Motorcycle Accidents In Depth Study (MAIDS)  |
| Type | Non-profit organization |
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| Industry | motorcycle accident research |
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| Founded | 1999 |
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| Headquarters | Avenue de la Joyeuse Entrée 1 – 1040 Brussels |
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Area served | European Union |
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Key people | Nick Rogers - IMMA – MAIDS Management Group (MMG) chairman |
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| €2.5 million |
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| Parent | Association of European Motorcycle Manufacturers (ACEM) |
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| Website | http://www.maids-study.eu |
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The MAIDS (Motorcycle Accidents In Depth Study) report is a large-scale, comprehensive study of Powered Two Wheelers (PTW, i.e., motorcycles, scooters and mopeds) accidents carried out across five European countries, using both accident and exposure (or control) cases, as was done in the Hurt Report, and following the standards of OECD. [1] Starting in September, 1999, over 2000 variables were coded in each of 921 accidents, and exposure data was collected on an additional 923 cases, collected at five locations in France, Germany, Netherlands, Spain and Italy. The investigation was carried out under the auspices of the Association of European Motorcycle Manufacturers (ACEM) with the support of the European Commission [2] [3]
Using EC terminology, mopeds are referred to as L1 vehicles, and motorcycles and scooters over 50cc are called L3 vehicles. [4]
The main findings of the report are (quoted verbatim): [5]
- There were 103 cases involving a fatality of either the rider or the passenger.
- L1 vehicles were over-represented in the accident sample when compared with the exposure sample.
- More L1 vehicles were involved in accidents which took place in an urban area than L3 vehicles. (85.9% v. 62%).
- 54.3% of the PTW accidents took place at an intersection.
- Passenger cars were the most frequent collision partner (60%).
- 72% of the accidents took place in urban areas.
- A PTW was more likely to collide with a passenger car in an urban area than in a rural area. (64.1% v. 46.7%).
- Due to the absence of comparable exposure data, it was not possible to determine if any month, day of the week or time of the day was a risk factor.
A motorcycle, often called a motorbike, bike, or cycle, is a two- or three-wheeled motor vehicle. Motorcycle design varies greatly to suit a range of different purposes: long-distance travel, commuting, cruising, sport, including racing, and off-road riding. Motorcycling is riding a motorcycle and being involved in other related social activity such as joining a motorcycle club and attending motorcycle rallies.
The term moped originally referred to a type of small motorcycle with both a motorcycle engine and bicycle pedals, or easy-rider, generally having a less stringent licensing requirement than full motorcycles or automobiles. The term is now often used to mean a similar vehicle except with no pedals. Mopeds typically travel only a bit faster than bicycles on public roads. Mopeds are distinguished from scooters in that the latter tend to be more powerful and subject to more regulation.
Piaggio & C. SpA is an Italian motor vehicle manufacturer, which produces a range of two-wheeled motor vehicles and compact commercial vehicles under seven brands: Piaggio, Vespa, Gilera, Aprilia, Moto Guzzi, Derbi, and Scarabeo. Its corporate headquarters are located in Pontedera, Italy. The company was founded by Rinaldo Piaggio in 1884, initially producing locomotives and railway carriages.
A motorcycle helmet is a type of helmet used by motorcycle riders. Motorcycle helmets contribute to motorcycle safety by protecting the rider's head in the event of an impact. They reduce the risk of head injury by 69% and the risk of death by 42%. Their use is required by law in many countries.
Zündapp was a major German motorcycle manufacturer founded in 1917 in Nuremberg by Fritz Neumeyer, together with the Friedrich Krupp AG and the machine tool manufacturer Thiel under the name "Zünder- und Apparatebau G.m.b.H." as a producer of detonators. In 1919, as the demand for weapons parts declined after World War I, Neumeyer became the sole proprietor of the company, and two years later he diversified into the construction of motorcycles.
