Like everyone, motorcyclists want to arrive at their destination and return home safely afterwards to their loved ones. There are currently around one billion motorcycles in the world and the usage have increased during the last decades (8). Popularity of motorcycling continues to grow, in part because of the rising costs for four-wheeled vehicles (including ICE and EV) and fuel.

In some parts of the world motorcycles are the dominant mode of transport. In other parts, motorcycles are mainly used for commuting or leisure trips. Regardless of where motorcyclists are, they share distinct needs in terms of safety.

Motorcycle riders are different from drivers of cars, vans, or heavy goods vehicles. Motorcyclists have no protective cage around them which makes them more vulnerable when being struck by other vehicles or hitting objects on the roadside. Road restraints systems, such as barriers, may improve safety for a car, but may lead to increased levels of severe injury and death for a motorcyclist if it is not designed for them. Poor road surface friction may lead to a higher risk of loss of control for a car, but the risk and consequences of losing balance is much higher for motorcyclists.

The growing number of motorcycle riders has, unfortunately, been reflected in recent casualties. 28% of the global traffic fatalities are among passengers and riders on motorcycles (8,9).

The number of fatal and serious injury (FSI) crashes involving drivers and passengers in cars has been reducing in many countries due in part to numerous safety measures made by the car manufacturers and huge investments for safer infrastructure for motorists. However, at the same time, the share of fatalities among riders and passengers on motorcycles is rising even if the absolute numbers are dropping (9). Research shows that in Australia, for example, the rate of motorcyclist fatalities is approximately 30 times that of car occupants, and 41 times higher for serious injuries (133, 134).

The large number of motorcyclists and their vulnerability shows that motorcyclists and their specific needs must be taken seriously at all levels in the traffic environment, by all road authorities, and by society at large. This is unfortunately not the case today.

The Second Decade of Action for Road Safety 2021-2030 aims to reduce these numbers by 50 percent. In recent years, UNECE, WHO and OECD/ITF have highlighted the need for vulnerable road users to become a priority in road safety.

Road safety has been declared as a human right by the United Nations (UN) and riders and passengers on motorcycles are recognized as vulnerable road users by UNECE, WHO, Austroads, NHTSA and the European Union. However, even if the road safety focus is changing to improve infrastructure for vulnerable road users, too often only non-motorized road users are considered as vulnerable. One example are the guidelines that were published in January 2023 by the European Commission on a methodology for network-wide road safety assessments. The guidelines have no proposals to improve road safety for riders and passengers on motorcycles and mopeds. The only vulnerable road users that are mentioned and cared for to a large extent are bicyclists and pedestrians. There is no explanation for the exclusion of mopeds and motorcycles (10).

In February 2020, the Third Global Ministerial Conference on Road Safety marked the end of the first Decade of Action for Road Safety 2011–2020 and reiterated commitment to the 2030 targets in the statement of the conference outcomes (the Stockholm Declaration). The Academic Expert Group for the Conference submitted its recommendations regarding a second Decade of Action for Global Road Safety.

An international workshop on safety for motorcyclists, Riding in a safe system, was held in June 2021 (8.) The workshop was co-organised by the International Transport Forum, the Swedish Transport Administration (VTI), the International Motorcycling Federation (FIM), and the motorcycle manufacturers associations (IMMA and ACEM). It focused on the recommendations of the Academic Expert Group and their application to motorcyclists’ safety. The workshop identified eight priority actions to achieve the integration of motorcycles in the safe system by 2030. The eight actions build on the Stockholm declaration and the recommendations of the Academic Expert Group. They are (8):

• Move to sustainable practice
• Support modal shift
• Adopt safe vehicles and equipment
• Educate safe riders
• Redesign infrastructure
• Ensure safe speed
• Protect children • Increase knowledge.

1.1 MOTORCYCLISTS IN VISION ZERO
In the 1990s Vision Zero was implemented in Sweden. Vision Zero is a strategy to eliminate all traffic fatalities and severe injuries, while increasing safe, healthy, equitable mobility for all. Vision Zero does not aim to avoid accidents, but the goal is to avoid fatalities and severe injuries. From a motorcyclist’s perspective however, riders must avoid being involved in crashes at all since for them crashes will almost certainly result in serious injuries or fatalities. This is a discrepancy that needs attention. The strategy is now the most common road safety strategy worldwide. Related to the Vision Zero concept and that of the Dutch Sustainable Safety strategies (based on classifying and planning roads by their main use with a corresponding speed limit) is that of the Safe System. Safe System embraces well-established safety principles and building on demonstrably effective practice using innovative solutions and new technologies. The Safe System approach is very similar to that of Vision Zero but takes more in account the needs of vulnerable road users, like pedestrians and bicyclists.

1.2 NOTABLE ADVANCES IN RESEARCH
In the last two decades research in motorcycle safety has advanced significantly. Stakeholders in Europe, Australia and USA have conducted studies based on collisions with motorcycles and barriers. The outcome of these studies points to the same conclusions:

• Forgiving roadsides, obstacle free zones near the road, can reduce the severity of motorcyclist crashes compared to roadsides with fixed objects.
• Median and roadside crash barriers can increase the risk of injuries for motorcyclists, but the risk can be reduced by equipping them with Motorcycle Protection Systems (MPS), and
• A safety zone between the barrier and roadway can reduce the severity of motorcyclist injuries in the event of a crash.

Research also highlights the role of road surface friction in reducing the likelihood of crashes. According to several reports, there is a correlation between road friction and the number of crashes, although the effect of poor friction is difficult to single out, because drivers try to adjust their speed to the circumstances.

Forgiving roadsides are better than zones with fixed obstacles. Barriers increase the risk of injuries, but the risk can be reduced by equipping them with Motorcycle Protection Systems (MPS), and a safety zone between the barrier and roadway.

The need for good friction to avoid crashes has also been highlighted in the last decades. According to a Swedish literature study states that there is a correlation between road friction and the number of crashes, although the effect of poor friction can be difficult to single out, because road users try to adjust their speed to the circumstances (11).

Many crashes are a result of the fact that motorcycle riders lose control due to loss of friction. Some of the crashes occur after road maintenance where the site has been left without cleaning the road or from debris that originates from roadsides and unpaved exits (12, 25).

Another notable advance in the research has been in the socio-economic impacts of motorcycle crashes. In Australia, for example, research shows that the social cost of crashes is twice as high for motorcyclists compared to that of car occupants on a vehicle kilometre travelled basis (135).

1.3 DATA AVAILABILITY AND MULTIPLE DATA SOURCES FOR TRAFFIC SAFETY RESEARCH
Highly relevant for further steps within road safety research and the increase of the state of the art, as well as opportunities developing new, innovative safety measures, are the possibility to use existing data (public or stakeholder-owned). Road authorities, road operators, service providers, infrastructure and vehicle industry are collecting large amounts of various data on a regular basis, for example about friction, potholes, crashes and roadside environment.

Data, which feed their own systems, models, and investigations – e. g. predictive road maintenance systems, using road surface condition data; or map /navigation system providers, collecting route and vehicle dynamics data of the road users; can be used to identify new patterns and relevant safety trends for different stakeholders dealing with different part of the transport system.

A smart correlation, joint analytics and interfaces between different data bases and sources, will open new opportunities for predictive safety systems, that integrate safety forecasts such as assistant systems, that include road, traffic, and weather information. When using multiple data sources, it is possible to provide a completer and more accurate picture of road safety issues. Each data source has its strengths and weaknesses and combining them can help compensate for any limitations and provide a more comprehensive understanding of road safety issues.

Using different data sources also allows cross-validation of results, which helps to ensure that findings are robust and reliable. If multiple data sources are showing similar results, it increases confidence in the findings. Any cross-link of different parameters enhances the chance to calculate or simulate new interrelations, dependencies, and potential risk causal correlations, which are the baseline for future risk mitigation measures.

Floating vehicle data, cloud-based information, netwide measurement data, and others must be made available for road safety experts and research purposes, to develop smart safety systems and solutions, e. g., working in real-time or to be used as training material for self-learning (AI) systems. The overlaying of data sets helps to improve the quality of the data itself, due to identifying inconsistencies and errors in data sets.

The overall benefit of using multiple data sources, is the possibility to provide a more robust evidence base to support cost-efficient, eco-efficient and sustainable decisions, while improving road safety.

1.4 OBJECTIVES OF THIS WORKING GROUP & TARGET AUDIENCE
The working group has prioritized the most relevant risks for motorcyclists that are related to the infrastructure and propose workable solutions. These solutions aim to reach everyone involved in infrastructure and road safety systems such as engineers, planners, lawmakers, enforcement agencies, highway operators, entrepreneurs, auditors, road safety strategists and others.

1.5 HOW CAN THIS WORK CONTRIBUTE TO MOTORCYCLE SAFETY IMPROVEMENTS.
Road safety measures that improve the road environment for riders and passengers on motorcycles will improve the road conditions for all road users. However, motorcyclists are often not included in planning, building and maintenance of roads. When motorcycles are excluded from planning, building, and maintaining infrastructure they also decide that riders and passengers on motorcycles will continue to travel with an increased risk of being killed or severely injured in case of an accident.

Our aim is that this paper will contribute to motorcycle safety improvements when the proposed measures are introduced. It highlights best practice from around the world, the tools, and resources available, what research is telling us, it builds the case for why addressing MC safety is fundamental to achieving road safety targets, and why it is important economically. Such motorcycle safety improvements are best undertaken in cooperation with the motorcycle community in each country.

There is a need to create a relevant document that is focused on motorcycle safety and to present a systematic approach for motorcycle safety in the safe system. This document is aiming to reach everyone involved in infrastructure and road safety systems such as engineers, planners, lawmakers, enforcement agencies, auditors, road safety strategists and others. We collected the current available information on road infrastructure with as focus on roadside infrastructure and road surface. This paper mainly focus on the priority action redesign infrastructure and remaining research gaps, needs and recommendations to improve motorcycle safety regarding infrastructure.

EXECUTIVE SUMMARY
CHAPTER 1. INTRODUCTION
CHAPTER 2. MOTORCYCLE SAFETY IN FIGURES
CHAPTER 3. GLOBAL, REGIONAL AND NATIONAL GUIDELINES ON MOTORCYCLE SAFETY
CHAPTER 4. WHERE DO MOST INCIDENTS AND CRASHES OCCUR?
CHAPTER 5. ADDRESSING MOTORCYCLE SAFETY
CHAPTER 6. ROAD SURFACE FRICTION
CHAPTER 7. THE NEED FOR ROADSIDE SAFETY ZONES
CHAPTER 8. BARRIERS AND MOTORCYCLISTS
CHAPTER 9. GUIDANCE BEFORE CURVES
CHAPTER 10. RECOMMENDATIONS
APPENDIXES
REFERENCES
TERMINOLOGY AND ACRONYMS
WORKING GROUP INFORMATION

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