Non-conforming behaviors of motorcyclists at signalized intersec ons in Fortaleza

Abstract

In Brazilian ci-es, motorcycles are increasingly popular due to their ease of acquisi-on, usefulness, maneuverability and low-cost maintenance. However, with motorcycle crashes on the rise, research on the associa-on between motorcyclist behavior and road crashes has become highly relevant. In this quan-ta-ve study we correlated non-con-forming behaviors, traffic and environmental variables, and data on crashes based on 124 hours of manually processed traffic surveillance camera footage of 24 signalized intersec-ons (31 approaches). Non-conforming behaviors included zigzagging, red light running, sidewalk riding, speeding and wrong-way riding. Our results show that a pro-por-onal increase in heavy vehicle traffic volume can reduce zigzagging by up to 22%. The presence of traffic enforcement cameras efficiently inhibited red light running. Us-ing 85th percen-le speed in our analysis, motorcycles were found to travel 11% faster than cars. The difference in speed between motorcycles and cars and the number of lanes were significant in the crash model. In conclusion, the presence of physical sepa-ra-ons and traffic enforcement cameras and the number of lanes significantly influ-enced motorcyclist behavior. In addi-on to speed control, these factors should be taken into account when implemen-ng road safety measure