Non-Fatal Motorcycle Crash Configuration and Injury Severity at T-Junction in Malaysia

Abstract

Crash configuration or crash type analysis is one of the techniques for studying and understanding the mechanism of motorcycle crashes occurrence. The process involves the development of crash events with common causal pre-crash characteristics, such as driver behaviour, roadway situations, and movements of the involved vehicles. This study is focusing on nan-fatal motorcyclist on current data (5-year period: 2011- 2015) and injuries pattern among motorcyclist associated with the crash type of the crash. The objectives of the study were to: (i) investigate trends of occurrence of crash configuration involved motorcycle crashes in Malaysia; (ii) identify injuries related to the crash configuration; and (iii) recognise the injuries severity of the corresponding crash configuration. A total of 642 accident cases with injury were found to occur at T-junction. From the 642 cases at T-junction, seven types of crash configuration were identified appropriately with the cases involved. They are approach turn, angle 1/2, rear-end, U-turn, sideswipe, overtaking and both turning. Approach-turn crashes with a passenger car in the process of making a turn while a motorcycle was travelling straight ahead on primary roads was the most common occurrence that causes collision among motorcycle and passenger car at T-junction in the study. Four body regions were the most common region to be injured in every crash type. They are lower extremity, upper extremity, face and head. Also, the study shows that the number of injuries at face region is more than the number of injuries to the head among rider that involved crashes at T-junction. However, in term of injury severity, the most hazardous crash types identified were among Angle 1/2 crashes where motorcycle from a minor road to the primary road.