There are many systems for classifying types of motorcycles, describing how the motorcycles are put to use, or the designer's intent, or some combination of the two. Six main categories are widely recognized: cruiser, sport, touring, standard, dual-purpose, and dirt bike. Sometimes sport touring motorcycles are recognized as a seventh category. Strong lines are sometimes drawn between motorcycles and their smaller cousins, mopeds, scooters, and underbones, but other classification schemes include these as types of motorcycles.
Motorcycle safety is the study of the risks and dangers of motorcycling, and the approaches to mitigate that risk, focusing on motorcycle design, road design and traffic rules, rider training, and the cultural attitudes of motorcyclists and other road users.
This is a list of numbers of motorcycle deaths in U.S. by year from 1994 to 2014. United States motorcycle fatalities increased every year for 11 years after reaching a historic low of 2,116 fatalities in 1997, then increased to over 5,000 around 2008 and then plateaued in the 4 to 5 thousands range in the 2010s. In nine years motorcycle deaths more than doubled from the late 1990s to 2008. Despite providing less than 1% of miles driven, they made up 15% of traffic deaths in 2012.
Motorcycling is the act of riding a motorcycle. For some people, motorcycling may be the only affordable form of individual motorized transportation, and small-displacement motorcycles are the most common motor vehicle in the most populous countries, including India, China and Indonesia.
Motorcycle training teaches motorcycle riders the skills for riding on public roads. It is the equivalent of driver's education for car drivers. Training beyond basic qualification and licensing is available to those whose duty includes motorcycle riding, such as police, and additional rider courses are offered for street riding refreshers, sport riding, off-road techniques, and developing competitive skills for the motorcycle racetrack.
Traffic collision reconstruction is the process of investigating, analyzing, and drawing conclusions about the causes and events during a vehicle collision. Reconstructionists conduct collision analysis and reconstruction to identify the cause of a collision and contributing factors including the role of the driver(s), vehicle(s), roadway and general environment. Physics and engineering principles are the basis for these analyses and may involved the use of software for calculations and simulations. Collision reconstruction is sometimes used as the basis of expert witness testimony at trials. Collision reconstructions are typically performed in cases involving fatalities or personal injury. Results from collision reconstructions are also sometimes used for making roads and highways safer, as well as improving safety aspects of motor vehicle designs. Reconstructions are typically conducted by forensic engineers, specialized units in law enforcement agencies, or private consultants.
An underbone is a type of motorcycle that uses structural tube framing with an overlay of plastic or non-structural body panels and contrasts with monocoque or unibody designs where pressed steel serves both as the vehicle's structure and bodywork. Outside Asia, the term underbone is commonly misunderstood to refer to any lightweight motorcycle that uses the construction type, known colloquially as step-throughs, mopeds or scooters.
Allstate was an American brand of vehicles marketed by Sears. Scooters, motorcycles, and cars were sourced from several manufacturers and re-badged with the Sears "Allstate" brand. Piaggio and Cushman were major suppliers of scooters, while Puch and Gilera supplied mopeds and motorcycles, and cars at different times were supplied by the Lincoln Motor Car Works and Kaiser-Frazer.
Lane splitting is riding a bicycle or motorcycle between lanes or rows of slow moving or stopped traffic moving in the same direction. It is sometimes called whitelining, or stripe-riding. This allows riders to save time, bypassing traffic congestion, and may also be safer than stopping behind stationary vehicles.
The Hurt Report, officially Motorcycle Accident Cause Factors and Identification of Countermeasures, was a motorcycle safety study conducted in the United States, initiated in 1976 and published in 1981. The report is named after its primary author, Professor Harry Hurt.
A scooter or motor scooter is a motorcycle with a step-through frame and a platform for the rider's feet. Elements of scooter design were present in some of the earliest motorcycles, and scooters have been made since at least 1914. Scooter development continued in Europe and the United States between the World Wars.
Hugh Harrison (Harry) Hurt, Jr., was an American researcher on motorcycle safety. He was the author of the 1981 Hurt Report, described as "the most comprehensive motorcycle safety study of the 20th century."
The following outline is provided as an overview of motorcycles and motorcycling:
