that project a virtual bicycle lane onto the road using a laser in order to show over- taking vehicles the safety area around the bicy- cle and encourage them to maintain a greater dis- tance when overtaking. These systems are already in use in some coun- tries, especially on rental bicycles. In others, such as Germany, they are prohibited. We need to find a path between categorically ruling out new forms of technology that can improve safety and allowing the producers of stylish new gadgets to run wild, flood- ing the market in a way that would be counterpro- ductive to safety concerns. As a general rule, how- ever, all additional functions of this kind need to be thoroughly discussed and examined by the relevant expert committees, such as the GRE and the UN- ECE in Geneva – just like many other proposed new forms of lighting technology in the automotive sector. 27 Regulations for the Periodic Technical Inspection (PTI) of Motorcycles in the EU Test interval Test interval PTI in months PTI in months and bicycles whose design results in the rider’s hand Belgium X – Malta X– signals being partially or completely obscured. For Bulgaria ✔ 24 Netherlands X– trailers being pulled by bicycles, the relevant pro- Denmark X – Austria ✔ 12 visions of the new Section 67a of the StVZO apply. Germany ✔ 24 Poland ✔ 36/24/12 ese are a life-saving measure, especially when rid- ✔ 36/24/24/ Portugal X– Estonia 24/12/12/12 ing with children on board. Romania ✔ 24 Finland X – Sweden ✔ 24 During both standard bicycle checks carried out France X – ✔ 48/24 on the road and those included in road safety train- Greece ✔ 24 Slovakia ✔ ing at schools, there are regular issues. Among the Ireland X – Slovenia 48/24/24/12 most common of these is bikes on which the pas- Italy ✔ 48/24 Spain ✔ 48/24 sive lighting equipment (reectors) that forms part Croatia ✔ 24/12 Czech Republic ✔ 48/24 of the legally required equipment when cycling both Latvia ✔ 24 Hungary ✔ 48/24 in daylight and at night is either missing or not at- Lithuania ✔ 36/24 United Kingdom ✔ 12 tached in full. Legally prescribed lighting equipment Luxembourg ✔ 48/24/12 Cyprus X– only becomes noticeable when it is dark –especial- Date: 2018 Source: EU Commission ly if it is absent (Section 67/67a, StVZO), if it is not switched on (Section 17, StVO), or if it is defective.

In order to counteract the increasing frequency estimated – which makes it all the more important to carry on the road of bicycles that do not have all the legal- out regular safety inspections on motorcycles. In many EU ly required reectors facing the front, rear, and sides, countries, periodical vehicle inspections have been a require- we need to increase awareness of this problem/re- ment for two-wheeled motor vehicles for many years, just as quirement by reminding cyclists and the entire bi- they are for other motor vehicles (Figure 27). In the DEKRA cycle industry of it. In many countries around the accident database, the proportion of vehicles found to have world, police bicycle squads are becoming increas- technical defects aer having been involved in a trac acci- ingly common as a way of conducting more bicy- dent was 20 percent for motorcycles, 50 percent for mopeds, cle checks. Despite the wide variety of irregularities and around 80 percent for small mopeds. and violations in everyday trac, it seems expedient to subject cyclists and their bikes to a “full inspec- In Germany, the majority of the motorcycles subjected to tion” with every police check and whenever a pun- general inspections in 2018 (Figure 28) were found to be in ishment is issued for a severe oense, regardless of good technical condition. According to gures published by the original reason for pulling them over. If any is- sues are found during the inspection, for instance with the passive lighting equipment that is also re- 28 quired when riding in daylight, care should be taken Motorcycle Inspection Results for Germany in 2018 to ensure that the act of pointing out the problem is used as a teaching moment – and, where necessary, Dangerous defects Not road-safe combined with a verbal warning and/or the threat of 5,170 0.3% 0.0% 215 a ne if it turns into a repeat oense. Significant defects 8.8% 155,272 RIDING SAFELY WITH 3.2% Minor defects ROAD-SAFE MOTORCYCLES 56,495 roughout Europe, statistics show that most acci- dents involving motorcycles are caused by the hu- man factor in the situation. Other risk factors com- Motorcycles No defects inspected monly involved include the road conditions, the 1,542,195 87.7% 1,759,347 weather conditions, and obstacles in the road. In ad- dition to this, the number of accidents where techni- cal defects can also play a role should not be under- Source: Kraftfahrt-Bundesamt (German Federal Motor Transport Authority)

60 | 61 Technology

29 Motorcycle Inspection Results for 2018 in Defect Groups the Kra fahrt-Bundesamt (Federal Motor Trans- port Authority), 87.7 percent of the over 1.75 Noise generation million motorcycles inspected in total showed no Visibility Radio interference signs of defects. With regard to the defects found Other equipment 1.6% 3.0% 0.003% suppression in the individual assemblies (Figure 29), lighting Other environmental 3.1% 12 issues 4.1% systems were the most common problem area, ac- Engine emissions counting for over 36 percent of all defects. In al- 4.5% Lighting most 17 percent of the motorcycles with defects, systems 36% 134,751 the axles/wheels/tires/suspension assembly was Identification 4.6% the most common problem area, followed by the 17,227 Total braking system and the chassis/frame/structure, Steering system 5.1% defects found which accounted for 11.4 and 9.7 percent of all 19,101 374,209 defects respectively. Chassis, frame, structure 9.7% TUNING OF MOPEDS AND SMALL 36,241 Axles, wheels, tires, MOPEDS REMAINS A PROBLEM Braking system suspension 42,553 11.4% 16.8% 62,938 For many teenagers, especially in rural areas, the small moped – or, increasingly, the e-bike – is Source: Kraftfahrt-Bundesamt (German Federal Motor Transport Authority) the gateway to personal motorized mobility. Sub-

Two Examples to Illustrate the Extent to Which Technical Defects Cause Traffic Accidents

Not every technical defect that is found An expert performs a detailed ex- Results: in conjunction with an accident should amination of the braking system in a The accident cannot be reconstructed cor- necessarily be seen as the cause of the workshop to determine what effect the rectly until the braking deceleration possi- accident. In order to determine whether defect in the braking system has. The ble with the defect has been calculated. If or not this is the case, the accident needs expert finds that the rear brakes were the defect in the braking system is not de- to be examined in detail by an expert, as barely able to transfer any braking tected at all, the speed at which the car illustrated by the two examples below: force. As such, the braking system’s was traveling would be calculated as being performance is only 70 percent of 59.7 km/h, based on a braking distance Example 1: that of a system that has been main- of 17.2 meters and a braking deceleration A car is driving through a built-up area at tained in optimum working condition. of 8 m/s2, which is the same deceleration a speed of 50 km/h. The dry asphalt road Despite this, the defect in the braking rate we assumed earlier. This could result has two lanes: one in each direction. There system is not a cause of the accident in the cause of the accident being deemed are several vehicles driving toward the car in example 1. The car would always in court to have been “excessive speed” on the opposite side of the road, also at have hit the e-scooter user at a speed rather than “technical defect.” This makes 50 km/h. An e-scooter user traveling slowly of 50 km/h or just below regardless the technical examination of the vehicles pulls out from between two parked vehicles of the condition of the brakes. involved an extremely important part of the into the same lane as the car, 15 meters accident reconstruction process. in front of it. The driver of the car initiates Example 2: a braking procedure. Shortly after the car Instead of the 15 meters in the previ- begins to brake, it hits the e-scooter user at ous example, the e-scooter user now the height of its right headlamp. The vehicle pulls out into the lane at a distance of comes to a stop after a braking distance of 26 meters in front of the car. Assum- 17.2 meters. The e-scooter user is severely ing the same reaction time (one sec- Example 1: injured, or possibly even killed. At the site of ond) and 70 percent of the original Collision speed 48.3 km/h the accident, it becomes clear that the two braking power, the car collides with rear brake discs were both partially rusted. the e-scooter user 4.9 meters before it If we assume a reaction time of one comes to a stop. This corresponds to Reaction distance 13.9 m Braking distance 17.2 m second – including all system times, such a residual speed of 26.7 km/h. The as the brake force build up time – emer- e-scooter user will probably be injured. Example 2: gency braking at full power would begin A fully functional braking system would 100% braking power after a reaction distance of 13.9 meters bring the car to a stop after 26 meters if the car was traveling at 50 km/h. Brak- (13.9 meters reaction distance + 12.1 Reaction distance 13.9 m Braking distance 12.1 m ing begins just before the collision. It does meters braking distance). The e-scoot- not stop until the car has traveled 16.1 er user would not suffer any physical Collision speed 26.7 km/h meters (= 13.9 meters + 17.2 meters - 15 injuries. In this case, the defect in the 70% braking power meters) beyond the point of the collision. braking system would be a cause of The collision speed is 48.3 km/h. the accident. Reaction distance 13.9 m Braking distance 17.2 m ject to a minimum age of 15 in Germany and 14 in Switzerland, it represents a real alternative to a bicycle, the bus, or relying on their parents to drive them around. However, the fact that these Jörg Ahlgrimm vehicles’ top speed is restricted to 25 km/h is a President of the European Association limitation that many users still see as unreason- for Accident Research and Analysis able. As a result of this, tampering with the tech- nology of a vehicle in order to increase its speed Lack of Road Safety for Light Motorcyclists has long been common for those that own these Users of two-wheeled motor vehi- proof of tampering in vehicles that vehicles. cles are particularly at risk on the possess electronic speed limiters that roads. This is mainly due to the fact can be temporarily deactivated, and Due to changes made to the European per- that there are only limited technical likewise in the electric vehicles that options for protecting them from the are becoming increasingly common mit laws in 2002, the traditional small moped has injuries they might suffer if they are on the market. As a group, older increasingly fallen out of favor and been super- involved in a traffic accident while road users are also overrepresent- seded by throttled motor scooters. Where tun- using this type of vehicle. In addition ed in the statistics for injuries and ing was once focused on modifying mechanical to this, many two-wheeled light mo- deaths among motorcyclists. Unfor- aspects such as the carburetor, the exhaust, and torcycles with insurance plates are tunately, a limited fitness to drive in particularly poor condition. These due to consumption of alcohol often the transmission ratio, a vehicle’s electronic sys- include low-priced vehicles from the plays a role here. tems are now the more common target of any il- Far East that are available in super- Traffic checks are currently the legal tweaks. Tailor-made tuning kits for dierent markets and big-box stores. The de- only effective means of counter- vehicles are available to purchase online. Simi- sign and technical construction of acting the causes of accidents that lar tuning procedures are commonly carried out these vehicles alone cause them to arise from technology and the peo- wear more quickly than the average ple driving or riding the vehicles in on light motorcycles, which have a legally lim- rate. Spare parts for safety compo- question. However, there is no sys- ited top speed of 45 km/h. Likewise, the choice nents such as the braking system are tematic log of the problems found of tuning kits available for pedelecs is increasing very hard to get hold of. As such, it during these checks, constantly. is no wonder that these vehicles are so it is not possible to draw statisti- often found to have significant tech- cal conclusions based on their find- nical defects or even not be in road- ings. Spain has taken a different ap- Most users of tuned two-wheeled vehicles are safe condition when they appear in proach: For around ten years, Class not fully aware of the potential risks of such mod- accident statistics or are pulled over L1e vehicles in the Mediterranean ications. Tuning a vehicle invalidates its type ap- for traffic checks. country have been subjected to in- proval, making it illegal to use it on public roads. Many of the accidents involving spections as part of a periodic moni- In addition to this, increasing its top speed moves these vehicles occur when they are toring scheme. According to a study being used by young road users, conducted on behalf of the Euro- means that a dierent driver's license class is re- who often lack risk awareness and pean Commission, the introduction quired, meaning its user may be guilty of operat- experience on the road. In addition of periodic monitoring has had a ing a motor vehicle without a driver’s license. e to this, it is common for the technolo- positive effect in that it has reduced increased speed also presents a further problem gy on speed-restricted vehicles to be the number of deaths and injuries for traditional small mopeds and pedelecs, which tampered with in order to increase among users of light motorcycles. In their power and top speed. This is addition to this, the measure offers are oen not designed to handle such velocities. not a new development. But while a good cost/benefit ratio. Serious the government continues to impose analysis should be conducted to de- Traveling at a higher speed subjects the vehi- important constraints on manufactur- termine whether this model is also cle to much greater strain, which leads to a risk ers in an effort to prevent such tam- suited to reducing the number of ac- of component failure. Likewise, the braking sys- pering, there is still a significant gap cidents and minimizing their conse- between the ambition and the real- quences in line with the objectives tems on some of these vehicles are not designed ity. It is particularly difficult to find of “Vision Zero” in other countries. to handle the higher speeds that can be achieved through tuning. Since tuning invalidates the type approval, insurance companies can reduce their payouts, or completely refuse to pay out at all in case of damage incurred during an accident. In THE PERCENTAGE OF TWO- light of this, it is important both as a follow-up to accidents and as part of general trac moni- WHEELED VEHICLES WITH ILLE- toring procedures to determine whether vehicles have been modied illegally. If the police spot a vehicle on the road that seems unusual, they can GAL TECHNICAL MODIFICATIONS have it inspected for illegal technical modica- tions by their own specialists or experts. IS CONSPICUOUSLY HIGH.

