Improving Motorcycle Safety in Hawaii: Recommendations Based on a Survey of Motorcycle Owners and Operators

62 TRANSPORTATION RESEARCH RECORD 1325 Improving Motorcycle Safety in Hawaii: Recommendations Based on a Survey of Motorcycle Owners and Operators KARL KIM AND MARK R. WILLEY A study on motorcycle safety was conducted for the Hawaii De In Hawaii, motorcyclists face twice the risk of being in partment of Transportation by the ,Department of Urban and volved in an accident than the average automobile driver. Regional Planning, University of Hawaii. The study is based on Data in 1981 showed 251 accidents per 10,000 automobiles a telephone survey of 494 motorcycle owners and operators that and 502 accidents per 10,000 motorcycles. Although this ratio was conducted in August 1989. Trends in motorcycle accidents are described, results from the attitudinal study are given, and narrowed by 1987 to 295 accidents per 10,000 automobiles several legislative, administrative, and programmatic recommen and 442 accidents per 10,000 motorcycles, the accident ratio dations for improving motorcycle safety in Hawaii are proposed, for motorcyclists was still far greater than that for other motor including restoring Hawaii's mandatory helmet law and requiring vehicle operators. motorcycle safety education courses for all new riders. A dispro There is also reason to believe that the problem of motor portionately large share of those involved in fatal motorcycle cycle accidents in Hawaii is more serious than it is in other accidents was found to be neither licensed nor insured. Some ways that licensing and registration systems might be enhanced states. In 1987 there were an estimated 509 motorcycle ac to improve motorcycle safety in Hawaii are suggested. cidents in Hawaii, resulting in 13 fatalities. This amounted to 442 accidents and 11.3 fatalities per 10,000 motorcycle reg istrations. These figures are both above the 1987 national After the problem of motorcycle accidents in Hawaii is de averages of 305.5 and 8.65 (1). scribed, trends in motorcycle crashes and motorcycle-related As shown in Table 1, the current fatality rate per 10,000 deaths are discussed. Then a survey of motorcycle owners and motorcyclists is 2.5 times greater than the average fatality rate operators conducted by the Department of Urban and Re recorded during the 9 years that Hawaii had a mandatory gional Planning, University of Hawaii, is described. An ex helmet law. The repeal of the helmet law in Hawaii has meant amination of licensing and registration Jaws in Hawaii is also an increase in the number of fatalities due to Jack of helmet included. It is concluded that there are three types of actions use . In the 4 years before repeal of the act in 1977, there was that can be taken to improve motorcycle safety in Hawaii: not one fatality from failure to use a helmet. In the years legislative actions refer to the enactment of new laws such as following repeal there has been a 900 percent increase in mandating helmet use or motorcycle education; administra fatalities without helmets. Average annual fatalities among tive actions involve improving or enhancing current regulatory helmet users, on the other hand, increased only 16 percent. actions already in place, such as improved licensing and en The 250 percent jump in fatality rates among the total motor forcement of existing traffic safety Jaws; and programmatic cycle population has been largely due to lack of helmet use. actions refer to the creation and enhancement of a variety of Historically, the majority of persons killed in motorcycle programs on education, public information, and further study accidents have been young men. The 25-years-and-under age and analysis of motorcycle accidents in Hawaii. group accounted for only 6.8 percent of Hawaii's licensed motorcycle operators (median age 39 years) but 65 .5 percent of all motorcycle fatalities . In addition, since repeal of the MOTORCYCLE ACCIDENTS IN HA WAii helmet law, the proportion of unlicensed operators killed in motorcycle accidents has increased greatly. The proportion In 1988 there were 11,544 registered motorcycles in Hawaii of fatalities attributed to head injury also has increased, as and 21,940 licensed operators. Motorcycles made up approx has the proportion of those killed while under the influence imately 5 percent of all registered motor vehicles and ac of alcohol. These findings are summarized in Table 2. counted for 2.2 percent of major traffic accidents (damage The increase in unlicensed operators is troubling, for it over $300). However, a disproportionately