Abstract

The Metropolitan Area Planning Council, the regional planning agency for the Boston metropolitan area, studied bicycle-motor vehicle accidents occurring within Route 128, a major beltway encircling 35 communities. A sample of one of every four accidents reported to the Massachusetts Registry of Motor Vehicles in 1979 and 1980 was chosen for review. Data were collected by a paid intern and by six volunteers who reviewed bicycle accidents occurring within their individual communities. This sampling technique resulted in a distribution of accidents by month and location statistically almost identical with the distribution for all accidents in the study area.

The accidents were classified using a modified version of the classification system developed by Kenneth Cross. The highest frequency accident class involved a motorist turning right or left at an intersection and hitting a bicyclist coming from behind or from the opposite leg of the intersection. Virtually as frequent was a motorist entering an intersection and striking a cyclist emerging from the orthogonal leg. These accidents occurred primarily among cyclists over 18 years of age. "Bicycle ride-out" accidents where the cyclist entered the road at a mid-block location also occurred with some frequency, particularly among children younger than 11 years of age.

Frequencies on key variables such as time of accident were also obtained.

Recommendations include publicity of the study results; education of bicyclists and motorists; increased enforcement of traffic laws; and improved record-keeping for ongoing classification of bicycle-motor vehicle accidents.