62 | 63 Technology

DEKRA Accident Research collects the results of these inspections a er trac checks and accidents in its own database. Tuning measures designed to Matthias Haasper increase the vehicle’s top speed are o en found in Head of Research, Institute two-wheeled motor vehicles during such inspec- for Two-Wheeler Safety (ifz) tions, especially in light motorcycles and small mo- peds. e analysis for 2001 to 2018 shows that there Welcome Innovations for Greater Motorcycle Safety was evidence of illegal technical modications in According to the findings of a re- future – that is our belief, and one 69.5 percent of the small mopeds that were inves- cent study by the Institut für Zweirad- shared by over 60 percent of the tigated a er an accident, and in 32.3 percent of the sicherheit (Institute for Motorcycle participants in the study. The latest mopeds investigated a er an accident. By way of Safety, ifz), 94.6 of the motorcyclists findings on what can make motorcy- comparison, only 2.4 percent of the cars investigat- surveyed viewed rider assistance cle riding safer in the future will by ed a er accidents within the same period showed systems on motorcycles as useful for presented at the ifz’s 13th Interna- safety reasons. As the word “assis- tional Motorcycle Conference in Co- signs of illegal modication. e percentage of ve- tance” implies, these systems are de- logne in October 2020. “Network- hicles found to have illegal technical modications signed to help relieve the burden on ing” is one of the key buzzwords in following trac checks was also conspicuously high, motorcyclists in complex situations, this regard. On the one hand, the especially among two-wheeled vehicles. ese types thus increasing their safety. cooperative systems of the future will of modications were found in 85.1 percent of the The transfer of technology is not react within the context of the infra- always easy in this field, as much of structure, to elements such as traffic small mopeds that were investigated, 67.6 percent it comes from the car sector and is lights and traffic management sys- of the mopeds, and 72.2 percent of the motorcycles more complex to adapt when work- tems. At the same time, vehicles will with license plates. e gures for trac checks are ing with only two wheels. Neverthe- communicate with one another be- naturally higher, since these vehicles are deliberate- less, there is now a wide range of fore either reacting automatically or ly pulled over by police before being subjected to rider assistance systems for motorcy- passing the information they have the additional expert inspection based on this ini- cles and scooters, such as traction gleaned on to their riders. This can control systems, semi-active chas- be done in a number of ways. For tial suspicion. sis, cornering lights, daylight rid- example, acoustic signals could be ing lights, tire pressure control sys- used to speak to the rider via speak- As yet, no conclusive statistics are available for tems, blind spot assistants, and many ers in their helmet, or visual infor- pedelecs. Nevertheless, the large range of tuning more. ABS is the classic example. mation could be in the helmet via a kits and the initial accident research ndings in- This assistant was first included as heads-up display in addition to the standard in a motorcycle back in instrument panel. Riders could also dicate that this also represents a potential prob- 1988, and has been a legal require- receive notifications in the form of lem area. However, manufacturers of pedelec mo- ment for all newly licensed vehicles vibrations, e.g. in the handlebars or tors and the relevant professional associations have since January 2017. It is without a the seat. It is important that motorcy- both expressed an interest in ensuring that these doubt the best-known rider assistance clists familiarize themselves in detail vehicles do not undergo tuning, and are prepared system, and was given first place in with the rider assistance systems on to take extensive countermeasures to prevent this the ad-hoc listing of various systems their motorcycles now, and also that in the ifz study. they know how these systems can from happening. The strides being made in techno- help them on the road. After all, the logical development will continue to greatest responsibility still lies with help reduce accident numbers in the the rider themselves. The risk of being killed in an accident is 18 times Paolo Magri higher for motorcyclists President of the Italian Association than for car drivers. In for Two-Wheeled Vehicles, ANCMA (Associazione light of this, technical Nazionale Ciclo Motociclo Accessori) systems for communication between motorcycles and Investments in Research and Innovation Will Enable us to cars are being designed Keep Developing Safer Vehicles to reduce the risk of accidents and improve Due to their design, scooters and optional feature in at least one of the road safety. motorcycles are vehicles with a models in their range by 2020. particularly high risk of being in- It is also important to emphasize volved in an accident. In order to our industry’s dedication to the devel- reduce the associated risks, the two- opment of eCall systems that can be wheeled vehicle industry will con- mounted either on the motorcycle it- tinue to take a number of different self or on accessories such as motor- approaches in the future. The first cycle helmets and jackets. In both of factor is the technology made avail- these cases, our representatives are able to the motorcyclists by the man- working hard to define a platform of ufacturers. Investments in research technical requirements and standards ere is currently no data available on e-scooters and innovation will enable us to that fits the European context. for the German market, as they have only been ap- keep developing safer vehicles. There is also the matter of pas- proved for use on public roads since summer 2019. Generally speaking, the new rider sive safety, which is largely depen- e design of these vehicles, which are subject to assistance systems for motorcyclists dent on technical functional clothing. approval for use on the road, limits their speed to are contributing significantly to ac- Over the last few years, we have cident prevention, as they offer mo- noticed an increase in awareness a maximum of 20 km/h. However, vehicles which torcyclists support in the most critical among motorcyclists, with more and have no chance of approval are still available, some riding situations. In the future, the more of them recognizing the need of which can reach much higher speeds and would challenge will be to introduce high- to wear special functional clothing thus be unable to obtain a type approval. Since most tech applications across the entire designed to protect them in case of markets are not currently subject to the same strict product range. an accident. According to the Istituto Phase 2.0 in the drive for motor- Superiore di Sanità (Italian Nation- regulations as the German market and the majority cycle safety will be to apply the dig- al Institute of Health), using a back of e-scooters on the road are owned by sharing ser- ital revolution to the world of mo- protector reduces the risk of spinal vice providers anyway, it remains to be seen whether bility: “Cooperative ITS” – systems injuries in case of an accident by 40 this market ever becomes attractive to manufactur- designed to connect vehicles to one percent. In light of this, governments ers of tuning kits. another and to the infrastructure so should also create incentives for the that they can exchange information use of certified functional clothing, with one another and interact with in the form of tax rebates. At the Eu- ABS FOR GREATER the road infrastructure – will play a ropean level, the introduction of the MOTORCYCLE SAFETY fundamental role in preventing the new standard on protective clothing risk of accidents. The European com- for motorcyclists, which covers items Ever since 2017, no new registrations for any mo- panies that make up the ACEM – the such as full motorcycle suits, jackets, torcycle that does not have an anti-lock braking European Association of Motorcycle and boots, has been of fundamental Manufacturers – have signed a dec- importance. This is a huge step for- system (ABS) have been permitted. Based on the laration of consent to support the in- ward, akin almost to a revolution, analysis of German and Indian accident databas- troduction of “cooperative ITS” in the and will shape the development of es (German In-Depth Accident Study [GIDAS], motorcycle industry, pledging to in- protective motorcycle clothing for the conducted from 2001 to 2004, and Road Accident stall a C-ITS system as a standard or next decade. Sampling System [RASSI], conducted from 2009 to 2013), Bosch Accident Research has predicted that this system could prevent around one quarter of all relevant motorcycle accidents that result in deaths or injuries. is is because such systems stop the wheels of the vehicle from locking. Especially in cases involving emergency braking or heavy de- celeration on slippery surfaces, this helps to ensure that two-wheeled vehicles in particular come to a safe stop and remain easier to control within the limits set by the driving dynamics. ey also pre-