large share of all means that there are many untrained and uninsured motor traffic fatalities, 11 percent, resulted from motorcycle acci cyclists on the road. Approximately 16 percent of those killed dents. This percentage has grown greatly since the mandatory in motorcycle accidents died within the first 11 months of helmet law was repealed in 1977. At that time, only 4 percent having a motorcycle license (Table 3). Lack of training and of all traffic fatalities resulted from motorcycle accidents. inexperience are significant factors contributing to the overall motorcycle accident rate in Hawaii. Department of Urban and Regional Planning, University of Hawaii These observations about motorcycle accidents and fatali at Manoa, Porteus Hall 107, 2424 Maile Way, Honolulu , Hawaii ties suggest a number of problems. The first problem relates 96822. to the effects of repealing the helmet Jaw. Helmets are de- Kim and Willey 63 TABLE 1 MOTORCYCLE STATISTICAL SUMMARY FOR HAWAII Accident/ Motorcycle Number of Accident Number of l'atality l'atality Year Registration Accidents Rate• l'atalities Rate• Ratio 1962 4,173 213 510 10 24.0 21.3 1963 5,590 313 560 5 8.9 62.6 1964 7,270 428 589 9 12.4 47.6 1965 9.827 512 521 13 13.2 39.4 1966 12,016 643 535 20 16.6 32.2 1967 10,558 575 544 8 7.6 71.9 1968a 9,646 543 563 8 8.3 67.9 1969 8,579 346 403 5 5.8 69.2 1970 10,834 429 396 6 5.5 71.5 1971 10,033 427 426 6 6.0 71.2 1972 10,321 446 432 4' 3.9 111.5 1973 10,343 417 4D3 3 2.9 139.0 1974 10,447 386b 369 4 3.8 96.5 1975 8,373C 396 473 9 10.7 44.0 1976 9,134 444 486 6 6.6 74.0 1977d 9,408 518 551 11 11. 7 47.1 1979e 9, 771 619 634 23 23.5 26.9 1979 9, 98 6 599 600 20 20.0 30.0 1980 9,696 562 580 10 10.3 56.2 1981 10,700 537 502 15 14.0 35.8 1982 11, 317 508 449 13 11.5 39.1 1983 8,563 481 562 19 22.2 25.3 1984 10,199 409 401 15 14.7 27.3 1985 10,607 412 388 10 9.4 41.3 1986 11, 055 463 419 12 10.9 38.4 1987 11, 515 509 442 13 11.3 39.1 1988 11 544 702f 608f 18 15.6 39.ot * Rate per 10,000 motorcycles a 1968, the year mandatory helmet use was implemented b 1974' the year reportable accident damage was increased from $100 to $300 c 197 5' the first year under no-fault insurance d 1977' motorcycle helmet use law repeal effective June ~. 1977 e 1978, the first complete year after motorcycle helmet use repeal f Accident estimates assuming 1 fatality per 39 accidents signed to protect the motorcyclist from injury and death; UNIVERSITY OF HAW All STUDY increased nonuse has meant increased injury and death. A second problem relates to issues of licensing, training, enforce The major data source for the University of Hawaii study was ment, and operator skill. There are many factors associated a telephone survey of motorcycle owners and operators con with motorcycle safety. A mandatory helmet law is only ducted in 1989 between August 14 and September 14. Par part of the picture. The data on motorcycle deaths show that ticipants were drawn from two data files: motor vehicle reg younger, more inexperienced, and unlicensed operators ac istrations and operator licenses (supplied by the state of Hawaii count for a disproportionately larger share of accidents and and city and county of Honolulu). A combined data set listing fatalities. A third type of problem relates to the dispropor those registered owners with active operator licenses was also tionate costs associated with the higher fatality and injury constructed. The purpose of the study was to address the rates likely to result from operating a motorcycle. following areas: (a) questions about motorcycle registration, 64 TRANSPORTATION RESEARCH RECORD 1325 TABLE 2 CHARACTERISTICS OF FATAL MOTORCYCLE ACCIDENTS IN HAWAII (5) Variable Before Repeal After Repeal Total Category (1973-1976) (1977-1988) (1973-1988) Male 100% 95.9% 96.0% Age 21.5 years 23 years 23 years Licensed 72. 7% 48.5% 51. 0% Owners 45.5% 62.1% 61. 4% Helmet Used 100% 37.4% 42.6% Speeding 53.8% 42.6% 40.6% Drunk 31. 8% 39.6% 38.0% Head Injury 50.0% 56.2% 54.0% TABLE 3 LICENSING OF PERSONS KILLED IN interviews, the telephone survey was the only cost-effective MOTORCYCLE ACCIDENTS IN HAWAII, 1973-1988 method that could guarantee an adequate sample size in an unbiased, geographically proportional manner. Number Time with License ' 92 no license 45.5 Characteristics of Respondents 33 less than one year 16.3 70 over one year 34.7 There were 494 respondents who completed the survey. The 7 unknown 3 . 5 composition of the main sample by sex is 94.1 percent (n "" 465) men, 5.9 percent (n = 29) women.

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