By Dr. Donald L. Green, 14 February 2022 (updated from 17 January 2020.)
Bernt Speigel (2010) wrote in the preface of his book the Upper Half of the Motorcycle that motorcyclists are “thinking, acting, reacting” organisms with “the unique ability to create, use, and adapt tools, instruments, equipment, and machines in an integrative way as extensions, or components, of [themselves].” It is essential to emphasize the thinking, acting, and reacting statement because it supports the human element’s primary factor in all motorcycle experiences. The Human Element also represents the primary factor in Motorcycle crashes – The Motorcyclist.
Despite the best intentions of engineers and policymakers to improve the environment and safety in riding, the bottom line is that the motorcyclist is the one variable affecting every element of the solution. The human thought (cognitive) factor is not emphasized enough when seeking to improve crash outcomes and decrease overall mortality rates in transportation. The most critical decisions in motorcycle crashes are made on the upper half of the motorcycle, somewhere between the seat and the handlebars. To improve our preventative efforts, we must address the root cause at the source, motorcyclist behavior. Leonard Evans (1991) relates to this by addressing behavior as the difference between what a rider can do (skill potential) versus what a rider does do (rider action).
The 2019 NHTSA Motorcycles Involved in Crashes, by Most Harmful Event and Crash Severity table indicates 40.8% of fatalities happen because a motorcyclist hit something to the front. This means the motorcyclist was in a situation where there was no safety margin to manage speed and spacing to avoid a crash. Likewise, 22.7 percent of fatalities happened when a motorcyclist hit a fixed object – again, not as a result of someone else – but because the motorcyclist was riding too fast to see and avoid an obstacle. A Human Element of behavior overriding skill potential with inappropriate action. It all adds up to 63.5% of deaths occurring not because of motor skills but poor judgment.
The human element is the last point of error in most crashes, and we must consider the following factors for future success: 1) licensure is a privilege, not a right; 2) Education is essential to creating more riding knowledge before the crash; 3) Motor skill development is only one part of a giant puzzle; 4) The best gear, machines, and roads do not override poor judgment; 5) Riding includes thinking and working well with others.
Whether a rider focuses on motorcycles as recreation or a form of transportation, those serious about maintaining the privilege will eventually have to consider why so many of us crash. If you are one of the many, who care about our way of life, either by immersing yourself in the culture or by sharing it with new riders, please embrace learning how to be better. The human factor is the last point of error; don’t be the error.
Inspire others, explore safer ways of riding, engage in learning, and integrate the human factor of better judgment into our riding culture.
References
Evans, L. (1991). Traffic safety and the driver. New York: Van Nostrand Reinhold.
NHTSA (2022). Motorcycles Involved in Crashes, by Most Harmful Event and Crash Severity, 2019 (Table 50). Washington, DC – Author.
Spiegel, B. (2010). The upper half of the motorcycle: On the unity of rider and machine. Center Conway, New Hampshire: Whitehorse Press.