64 | 65 Technology

vent the front wheel from locking, which is dan- today, almost one in two motorcycle accidents oc- gerous and generally leads to a fall. As a result, curs during cornering. they enable motorcyclists to brake at full power. Bosch claims that MSC oers the best protec- Incidentally, pedelecs with ABS have also been tion possible when accelerating and braking, even available since 2018. One example of this is the when cornering at high speeds. e braking sys- Bosch eBike ABS, which received the DEKRA tem’s interventions are precisely calibrated to the Award 2019 for “Safety on the Road”. is model angle of the motorcycle, and the braking pressure combines the front-wheel ABS with rear wheel li builds up smoothly while still increasing rapid- control for increased safety. During dicult brak- ly when the bike is cornering. e system also de- ing maneuvers, this system regulates the braking tects when the front or rear wheel lis of the ground pressure, thus optimizing the riding stability and during heavy acceleration or braking. If this occurs, steering of the e-bike. is reduces the chance of the the MSC performs extremely fast and targeted in- front wheel locking and slipping, or the rear wheel tervention into the braking controls or the engine liing o the ground, which in turn means there is management in order to counteract the wheel li less risk of rollover and the rider falling o. by exibly channeling the forces to the front or rear wheel as required. Based on evaluation of the gures ere is now technical further development of in the German accident database GIDAS (German ABS technology for motorcycles toward electronic In-Depth Accident Study, a joint project by the Ger- stability control, which is already commonly used man Federal Highway Research Institute [BASt] and in larger vehicles under the name ESP, or electron- the Research Association for Automotive Technolo- Motorcycle stability control, or ic stability program. is type of motorcycle sta- gy [FAT]), the stability system could help to prevent MSC, is like ESP for motorcycles. bility control, which was rst launched by Bosch two thirds of all cornering accidents that are caused Among other things, the system under the name MSC, also comes with an addi- by the motorcyclist themselves. detects the angle of a motorcycle tional safety benet. e system, which uses ABS and adapts the electronic control data and is also assisted by an angle sensor, inter- ECALL SYSTEM CAN SAVE LIVES interventions when the rider is venes during the exact maneuver that is most dan- braking or accelerating in the blink gerous for a two-wheeled vehicle: cornering. Even If an accident that results in injuries occurs despite of an eye to suit the riding situation all the passive and active safety systems being in at hand. place, contacting the emergency services quick- ly could be the dierence between life and death, especially in case of severe injuries. is is why, since March 31, 2018, the eCall has been a legal- ly required component for new motorcycle models with EU type approval, as well as for a whole series of other vehicle categories. e benets are obvi- ous – especially for single-vehicle accidents, where other road users who subsequently pass by may not notice the motorcyclist and its riders, and there may be no traces of the accident. If the rider is un- able to call for help themselves aer the accident, an eCall system can activate the emergency call- out procedure more quickly and provide the exact location of the accident, just as it would for a car.

ere are essentially two types of this system: built-in systems like BMW’s “Intelligent Emergen- cy Call” system, and retrot solutions like Digades' “dguard”. e eCall system in a motorcycle works in exactly the same way as one installed in a car. is means that the eCall is activated automatically when sensors register a severe accident. As soon as the system activates, it calls the saved telephone num- ber – 112 for the emergency services in Europe, 911 in the USA, or the number of a permanently staed call center. Of course, this can only be achieved Loudspeaker with complete network coverage. e system trans- mits data on the accident – a “minimum set of data” specifying the time and location of the accident, and the direction in which the vehicle was traveling – to the recipient. In addition to this, many systems also Microphone SOS button establish voice communication. e eCall can also be triggered manually at the push of a button.

However, special requirements in the motorcy- cle sector make it harder to calibrate the trigger al- gorithm, as there are certain situations where the system must not be allowed to trigger. ese “mis- In case of an accident, use cases” include riding over speed bumps, cobble- having a built-in eCall system stones, railroad crossings, tracks, bridge joints, and in your vehicle can mean the pot holes without reducing one’s speed. Performing to the emergency services, ensuring that the chain difference between life and wheelstands, overbraking the front wheel, emergen- of professional aid is set in motion immediately and death. cy braking with ABS or “stutter braking,” tipping thus enabling the victims of the accident to receive over while at a standstill, riding up and down curbs the care they require more quickly and precisely. is without reducing one’s speed, riding along a wall at system could be particularly valuable in addressing low speed, riding up and down steps and ramps, and single-vehicle accidents whereby both rider and mo- controlled “driing” with the front or rear wheel are torcyclist disappear “without a trace”, for example if other examples of misuse cases. they slide down behind an embankment or are con- cealed by bushes at the side of the road – especially DEKRA conducted a study in order to observe as the rider will oen no longer be able to contact the the use of eCall systems for motorcycles based on emergency services manually. Such systems, which real-life motorcycle accident data. 100 accidents in- are now legally required for new motorcycle types in volving motorcycles that occurred in Germany were the EU, are undoubtedly a positive development, and analyzed for the study. e analysis showed that, DEKRA Accident Research also recommends that in 59 percent of accidents that had resulted in in- they be retrotted to older vehicles. Nevertheless, juries, the eCall system helped the injured parties manufacturers still need to continue their work and to receive treatment or care more quickly and thus research on these systems in order to reduce the reduce the consequences of the accident that oc- chances of them being triggered incorrectly by mis- curred as a result of the injuries. 46 of the 115 peo- use cases, and to push the boundaries of the systems. ple involved in the accidents died at the site of the accident, while nine percent of the accidents were not detected immediately. Two of these cases were accidents in which the riders and the motorcycle were not visible to other road users aer the crash, and the riders died at the site of the accident as a result of their injuries and the emergency services arriving too late. If these riders had had eCall sys- The Facts at a Glance tems installed in their motorcycles, this could very • A series of tests conducted by • The fit of a bicycle helmet plays a probably have saved their lives. In 19 cases, the on- DEKRA found that bicycles with key role in determining the risk of board power supply was no longer functional and disc brakes at the front and severe head injuries in case of an had been destroyed in the accident. is is why it rear offered better braking accident. is essential for eCall systems to have an internal modulation than other brake • As in other vehicles, children should backup power supply. systems on both wet and dry never be transported in a cargo surfaces. bicycle without a seatbelt. In summary, the eCall system for motorcycles • On wet surfaces, the braking • A stability system can help to distance for bicycles was up to can save lives and reduce the consequences of ac- prevent two thirds of all cornering 20 percent longer. accidents caused by the motor- cidents. Generally speaking, motorcyclists are par- cyclist themselves. ticularly vulnerable and subject to a high risk of ac- • In impact tests conducted by DEKRA, traditional bicycle • The eCall system for motorcycles cidents. As a result, an eCall system like the ones helmets demonstrated a high and bicycles can save lives and re- mentioned above could increase the speed of a call level of protection. duce the consequences of accidents.

66 | 67 Infrastructure

Safe Roads are the Key to Ensuring Fewer Accidents for Two-Wheeled Vehicles

Experience has shown us time and time again that infrastructure plays a major role in accidents. While it is true that the overwhelming majority of accidents can be traced back to human error, in many cases defects in the infrastructure have a negative impact on the root of the accident, the resulting accident risk, and the severity of the accident when it occurs.

