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 Improved Maintenance
Because the consequences of a minor technical failure of motorcycles can be more severe for a motorcyclist than for other vehicles, proper care and maintenance of the motorcycle warrants more frequent attention (Motorcycle Safety Foundation, 2005). Learning how to prevent crashes arising from mechanical failure of the motorcycle is an important safety component of motorcycle training. In general, pre-ride inspections by the motorcycle owner and regular servicing by a certified mechanic can help to prevent crashes arising from mechanical failure of the motorcycle. The implications of countermeasures to improve maintenance should be considered alongside minimum standards for quality of motorcycles entering the market at the time of purchase.
The Case-Control Study of Motorcycle Crashes conducted in Victoria, Australia (Haworth et al., 1997) examined the most common mechanical defects identified in the crashed motorcycles were:
- Under-inflated front or rear tyres
- Rust
- Worn or loose chain
- Insufficient brake pad thickness (front or rear)
- Tread badly worn (particularly rust)
Regular maintenance of the motorcycle is likely to decrease the contribution of mechanical deficits to crashes, although little is known about the effect of regular maintenance on crash rates and injury severity. In general, the prevalence of defects in the vehicle fleet has been found to be lower in jurisdictions that require periodic motor-vehicle inspections (up to 16%) (Rechnitzer, Haworth & Kawodlo, 2000). Studies that have compared crash rates before and after the introduction of such requirements (See Rechnitzer, Haworth & Kawodlo, 2000 for a review of these studies) have generally shown decreases in injury crash rates.
Information sourced from A review of potential countermeasures for motorcycle and scooter safety across APEC (Full report and References [PDF, 304KB]). |
