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Identifying Factors Causing Motorcycle Crashes Among Young Adults in India Using Modified Motorcycle Rider Behavior Questionnaire

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Abstract

The present study aimed to develop customized Motorcycle Rider Behavior Questionnaire (MRBQ) to assess young (below 25 years) Indian motorcyclists’ safe riding behavior and identify MRBQ and demographic factors influencing their crash involvement. A 37-item MRBQ, relevant in Indian context, was developed from existing MRBQ literature adding two new commonly observed aberrations, namely mobile use with hands free and putting mobile inside helmet and talking while riding. Five-factor (unmindfulness, speeding, violations, road rage and helmet), 21-item MRBQ was obtained by factor analysis. It was observed that unmindfulness, rage and helmet non-use significantly influenced self-reported crash involvement. Also, riders with higher exposure, males and married people were observed to be more prone to crashes. Unmindful actions like not keeping to lane, not noticing pedestrians or vehicles at turn, not controlling speed at turn or forgetting to give appropriate indicators may result from inexperience (as riders were young) and thus needs reinforcement through periodic training highlighting possible adverse impacts of being unmindful. The need to refrain from getting involved in altercations while riding (rage), which increases psychological stress of riders (specially males), needs to be highlighted in training programs. Though helmet laws and enforcement exist in India, riders admitted of not always using helmet. Thus, design of comfortable helmet, which provides comfort to riders even in hot humid climate, season which is prevalent in India, is essential along with stricter enforcement of helmet laws for ensuring helmet use. Special safety training programs targeting young male motorcyclists need to be designed, and special focus should be given to married riders in the training program for ensuring lesser riding aberrations.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Civil Engineering, National Institute of Technology Patna, Bihar, India

    Abhijeet Kumar, Shambhu Singh, Shakib Hussain & Ranja Bandyopadhyaya

  2. Chandragupt Institute of Management Patna, Bihar, India

    Vijaya Bandyopadhyaya

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Correspondence to Ranja Bandyopadhyaya.

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Kumar, A., Singh, S., Hussain, S. et al. Identifying Factors Causing Motorcycle Crashes Among Young Adults in India Using Modified Motorcycle Rider Behavior Questionnaire. J. Inst. Eng. India Ser. A 105, 91–104 (2024). https://doi.org/10.1007/s40030-023-00776-z

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