longside active and passive safety systems, ad- paths, and much more. Generally speaking, howev- Aherence to tra c regulations, and correct con- er, sustainable infrastructure and tra c route plan- duct and alertness among road users, infrastruc- ning is only possible with a long-term approach. ture also plays a key role in road safety. ere are a whole range of measures that oer potential is can be seen very clearly when it comes for improvement in this area – such as to bicycle tra c. In general terms, the making danger areas safer, main- funding and support aorded to tenance of road equipment bicycle tra c in many Europe- and ensuring that road sur- an cities and municipalities faces are safe for tra c, is a positive approach that speed monitoring at ac- CYCLISTS enables us to gain better cident hot spots, install- control over the prob- ing suitable tra c bar- ARE KILLED lems that arise in con- riers, extending bicycle MOST FREQUENTLY junction with increased IN BUILT-UP AREAS. volumes of tra c, such as tra c jams and pol- lution – that much is indisputable. However, since there is oen no overall concept in place for the expansion of a safe bicycle path infra- structure, it is not uncommon for such mea- Emmanuel Barbe sures to result in the opposite of the desired Interministerial Delegate for Road Safety eect in terms of both making cycling more at- tractive and, ultimately, improving road safe- Micro-Mobility: A Question of Navigational Lines and Mutual Respect ty. e speed at which the mobility landscape According to current estimates by the and 2018). Its presence on the roads can shi is another factor that makes this pro- Observatoire national interministériel de in cities, which is permitted by law in cess more di cult. Whether the boom is in la sécurité routière (French Road Safe- France, will doubtlessly be reflected in wide cargo bicycles, fast pedelecs, or one of ty Observatory), 3,239 people were the accident statistics. Nonetheless, it the many dierent types of personal light elec- killed on French roads in 2019. This is should be taken into account that this nine fewer people than in 2018 (–0.3 means increased safety for pedestrians, tric vehicle, long-term construction plans of- percent). This means that the number especially senior citizens. In 2019, elev- ten lose their eectiveness before the concept, of deaths on the road has reached an en people lost their lives while using this planning, and approval procedure can even be all-time low – an achievement that fol- type of vehicle in either motorized or completed. lows on from the fact that fewer deaths non-motorized form, and one pedestri- were recorded in 2018 than in the four an was killed in an accident involving previous years. Between 2014 and a motorized micro-vehicle. In light of OPTIMIZING BICYCLE PATHS 2017, the number of people killed on this, it is vital that we introduce training IN URBAN AREAS the roads initially increased or stagnat- measures for the use of this new form of ed. At the same time, traffic volume in- transport, especially for novices, in or- Especially in town and city centers – data pub- creased (+7 percent between 2013 and der to foster an atmosphere of mutual lished by the EU Commission indicates that, 2018). As such, we are now looking at respect on the roads of France. for years now, an average of almost 60 percent a milestone: the best result in the history The second new development in of road safety statistics. With 50 deaths 2020 concerns the new motorcycle li- of all cyclists who have lost their lives on the per million inhabitants (still), France is cense, which was voted into effect in road have been killed in built-up areas in the thus about average among European the Interministerial Committee for Road EU – bicycle path maintenance and the road- countries. Safety (Comité interministériel de la safe expansion of the bicycle path network are However, if we take a look at riders sécurité routière) session on January undoubtedly key to reducing the risk of acci- of motorized and non-motorized two- 9, 2018 (the last reform took place in wheeled vehicles and micro-mobility dev- 2013). Motorcyclists make up almost dents for cyclists. While more bicycle paths otees, the overall picture loses much of 1.6 percent of motorized traffic, yet ac- are in fact being built, not all tra c lanes pro- its sheen. This applies in particular to the count for 19 percent of all fatal acci- vide their users with the level of protection figures for cyclists, where a 25 percent dents. The risk for this particularly vul- required. Especially in built-up areas, where increase in deaths has been recorded nerable group of road users is 22 times there is rarely space for a separate bicycle path since 2010 (+9 road deaths in 2019). higher than for car drivers. In light of between buildings, cyclists oen have to share 472 pedestrians lost their lives on the this, a new element that better reflects road in 2019 (one more than in 2018). the reality of road use has been incor- road space with busy tra c, separated from it Today, everything is centered on the in- porated into the new motorcycle license – if at all – only by a line painted on the road vasion of micro-vehicles – e-scooters, test. The aim of this element is to teach surface, which they cannot even see easily if it Segways, and hoverboards – that has beginner motorcyclists an effective and is old and worn. As on roads with no bicycle been taking place since 2019. Up until safe navigational line to follow on the lane, this puts riders of two-wheeled vehicles 2018, French accident statistics still re- road: the “trajectoire de sécurité” al- corded all these vehicles as equivalent ready used by the police and Gendar- at great risk of being caught by motor vehicles to pedestrians. Since the end of 2019, merie. Following this optimum naviga- especially trucks – or even being forced o the law enforcement agencies have listed tional line can save lives, as it enables road or run over if the motor vehicle is turning them as a separate vehicle category for motorcyclists to adopt an anticipatory right. On roads where cyclists have their own the purposes of this statistic, and on Oc- riding style and avoid frontal collisions bicycle path, the main problems are ensuring tober 25, 2019, they were incorporated with oncoming vehicles. This riding tech- su cient separation of this path from the side- as such by decree into the French Road nique has already proven effective in its Traffic Act and Article 51 of the Loi d’ori- use by the law enforcement agencies, walk, and poor markings around exits. It is also entation des mobilités (Mobility Orienta- and as of March 2020 is now taught as common for bicycle paths to come to an end tion Act) of December 24, 2019. part of motorcycle training courses. suddenly without any prior warning. In both their motorized and non-mo- The aim of all these reforms can be torized forms, these alternatives to cars summed up by the new motto for road and public transport are revolutionizing use: “Vivre, ensemble” – Live, together. mobility in urban and peri-urban areas. Our roads are our largest shared net- Micro-mobility in France has developed work. In this arena, treating each other at an astonishing rate since 2017 (+43 with respect is the difference between percent increase in sales between 2017 life and death.

68 | 69 Infrastructure

oped bicycle paths in place – and to weave danger- IT IS OFTEN DIFFICULT ously in and out of tra c when there are hold-ups. ose who do this are either unaware of or deliber- OR IMPOSSIBLE FOR TRUCK ately ignore the increased risk of accidents involved with such activity – until they eventually “draw the DRIVERS TO SPOT CYCLISTS short straw” or their behavior clashes with what other road users expect of them, thus increasing the WHEN TURNING RIGHT. potential for aggression. BICYCLE BOULEVARDS AND OTHER REGULATIONS IN GERMANY When bicycle paths are in poor condition, cy- clists will usually ride on the road instead, in spite In accordance with the German Road Tra c Act of the higher risk involved. is applies especial- (StVO), the building of “bicycle boulevards” – roads ly to those who cycle fast. For example, cyclists in on which bicycles have right of way – has been per- Germany are legally required to use a bicycle path mitted in Germany since October 1, 1997. Vehi- if it is marked as such. However, the bicycle path cles other than cyclists are only permitted to use in question also needs to run alongside the road, these roads if this is indicated by an additional sign. and be in reasonable and usable condition. Among A speed limit of 30 km/h applies to all vehicles on other things, the constructional requirements for these roads – including cyclists. In some cases, mo- an acceptable bicycle path include sucient width, torists are required to reduce their speed even fur- clear and consistent markings, and safe routing at ther. Cyclists are permitted to ride side by side. junctions. It is a general matter of urgency for our cities, towns, and communities to focus even more However, one problem with such roads is that strongly on the principle of “seeing and being seen” car drivers oen show a general lack of acceptance when planning, building, and maintaining bicy- for cyclists on them. In addition to this, drivers of- cle paths. At the same time, however, we must ap- ten fail to observe the speed limit on bicycle boule- peal to cyclists to use bicycle paths wherever they vards because there are no signs explicitly stating it. are available. It is becoming increasingly common It is also common for cyclists to be permitted to ride for “faster” cyclists who are very condent in their both ways on one-way streets in town and city cen- abilities to prefer riding with the faster trac on ters. However, this can represent a potential accident the road even on routes where there are well-devel- risk for motorists and cyclists alike, as many drivers

More and more traffic zones in Germany are being explicitly marked as bicycle boulevards. Claes Tingvall are not familiar with the associated signs, or simply do not notice the small additional sign that indi- Professor at the Chalmers University of cates this rule. Likewise, pedestrians crossing such Technology and Senior Consultant at ÅF Consult streets may not always be on the lookout for quiet Global Road Safety is Part of the 2030 UN Agenda vehicles coming from the “wrong” direction. Re- curring markings on the surface of the road itself for Sustainability can help with this problem. Additional con icts are As a society, we are no doubt facing ce their safety and retain all their especially inevitable in situations where road us- times of massive change. Climate positive qualities at the same time. ers do not observe the requirement to drive on the change, digitalization, and shared This is what is proposed in the Aca- economy are just a few of global is- demic Expert Group recommenda- right – even on one-way streets – and reduce their sues that need our attention, reflec- tions. These recommendations were speed. Nevertheless, the option of making suitable tion, and action. And they all have a prepared for the upcoming Third one-way streets available for bicycle trac to use major impact on our mobility. Ministerial Conference on Road Sa- in both directions should be welcomed, as it plays Using two-wheelers instead of fety in Stockholm 2020 and the ye- a signicant role in making cycling more attractive. four-wheeled vehicles no doubt ars ahead. For the first time, global e more one-way streets that are opened up to cy- has a number of exciting benefits. road safety is part of the 2030 UN When transporting one person, Agenda for sustainability. clists in this way, the more normal – and thus safer they offer increased effectiveness For two-wheelers, both impro- – this situation will become. when it comes to use of space, may ved infrastructure and better design consume less energy, and cost less have been suggested, as well as In Germany, the amendment to the Road Traf- to run. They also pollute less and 30 km/h as maximum speed in ur- c Act that came into eect in April 2020 passed make less or no noise. Compared ban areas alongside a ”zero spee- to walking, you can move faster ding” policy. Producers of moto- a number of new regulations, including some spe- and travel longer distances. The- rized two-wheelers have also been cically designed to promote bicycle use. For ex- se are all attributes and characte- encouraged to improve and report ample, motor vehicles overtaking bicycles are now ristics that are positive in a society on their results in sustainability re- required to maintain a minimum distance of 1.5 striving for sustainability in a broad porting procedures. In addition, meters in built-up areas and two meters in non- sense. they have been called upon to use built-up areas. A general no stopping restriction However, they are also less safe technology to better manage the for the user. Our infrastructure has use of vehicles, such as geofencing also now applies to designated bicycle lanes. Under mainly been developed for cars, for maximum speed. The micro-mo- the amendment, authorities are now also permit- trucks, and buses, not bicycles and bility providers have already been ted to introduce separate bicycle zones and green motorized two-wheelers – and cer- introducing technology to limit the arrow signs that apply exclusively to cyclists. Fur- tainly not for micro-mobility vehic- maximum speed of their vehicles at thermore, two cyclists are now permitted to ride les and users. Before we demonize some locations, and they are show- both traditional two-wheelers and ing the way to make use of simple alongside one another providing they do not ob- the new forms, we should look at and clever techniques to improve struct other road users by doing so, and cyclists a number of possibilities to enhan- safety and security. aged 16 and over are permitted to carry passengers providing their bicycles are designed to do so and equipped accordingly. A new road sign that bans the overtaking of two-wheeled vehicles has also been introduced; this is designed especially for use clists when turning right. We have already discussed on narrow stretches of road. In addition to this, this in the section of this report on accident statis- motor vehicles weighing 3.5 metric tons or more tics. e requirement for trucks to maintain walk- must now reduce their speed to walking speed ing speed when turning right may very well reduce when turning right. the number of such conicts that occur. However, DEKRA believes that there is a risk that this mea- Speaking of turning right: e high potential for sure will put pedestrians at risk instead, as they are con ict between trucks and cyclists here is due in more likely to end up in the critical area of this type part to the fact that both types of road user are oen of vehicle if it is traveling at walking speed. traveling at very similar speeds in this situation. is means that if a cyclist is in an area next to the truck JOINT POSITION PAPER ON where the driver cannot see them easily – or at all – TRUCK TURNING ACCIDENTS they will remain in this area for an extended period of time. is is one of the main reasons why it can be e General German Bicycle Club (ADFC) and dicult or impossible for truck drivers to spot cy- the German Federal Association of Road Haulage,

70 | 71 Infrastructure

Ceri Woolsgrove Road Safety Policy Officer, European Cyclists’ Federation (ECF) Logistics and Disposal (BGL) also believe that a bi- Towards Vision Zero: Prioritize Cycling for Safer Roads cycle path infrastructure that is optimized for safe- ty is an important road safety measure in terms of ECF supports the Safe System ap- also see the opportunity to go bey- reducing the number of accidents that occur be- proach to road safety. The goal of ond Vision Zero to incorporate a tween trucks that are turning right and cyclists. In safe systems is to ensure that hu- general public health approach to a joint position paper presented in February 2020, man error does not lead to a road safety. accident; or, if a crash does occur, Improving cycling conditions and the ADFC and the BGL set out a number of require- that it is sufficiently controlled to les- prioritizing active modes should ments for tackling this issue. For example, the paper sen the outcome of a death or life- then be a key component of the Vi- stated that truck, bicycle, and pedestrian tra c at changing injuries. It is based on sion Zero/Safe Systems approach. junctions needed to be kept physically separate, and the assumption that human life and A significant barrier to increasing that “good visibility conditions” needed to be estab- health are paramount over all else cycling is the perception of risks, and should be the first considerati- so it is important that beyond being lished in such areas. e paper suggested that safe- on when designing a road network. safe, cycling also looks and feels ty elements such as installing paved barrier islands It is also referred to as Vision Zero, safe and comfortable. Improving and moving stop lines much further forward could which focuses on zero fatalities as a cycling and walking safety acts as help to make junctions less dangerous. In addition realistic target. a multiplier when improving public to this, it was proposed that the green light for cy- This approach calls for promoting health: not only do we reduce fata- clists riding straight on should not be active at the and improving sustainable modes lities and injuries of cyclists themsel- of transport, which also happen to ves, we also reduce 3rd party fatali- same time as that for motor vehicles turning right. be the safest. The reduction of mo- ties and injuries to other road users, One potential solution here could be to implement tor vehicle use, the re-purposing of and we promote healthier active separate tra c light phases for the dierent streams roads and urban spaces for a range lifestyles. Specifically bringing the of tra c. e paper stated that shorter green-light of community purposes, and the in- health benefits into the Safe Systems phases for motor vehicles were an acceptable price creased use of sustainable modes of paradigm means we can assess sa- transport are recognized as tools to fety interventions from a full public to pay in order to improve road safety and ensure make roads safer. Cyclists, pedestri- health perspective. equality for all types of road user. ans, and public transport users rare- We believe that creating safe en- ly cause the death of or serious inju- vironments for cycling should also Likewise, the ADFC and the BGL called upon ries to other road users, and taking be considered a public health invest- municipal authorities to ensure that access routes energy and mass out of the trans- ment and effective action against cli- for construction vehicles generate as little conict port system can be a key safety tool mate change. to reduce danger on the streets. We call for more funding of cyc- as possible when planning large, inner-city build- Road safety is just one of the be- ling infrastructure, better motor ve- ing projects. e paper proposed that the main axes nefits of active modes of mobility. hicle speed management including of bicycle tra c and construction site tra c be kept Switching to cycling can also impro- 30 kph as default in urban areas, separate wherever possible. In addition to this, the ve air quality, ease congestion, pro- safer vehicles with Intelligent Speed two interest groups also lamented the lack of re- mote livable cities, and enable sus- Assistance, and better urban plan- tainable, democratic access to city ning that prioritizes walking, cyc- search that assesses dierent types of junctions and amenities and services. Active com- ling, and public transport in urban muting by bicycle is associated with areas. We should stop blaming the a substantial decrease in the risk of victims of crashes, cyclists, and pe- death, including cancer and cardi- destrians, by mandating legislation ovascular disease, compared with forcing them to wear helmets or hi- non-active commuting. Active trans- visibility jackets and creating barri- port use significantly improves self- ers to their uptake. Rather, we need SEPARATING FAST esteem, mood, sleep quality, and to encourage cycling and walking energy, as well as reducing the risk by making them safer. We need to MOTOR VEHICLES FROM of stress, depression, dementia, and address both actual risks and the Alzheimer’s disease. Therefore, we perception of risk of active mobility. UNPROTECTED ROAD USERS IS A TRIED- AND-TESTED SAFETY CONCEPT. signaling systems, stating that this oversight must ties have subsequently oen failed to prioritize the be recti ed. Such research could then be used to maintenance required in order to keep it in good develop new design standards for safe roads and working order. Cleaning and winter road mainte- junctions, and quickly enshrine these standards in nance have not been carried out, the needs of cy- the technical regulations. e paper also called for clists have not been taken into account when im- a systematic analysis of severe accidents from an plementing new construction measures, and those infrastructure improvement perspective. who have misused bicycle paths to park their cars have escaped with either a meager punishment or USING THE NETHERLANDS no consequences at all. AS A ROLE MODEL As bicycle and pedelec use has increased dra- Neglect of existing bicycle path infrastructure has matically in recent years for a variety of reasons been a problem in many countries around the and calls for good bicycle path infrastructure have world for years. Having created this infrastruc- grown louder, politicians have also started to re- ture to keep cyclists safe or prevent hold-ups in spond to this issue. However, many of the poli- the ow of motor vehicles, the responsible authori- ticians in charge of such matters seem to prefer

A Best-Practice Example of Changes in Road Design

In road safety work, as in many other fields, it is important to learn from cases that result in damage or loss, recognize key areas of risk, and implement improvements. Interdisciplin- ary accident committees, such as those that are widespread and have proven effective in Ger- many, play a role in this, as do the departments and authorities in charge of road building, who have the scope required to take such action – not to mention the political will to take a serious approach to road safety work and implement it accordingly. Before the road was redesigned, it was very difficult to assess the traffic situation clearly at this point on If you look at sections of road where a se- the road, especially for cyclists. vere accident or a spate of accidents has oc- curred some time after, you can often see that changes have since been made to their design. One example of such action took place after the accident between a pedelec rider and a truck that was turning right described on page 33. Road signs and bollards have been installed and a white line has been marked on the side- walk and the bicycle path to show cyclists the safe route across the junction. This solution will permanently suppress the use of the dangerous shortcut that bypasses the crossing aid, which was facilitated by the infrastructure design at the time of the accident. This unconventional, fast, and low-cost solu- tion will increase safety levels for both cyclists and pedestrians until the area around the junc- tion can be given a safer redesign overall the next time scheduled construction work takes Thanks to clear bicycle path guidance measures, it is now much harder for cyclists to ride straight on place. dangerously without using the pedestrian crossing.

72 | 73 Infrastructure

Copenhagen is one of many cities that already enjoy a very focusing on the distance covered by the infrastruc- cyclists and motorized trac is 30 km/h. On routes well-designed cycling ture rather than its quality when attempting to put with a speed limit of 50 or 70 km/h, separate bicycle infrastructure. themselves on good footing for their next election paths or bicycle lanes are required. On routes with campaign. Alternatively, perhaps they simply lack a speed limit of 100 or 120 km/h, cycling is prohib- the courage to take space away from motor vehi- ited. e bicycle path infrastructure in the Nether- cles in order to improve the cycling infrastruc- lands now covers a total distance of approx. 35,000 ture. is is the only possible explanation for the kilometers, plus around 55,000 kilometers of mixed- way that the bicycle paths marked out by the au- use roads. Bicycle paths are planned according to thorities continue to be too narrow, new markings clear parameters, while there is also political sup- on the road continue to confuse all road users in- port for cycling, and research is conducted on asso- stead of helping to improve road safety, and main- ciated topics. is is a system that could be used as a tenance continues to be neglected. role model. ere are also other countries, regions, and cities with clear concepts for the design of safe Separating fast motor vehicles from unprotect- bicycle path infrastructure. However, since these ed road users is a concept that has been proven to are oen not enshrined in law and their implemen- be eective in improving the safety of all involved. tation is not binding, they are oen used only as a One country that adopts this approach guide – if at all. When these concepts are nal- consistently is the Netherlands. ly implemented, they are thus oen not ere, the speed limit on all observed, which leads to the prob- roads that are used by both lems mentioned above. WE NEED CLEAR REQUIREMENTS FOR PLANNING BICYCLE PATHS. Siegfried Neuberger (†)* CHANGES IN MOBILITY BEHAVIOR MEAN WE Long-Serving Managing Director of the ZIV NEED MORE SPACE FOR BICYCLE TRAFFIC (an association for the bicycle industry in Germany) If they want to create an e ective and safe cycling in- Supporting the Paradigm Shift in Road Use frastructure, many towns and cities have no choice but to repurpose at least part of their existing infra- Bicycles and e-bikes are the perfect modes of transport for an effective and structure for use by bicycles. However, this results environmentally friendly paradigm shift in road use. As such, it is now more in less space (and parking space) being available to important than ever for politicians to ensure that road infrastructure is de- signed in a way that makes using Germany’s roads safe and convenient for individual motorized vehicles. As such, approaches cyclists. In addition to this, the German Road Traffic Act (StVO) and Road like this are oen a dicult sell politically in regions Traffic Regulation (StVG) need to be reformed in a way that supports this that have a high volume of trac and ascribe great paradigm shift and establishes Vision Zero as their guiding principle. value to the concept of privately owned cars. How- ever, in some municipalities, there can be big prob- * Siegfried Neuberger passed away suddenly after submitting his statement for this report in June 2020. lems with even keeping the existing bicycle path in- frastructure clear. Drivers of motor vehicles oen use the marked areas for parking or waiting – be- havior that is enabled by a lack of suciently tight monitoring.

When it comes to approaches for creating more Portland, Seattle, and Washington D.C. that com- space for bicycles and setting up areas that are clear- bine separate lanes with physical barriers such as ly separated from car trac, there are already plenty bollards, concrete sleepers, ower boxes, and park- of examples from around the world that can be used ing lanes. as role models. In Copenhagen and Amsterdam, for example, safe bicycle lanes have been the standard PROTECTIVE EQUIPMENT for years, providing cyclists with wide paths cover- FOR MOTORCYCLISTS ing huge distances, which are usually marked in a di erent color to the rest of the road. In addition to When it comes to improving road safety for motor- this, many of the bicycle paths in Copenhagen are cyclists, the topic of trac barriers plays an import- separated from motorized trac and the sidewalk ant role in terms of road infrastructure. Studies con- by means of elevated curbs. e USA has also come ducted by various accident researchers indicate that Many cities in the relatively far in this regard, with special “protect- around 80 percent of motorcyclists who lose their USA already have ed bike lanes” in cities such as Chicago, New York, lives on the road in Germany do so due to obsta- “protected bike lanes” to make cycling safer.

74 | 75 Infrastructure

Traffic barriers with secondary rails reduce the risk of injury to cles encountered in non-built-up areas – and around In many locations, a combination of a large top motorcyclists in case of half of this number are killed in accidents involv- surface, such as that oered by a box shape, and a a crash. ing tra c barriers. e problem is that, by default, secondary rail under the main rail to prevent people countless numbers of tra c barriers are built with from crashing into the posts has proven eective in their primary goal in mind: that the rail should be both crash tests and real-life accidents. e second- at the same height as the hood of a car. While this ary rails used in this design can also be retrotted to enables them to oer maximum protection for car many existing systems. For example, the “Euskirch- drivers, the remaining space between the barrier en Plus” system further developed by DEKRA sever- and the ground represents a huge risk for motorcy- al years ago on behalf of the German Federal High- clists. If a motorcyclist crashes, there is a danger that way Research Institute (BASt), oers motorcyclists they could slide under the tra c barrier or hit one involved in collisions a relatively high level of pro- of its supporting posts. In such situations, severe or tection. is system was proven to provide an im- even fatal injuries are not unusual. However, tra c proved protective eect for motorcyclists both when barriers can also be designed to oer optimum pro- riding upright and when sliding across the road on tection for motorcyclists who crash into them. their side. ankfully, a statistic published by the as-

Common Accident Situations From a Motorcyclist’s Perspective Accident situation Road conditions potentially influencing the situation

Lack of traction between Inconsistent Unfavorable wheel and road surface Poor visibility of the navigational lines bank angles (low Cornering (cracks, repairs made using course of the road (sequence of radii, traction between accidents bitumen, change in surface, (diffuse lighting, jumps in radius wheel and markings, objects, or liquids slopes, plants, etc.) within a single road surface) on the road, etc.) bend)

Junction difficult to Traffic with right of way Cornering accident see and assess difficult to see

Joining/ Junction difficult to Traffic with right of way crossing accident see and assess difficult to see

Parallel traffic acci- dents Poor visibility of the course of the road (diffuse lighting, slopes, plants, etc.) at corners and bends

Other accidents Collision with an obstacle on the road (branch, lost cargo, etc.) Source: Forschungsgesellschaft für Straßen- und Verkehrswesen e.V. (Road and Transportation Research Association), Cologne sociation MEHRSi (MEHR Sicherheit für Biker – More Safety for Bikers) shows that road-build- ing authorities are tting more and more corners and bends in Germany with secondary rail sys- tems: Around 900 bends and corners in eleven of Germany’s sixteen federal states now use second- Jacobo Díaz Pineda, General Manager ary rails, covering a total distance of almost 113 Enrique Miralles Olivar, Technical Manager kilometers. By way of comparison, in 2010 these Asociación española de la carretera (Spanish Road Association) systems were employed on just under 500 corners and bends, covering approximately 63 kilometers. Challenges Posed by Two-Wheeled Vehicles PLASTIC CURVE The two-wheeled vehicle and risk, such as people with restricted e-scooter sector is facing two major movement or visual impairments. MARKER SIGNS challenges: changes in the mobility • “Invisible” strain on the environ- model in the most highly developed, ment: E-mobility is often praised as Alongside adding secondary rail systems to pro- industrialized countries, and an in- being emissions-free. However, this tective equipment, replacing the rigid direction crease in the risks for users of two- overlooks the fact that both the man- signs mounted on steel tubing that are oen found wheeled vehicles in emerging and ufacturing process for personal light at corners with exible systems is also an import- developing countries. In the industri- electric vehicles and the fleet of ve- alized countries, the concept of sus- hicles used to transport them around ant measure for reducing the consequences of in- tainable mobility has been defined the city generate significant emis- juries following a crash. To this end, the Ministry as a de facto traffic solution that can sions. of Transport for the German state of Baden-Würt- be used to help reduce congestion, This problem is, to a large extent, temberg has joined forces with a local road equip- pollutant emissions, and the number caused by the fact that new forms ment company to develop a plastic curve mark- of accident victims. of mobility have appeared without Within the context of this con- being accompanied by appropriate er sign. e system, which was rst presented in cept, many cities in areas with high rules to regulate their impact. The 2014, comprises a sign with an area of 50 square pollution levels have set up traffic bodies in charge of traffic manage- centimeters that is placed on a plastic mount that restrictions, or established restric- ment at the national and municipal has the same shape as the old direction post and tions for environmentally unfriendly levels are currently in the process of attached to it using screws. vehicles in parts of the city by intro- drawing up suitable regulations to ducing pedestrianized zones, tolls, improve interaction between the var- and fines. At the same time, private ious types of road user. e added value this innovation provides in companies are exploiting the niche In addition to this, emerging and terms of road safety was demonstrated in impres- in the market that has opened up as developing countries are currently sive form in a crash test conducted by DEKRA a result of the new policy on urban faced with a challenge in that the in 2017. In the crash test, a motorcycle trav- mobility in order to offer a range of risk level for motorcyclists and mo- eling at 60 km/h was crashed into the old stan- e-mobility services. This new urban ped riders is increasing significant- mobility concept brings with it a ly due to the fact that these vehicles dard curve marker sign model, “metal plate on a number or challenges: are readily accessible and open up steel post,” then a second motorcycle traveling at • Different modes of transport job opportunities, such as motorcy- the same speed was crashed into the new, plastic sharing the road: Without an ap- cle taxi and delivery services. There curve marker system. e load values measured propriate regulation, the new light are also a number of other signifi- vehicles will compete for space with cant difficulties in these countries, cars, motorcycles, mopeds, and bi- such as the minimal awareness of cycles on the road, and with pedes- this group of unprotected road us- Plastic curve marker systems reduce the trians on the sidewalk, making the ers among other vehicle users, the consequences of potential accidents. latter road users at high risk. fact that many of the two-wheeled • Low-noise vehicles: Personal light vehicles on the roads are very old, electric vehicles are low-noise. This the lack of a proper procedure for is an advantage in socio-ecologi- acquiring a driver’s license, low cal terms but a risk in terms of road helmet usage, and the lack of an safety, as it means that pedestrians obligatory test of suitability for the may not always realize when a vehi- road. All of these factors contribute cle is approaching until it is too late. to the alarming rate of fatal acci- • Parking on sidewalks: Most pri- dents among unprotected road us- vate e-scooter rental companies do ers, which is more than 50 percent not provide special parking areas. in many of these countries. Two- As a result, users of these services wheeled electric vehicles are often leave the vehicles all over the side- touted as the “future of mobility,” but walk once their journeys are over. their use needs to be regulated ap- This is a disadvantage for pedes- propriately in order to prevent nega- trians, especially those at the most tive consequences.

76 | 77 Infrastructure

upon impact with the steel post far exceeded the bio- mechanical limits, while those recorded upon impact with the curve marker system were well below the Maciej Wro´nski limits. A motorcyclist would thus not have survived President of the Polish Association of the crash into the steel post. However, a motorcyclist Transport and Logistics Employers wearing appropriate protective clothing would have survived the crash into the new curve marker sign Regulations for E-Scooters Require with only minor injuries. a Comprehensive Approach

The majority of national regulations • Keeping a record of users so Plastic curve marker signs also o er the addition- for e-scooters are limited to traffic reg- that users who cause accidents al benet of being very easy for road users to notice. ulations for these vehicles. General- before fleeing the scene can be Accident analyses conducted on Federal Highway ly speaking, however, this problem identified B500 in the Black Forest area of Germany using the should be tackled in more depth, for • Agreeing conditions for the use state’s own road safety screening system show that, in example by regulating the rental of of the public infrastructure with these devices. In particular, this would the local authorities addition to lessening the consequences of accidents, enable us to define the technical stan- • Guarantee that the e-scooters their high visibility means that curve marker signs can dards to which the rental companies will be recycled at the end of also have a preventive e ect that stops certain motor- would have to adhere, while also their service life cycle accidents from occurring at all. Between 2012 guaranteeing that those who could Fulfillment of the technical re- and 2014 – a three-year period – there were eleven potentially suffer damage or injury in quirements, particularly with re- accidents in the Hornisgrinde area of Federal High- conjunction with the use of an e-scoot- gard to speed limits, the effective- er are protected by civil law. ness of the braking system, and way B500, resulting in two deaths. Between 2015 and The electric scooters must be pro- the required lighting, should also 2019 – the ve years following the installation of curve vided and the fees for their use col- be a prerequisite for the approv- marker signs in highly critical areas – there were only lected by companies based in the al of these vehicles for commer- seven further accidents, and zero deaths. However, it country of use. This will make it eas- cial use on the road. It would be should be noted that additional measures such as the ier for consumers and parties who best if these standards could be may suffer damage or injury to file enshrined in EU law in order to installation of a second rail system, speed limits, and any claims arising from the use of ensure that the same fundamen- police speed checks were also implemented within these devices. At the same time, it tal rules apply throughout the sin- this period. would facilitate effective oversight gle market. In addition to this, it over these business activities. Taxes is worth considering liability insur- Finally, no discussion of road planning measures are also an important factor – these ance for the private owners/own- would be complete without mentioning regular main- should be paid in the country whose ers of e-scooters. public road infrastructure the vehicles Traffic regulations are the key: tenance of the road surface. A road surface that has as in question are using. These also need to take into ac- good grip and is as even as possible plays a key role in The activity should be regulated in count a guarantee of safety for the safety of motorcyclists. Insucient friction coef- this regard, and the requirements for pedestrians – especially children, cients lead to longer braking distances and increase obtaining corresponding approval senior citizens, and the visually im- the risk of a motorcyclist losing control when corner- should be as follows: paired. The most effective solution • Guarantee that the rented vehicles would be to keep private transport ing or during evasive maneuvers, which in turn in- meet appropriate technical require- traffic completely separate from the creases the risk of skidding. Grit on corners is also ments least protected road users. In view very dangerous for motorcyclists – especially in the • Possession of a liability insurance of the often life-threatening head rst month aer winter, or when tractors, cars, and policy that facilitates payment of ap- injuries that can occur, it is also trucks “collect” the grit by the side of the road and car- propriate damages to the persons worth weighing up whether wear- ry it onto the road itself. ere is always a risk of this suffering injury or damage due to ing a helmet should be made a le- the use of the e-scooters gal requirement. occurring and motorcyclists encountering this, even in areas that use modern road sweepers. In addition to this, unevenness can increase the probability of water collecting, which leads to a higher risk of aquaplaning and black ice. is must be taken into account during repairs. In particular, the bitumen mass that is still of- WHERE POSSIBLE, THE USE OF ten used to mend pot holes and cracks in many coun- tries can quickly become dangerous for motorcyclists, CAST BITUMEN MASS SHOULD as it causes the road surface to become extremely slip- pery when wet. As such, repairs should always be car- BE AVOIDED WHEN CARRYING ried out using materials with a similar friction coe- cient to the rest of the road surface, otherwise the exit OUT ROAD REPAIRS. ramp could end up resembling an ice-skating rink. To Vision Zero with the Transparent Road

In order to reduce the number of deaths on the road in Baden-Württemberg, the Min- istry of Transport for the German state has developed a road safety screening system that is probably the only one of its kind so far in Europe. The system detects stretches of road throughout the region that attract an unusually high number of accidents so that efficient optimization measures can be introduced to combat the problem. The On a section of Federal screening program, which won 1st place Highway B500 in the Black in the “Best infrastructure project” catego- ry at the E-Government competition in Ber- Forest region of Germany, lin in 2018, also acts as the perfect tool for plastic curve marker signs Baden-Württemberg’s 150 accident com- have led to a lasting re- missions when it comes to preparation and duction in the number of follow-up work for the essential site visit. accidents and injuries. To this end, a platform designed in part- nership with engineering consultancy firm DTV-Verkehrsconsult is used to assess all the information relevant to the road safety work up to 700 separate items of information. this ranking enables the Ministry to invest according to a standardized method, and In order to make the road safety work easi- its allotted road infrastructure improvement present the results on topical maps. This in- er in terms of content, network assessments budget in the locations where the need is formation includes accident data, traffic vol- and special investigations that tackle the greatest, resulting in a long-term improve- umes, and vehicle speeds based on the reg- individual types of accident or vehicle sep- ment in road safety. ular traffic monitoring that is now carried out arately are also carried out. For example, There are plans for development of the at around 5,000 counting stations through- these studies may investigate cases where screening program to continue systemati- out the state, road geometry, road condition, a vehicle runs off the road and crashes into cally, eventually including – among other and photos of the section of road in ques- an obstacle, truck accidents, motorcycle ac- things – accident data not just for the par- tion. All the information for each short (usual- cidents, or accidents in parallel traffic. In ty that causes an accident, but for every- ly 100-meter) stretch of road is compiled in addition to this, an online prioritization tool one involved in it. Such analysis is partic- profiles arranged by topic, and each section has also been developed; this allows users ularly important for motorcycle accidents, of road is marked green, yellow, or red to to weight accident parameters individually as these often result in severe injuries for indicate the accident frequency. and then arranges them in order according- persons who did not cause the accident The profiles form the general basis for an- ly, identifying and marking out the most crit- themselves. The same problem applies to alyzing the causes of the accident and cor- ical points for the issue at hand in the space accidents that occur between trucks and bi- rective measures, and each one contains of just a few minutes. Among other things, cycles.

The Facts at a Glance • Frequent defects in the road • A bicycle path infrastructure infrastructure increase the that is optimized for safety can risk of accidents and make also help to reduce the number the consequences of them of accidents that occur between worse. trucks turning right and cyclists.

• Extending the bicycle path • Traffic barriers should also be network in a way that pro- designed to also offer optimum vides safety on the road protection for motorcyclists who and ensuring that bicycle crash into them. paths are properly main- tained are indisputably im- • Replacing rigid direction signs on portant factors in reduc- bends with flexible systems is an ing the risk of accidents for important measure in reducing cyclists, especially in urban the consequences of injuries for areas. motorcyclists following a crash.

78 | 79 Summary

Staying Safe on Two Wheels

In order to improve road safety for users of motorized and non-motorized two-wheeled vehicles in the long term, there are a whole series of issues that need to be tackled. In addition to a wide range of measures in areas such as technology and infrastructure, the main onus in this regard is also on the road users themselves. It is their duty to adapt their behavior to improve their risk awareness and observe regulations and safety standards in order to help further reduce the number of accidents involving users of motorcycles, mopeds, bicycles, pedelecs, and e-scooters.

he previous sections of this Road Safety Report clists. When compared to drivers of cars, the death Thave clearly shown that the number or users of rate is even worse – 23 times as bad. As such, preven- two-wheeled vehicles that are injured and killed tion needs to be our top priority. on roads around the world can be reduced using a whole series of measures. We have already come a Generally speaking, it is true of all two-wheeled long way. Nevertheless, we still need to make every vehicles that, while the most expensive option is not e ort to prevent accidents before they even happen. always the best, being too cheap oen leads to high Aer all, even if a car – by way of example as the risks. In DEKRA’s e-scooter tests, models both with most common second party in these accidents – is and without type approval in accordance with the traveling relatively slowly, it can still cause severe in- German Road Trac Permit Act (StVZO) were used. juries in case of a collision. ere were signicant di erences in terms of stabili- ty and manufacturing quality. For example, while the Riders of two-wheeled motor vehicles in par- model approved for use on German roads withstood ticular are at the greatest risk of su ering an acci- multiple curb crash tests with only minor damage, the dent on the road when evaluating the statistics by steering column of the non-approved scooter broke mileage. is applies not only in non-built-up ar- during the very rst identical crash. DEKRA’s many eas, where most motorcyclist deaths occur, but also years of experience with pedelecs have oen also un- on inner-city roads. is is conrmed by research covered signicant quality di erences in this regard. such as the study “Road Safety in European Cities ese di erences can manifest in the stability of the – Performance Indicators and Governance Solu- frame and the forks, as well as the quality of the brakes tions” published by the International Transport Fo- and the lighting equipment. ere can also be signi- rum in 2019. According to this study, when evalu- cant di erences in terms of motor control. Particular- ating the statistics per million kilometers traveled, ly on pedelecs with a front motor, the combination of there are almost four times as many deaths among forks with little torsional rigidity and poor motor con- riders of two-wheeled motor vehicles as among cy- trol can severely impair the handling of the vehicle on corners – and thus the safety of the rider. In such sit- uations, severe crashes are inevitable. DEKRA’s Demands As this report has once again illustrated very clearly, detailed and standardized statistics of the • Users of motorized and non- • Bicycles and e-scooters in rent- kind consistently called for by DEKRA provide a motorized two-wheeled vehicles al systems should be subjected starting point and an important foundation for any should always wear a suitable to regular and independent in- helmet – regardless of whether spections to ensure their technical measures designed to tackle these issues. Interna- or not they are required to do so safety. tional statistics such as CARE’s EU database and by law. the annual reports published by IRTAD (the Inter- • Companies that rent out bicycles national Road Tra c and Accident Database) pro- • All users of two-wheeled and e-scooters should find ways vide much more precise data than was available a vehicles should be aware of how to enable users to wear suitable important active and passive helmets. few years ago, as do the national statistics. However, lighting equipment is to their many accident statistics still fail to distinguish clear- safety. • Companies that rent out e-scooters ly between dierent types of two-wheeled motor ve- should provide training measures hicle: motorcycles, scooters, mopeds, and small mo- • In order to ensure more harmo- that will enable their users to peds. Specically, a harmonized European accident nious interaction, all road users handle the vehicles safely – in the should be taught the rules that database would be important because politicians form of a tutorial, for example. apply with regard to cyclists. can only establish the appropriate basic conditions • Before using their vehicle on the for improved road safety if they have detailed and • Elementary school children should road for the first time, e-scoot- precise accident data on which to base their plans. be given bicycle training in order to er users should practice how to teach them basic traffic regulations handle the vehicle safely under at as early an age as possible. ere are a whole series of measures that can be controlled conditions. introduced in order to reduce the number of acci- • When monitoring compliance with • Strict alcohol limits should also dents involving unprotected road users, ranging traffic regulations, specialist police apply to the use of e-scooters, from ensuring that vehicles are in good technical bicycle squads should also focus and adherence to these limits condition – particularly in terms of their brakes and on ensuring that bikes comply should also be monitored. with legal requirements and do lighting – to properly tting helmets, active safe- not display any irregularities. • Infrastructure should be expanded ty systems such as ABS and ESP, and the automat- and maintained for all road users. ic emergency call system, eCall. In addition to this, • Periodic inspections should also In particular, maintenance of bicycle the number of accidents where technical defects be a standard procedure for paths is a key actor in ensuring the can also play a role should not be underestimated – motorcycles – and not just in safety of cyclists. Europe. which makes it all the more important to carry out • Cycling infrastructure should also safety checks as part of periodic technical inspec- • Motorcycle ABS should be used be usable in winter weather condi- more widely – if necessary, it tions, especially for motorcycles. ere is also signif- tions. This will require suitable grit- should be made a legal require- icant room for improvement when it comes to mak- ting and clearing concepts. ing danger zones safer, proper maintenance of road ment for smaller motorcycles. • Research into important issues equipment, speed monitoring at accident hot spots, • It should be made even hard- relating to two-wheeled vehicles installing suitable tra c barriers, and extending bi- er to tamper with the software in should be increased. New road cycle paths, to name just a few measures. pedelecs – and those who do so safety ideas should be evaluat- should be punished consistently. ed thoroughly and, if they pass Finally, however – as has been stated in previous • Newly purchased pedelecs muster, approved quickly. DEKRA Road Safety Reports – there is one clear re- should be equipped with a • A legal framework based on corre- quirement we should never forget: If we want to pre- “learner” mode. This would al- sponding studies should also be es- vent as many dangerous situations as possible on the low users to voluntarily throttle tablished as quickly as possible for their vehicle (or have it throttled) roads before they even occur, it remains absolute- new mobility concepts in order to so that they can get used to it ly essential for all road users to behave responsibly, prevent a dangerous “Wild West” gradually. be realistic when judging their own abilities, and scenario whereby the market is demonstrate a high level of acceptance for the rules • Speed pedelecs should be flooded with unregulated designs. and regulations. equipped with ABS as standard.

80 | 81 Contacts

TESTING ACCIDENT ANALYTICAL EXPERTISE Any TECHNOLOGY RESEARCH ON ACCIDENTS

Questions? Hans-Jürgen Mäurer Markus Egelhaaf Michael Krieg Tel.: +49.7 11.78 61-24 87 Tel.: +49.7 11.78 61-26 10 Tel.: +49.7 11.78 61-23 19 [email protected] [email protected] [email protected]

Florian von Glasner Andreas Schäuble DEKRA Automobil GmbH Tel.: +49.7 11.78 61-23 28 Tel.: +49.7 11.78 61-25 39 Handwerkstrasse 15 [email protected] [email protected] 70565 Stuttgart, Germany

DEKRA SE Luigi Ancona Handwerkstrasse 15 Tel.: +49.7 11.78 61-23 55 70565 Stuttgart, Germany [email protected]

DEKRA Automobil GmbH Handwerkstrasse 15 70565 Stuttgart, Germany

Bibliography/Statistics

Adminaite-Fodor, D., Jost, G. Heesch, K. C., Sahlqvist, S., Kubitzki, J., Fastenmeier, W. Rheinberg, F. (1994). Flow-Ex- cyclists. Research Report no. 43.) (2019). Safer Roads, Safer Cities: & Garrard, J. (2011). Cyclists‘ (2019). Sicher zu Fuß – Mobilität perience when Motorcycling: Unfallforschung der Versicherer. How to improve Urban Road experiences of harassment from und Sicherheit von Fußgängern. A Study of a Special Human Gesamtverband der Deutschen Safety in the EU. European Trans- motorists: Findings from a sur- (Walking Safely – Mobility and Condition. In R. Brendicke (Ed.) Versicherungswirtschaft e.V., Berlin. port Safety Council ETSC – PIN vey of cyclists in Queensland, Safety for Pedestrians.) Allianz Safety, Environment, Future – (Association for accident research Flash Report 37. Brussels. Australia. Preventive Medicine, Deutschland AG. Proceedings of the 1991 Inter- on behalf of insurance companies Adminaite-Fodor, D., Jost, G. 53(6), 417–420. Mönnich, J. et al. (2018). Benefit national Motorcycle Conference in Germany, Part of the German (2020). How safe is Walking Horswill, M. S., Hill, A., & estimation of an Antilock-Braking (S. 349–362). Bochum: Institut Insurance Association, Berlin.) and Cycling in Europe? European Wetton M. (2015). Can a System (ABS) for Pedelecs based für Zweiradsicherheit e.V. (For- schungshefte Nr. 7) [Institute for German Federal Statistical Office Transport Safety Council ETSC – video-based hazard perception on simulation of real world acci- (2019). Traffic Accidents 2018. PIN Flash Report 38. Brussels. test used for driver licensing dents. Proceedings, 7th Interna- Two-Wheeler Safety, Research Brochure no. 7]. Wiesbaden. von Below, A. (2016). Verkehrs- predict crash involvement? tional Cycling Safety Conference Accident Analysis & Prevention, 2018, Barcelona. German Federal Statistical Office sicherheit von Radfahrern: Analyse Rowden, P., Watson, B., Ha- 82, 213–219. (2020). Traffic Accidents 2019. sicherheitsrelevanter Motive, Morris, A.P. & al (2018). Saf- worth, N., Lennon, A., Shaw, L., Wiesbaden. Einstellungen und Verhaltensweisen. International Transport Forum erwheels: Study on Powered & Blackman, R. (2016). Motor- (Road safety of cyclists: Analysis ITF (2019). Road Safety in Two-Wheeler and Bicycle Ac- cycle riders' self-reported ag- German Federal Statistical of motives relevant for security, European Cities: Performance cidents in the EU, Final Report. gression when riding compared Office (2019). Verkehrsunfälle – settings and behaviour patterns.) Indicators and Governance European Commission, Brussels. with car driving. Transportation Kraftrad- und Fahrradunfälle im Report on Research Project Solutions. International Trans- National Center for Statistics and Research Part F: Traffic Psycholo- Straßenverkehr 2018. (Road Ac- F1100.4311016, German port Forum Policy Papers, gy and Behaviour, 36, 92–103. cidents Involving Motorbikes and Federal Highway Research Analysis (2019). Bicyclists and No. 67, OECD Publishing, other cyclists: 2017 data. (Traffic Bicycles in 2018.) Wiesbaden. Institute, Bergisch Gladbach. Royal, S., Kendrick, D., & Cole- Paris. Safety Facts. Report No. DOT man, T. (2007). Promoting bicycle German Federal Statistical German Federal Highway International Transport Forum – HS 812 765). Washington, DC: helmet wearing by children Office (2020). Verkehrsunfälle – Research Institute (2018). International Traffic Safety Data National Highway Traffic Safety using non-legislative interventions: Kraftrad- und Fahrradunfälle im Gurte, Kindersitze, Helme und and Analysis Group IRTAD Administration. Schutzkleidung. (Seat belts, child systematic review and meta- Straßenverkehr 2019. (Road Ac- (2019). Road Safety Annual National Center for Statistics and seats, helmets, and protective Report 2019. Paris. analysis. Injury Prevention, cidents Involving Motorbikes and clothing.) In: Daten & Fakten Analysis (2019). Motorcycles: 13(3), 162–167. Bicycles in 2019.) Wiesbaden. kompakt. (Data & Facts Compact.) IRTAD Road Safety Database 2017 data (Updated, Traffic Safety Facts. Report No. DOT Santacreu, A. (2018). Safer City Woolsgrove, C., Armstrong, J. Bergisch Gladbach. Jeanne Breen Consulting, (2020). Safer Cycling Advocate SWOV, Loughborough HS 812 785). Washington, DC: Streets Global Benchmarking for CARE: Community Road Accident National Highway Traffic Safety Urban Road Safety. International Program – Best Practice Guide. Database University (2018). Preparatory European Cyclists’ Federation. work for an EU road safety Administration. Transport Forum Working Docu- ment, OECD Publishing, Paris. European Commission (2018). strategy 2020–2030, Final OECD/International Transport World Health Organization Traffic Safety Basic Facts on Report. European Commission, Forum (2013). Cycling, Health Santacreu, A. & al. (2020). (2018). Global Status Report on Cyclists. European Commission, Brussels. and Safety. OECD Publishing/ Safe Micromobility. International Road Safety 2018. Geneva. Directorate General for Transport. ITF, Paris. Kramer, F. (2008). Passive Transport Forum, OECD Publishing, European Commission (2018). Sicherheit von Kraftfahrzeugen. Pozybill, M., Wolff, A. (2018). Paris. Traffic Safety Basic Facts on Biomechanik – Simulation Verkehrssicherheitsscreening – Mit Motorcycles & Mopeds. Euro- – Sicherheit im Entwicklung- der gläsernen Straße zur Vision Schleinitz, K., Petzoldt, T., Krems J., pean Commission, Directorate sprozess. (Passive Safety in Zero. (Road Safety Screening – To Gehlert, T., & Kröling, S. (2016). General for Transport. Motor Vehicles. Biomechanics Vision Zero with the transparent Helmnutzung und regelwidriges Hamilton-Baillie, B. (2008). – Simulation – Safety During road.) In: “Straßenverkehrstechnik” Verhalten von Pedelec- und Fahr- Shared Space: Reconciling the Development Process.) (Road Safety Technology) scien- radfahrern. Forschungsbericht Nr. People, Places and Traffic. Built Vieweg + Teubner, 3rd revised tific journal edition 11/2018, P. 43. (Helmet use and traffic rule Environment, 34(2), 161–181. edition. 787–799. infringements of pedelec riders and ANALYTICAL EXPERTISE DEKRA AUTOMOBIL BASIC PRINCIPLES/ TRAFFIC REPRESENTATION ON ACCIDENTS TEST CENTER PROCESSES PSYCHOLOGY TECHNICAL AFFAIRS

Michael Krieg Vehicle André Skupin Dr. Karin Müller Walter Niewöhner Tel.: +49.7 11.78 61-23 19 Steffen Hladik Tel.: +49.3 57 54.73 44-2 57 Tel.: +49.30.2 93 63 39-21 Tel.: +49.7 11.78 61-26 08 [email protected] Tel.: +49.3 57 54.73 44-5 00 [email protected] [email protected] [email protected] ste [email protected] DEKRA Automobil GmbH Hans-Peter David DEKRA Automobil GmbH DEKRA e. V. Handwerkstrasse 15 DEKRA Automobil GmbH Tel.: +49.3 57 54.73 44-2 53 People & Health Handwerkstrasse 15 70565 Stuttgart, Germany Senenberger Straße 30 [email protected] Division 70565 Stuttgart, Germany 01998 Klettwitz, Germany Warschauer Straße 32 DEKRA Automobil GmbH 10243 Berlin, Germany Senenberger Straße 30 CORPORATE COMMUNICATIONS DEKRA CRASH 01998 Klettwitz, Germany TEST CENTER Wolfgang Sigloch Tel.: +49.7 11.78 61-23 86 Thilo Wackenroder [email protected] Tel.: +49.43 21.3 90 56-10 [email protected] DEKRA e. V. Handwerkstrasse 15 DEKRA Automobil GmbH 70565 Stuttgart, Germany Rungestraße 9 24537 Neumünster, Germany

OUR SERVICES TO ENSURE SAFETY

Vehicle Inspection Claims & Expertise Product Testing Industrial Inspection

Consulting Audits Training Temp Work

82 | 83 DEKRA Handwerkstrasse 15 70565 Stuttgart, Germany Tel.: +49.7 11.78 61-0 Fax: +49.7 11.78 61-22 40 www.dekra.com

87302